In Germany, are any of these jackets legally or socially acceptable for an American tourist?

Question

I am an American male in his mid-20s, visiting Germany for the first time this winter and staying for a week. I will be staying in North Rhine-Westphalia around Cologne, flying in and out of Frankfurt. Much of my cold weather gear is surplus from Germany and Austria. For the temperatures forecasted during my visit, I was planning to wear this surplus Polizei parka, as I understand that the green Polizei style was phased out a number of years ago and replaced with navy blue.

Does the jacket's outmoded coloration and lack of POLIZEI lettering exempt it from being considered "official clothes" under § 132a StGB? Will the patch reading Saarland Justizverwaltung be given a pass because it's on an out-of-use uniform, or will it fall afoul of that statute, which forbids unauthorized persons from wearing official signs same as it forbids official clothes?

If the Polizei parka is too risky, which would be the better option between a surplus Bundeswehr parka in the flecktarn Camo pattern and a surplus Austrian parka in olive drab with a Steinadler patch on the left shoulder?

In America, it's not uncommon to wear camouflage in the winter, but will German people assume I'm some Bundeswehr veteran because I'm wearing camouflage? And will the patch on the Austrian parka cause people to assume the same for the Bundesheer?

I have read the similar question Can I wear all types of military surplus clothing in Germany?. I am asking for clarification on specific articles of clothing of questionable "official-ness" and acceptable substitutes to make if my first choice of a winter coat is against the law.

Answer 1

You're looking for an "authoritative" answer, but this is a nuanced question and you're not going to get a black and white answer about this being acceptable or not. But if you insist on a TL;DR: no, you will not be arrested merely for wearing those jackets; no, you're not likely to get into actual trouble; but no, it's not really socially advisable for a tourist either.

Military gear (surplus or otherwise) decorated with national flags and insignia is by its very definition nationalist in nature: by wearing it, you are communicating that you are proud of your country. You can argue that this in itself should be neutral, but the reality is that being nationalist is associated with being against other countries and hence against immigrants, people of the "wrong" skin color or religion, etc. In my native Finland, there are strong negative stereotypes about people who walk around in this kind of clothing (without an obvious reason like being an army conscript, hunting, etc), and my understanding is that in pacifist Germany this feeling is even stronger. This is in marked contrast to countries like America, where flags, eagles, camo, prominent bumper stickers supporting our troops etc are quite normalized, if more so in the "red" parts of the country.

Which brings me to the fact that you are not in fact a German citizen, and from what I'm hearing do not in fact particularly wish to claim that you are or otherwise broadcast your love of the country. Which adds a final level for weirdness: why would a foreigner want to "pretend" to be a German nationalist?

So, to avoid misunderstandings and being stereotyped, don't wear those jackets, or at least remove the obvious flags/badges if you do.

Answer 2

Is it illegal?

As long as you wear it as part of your civilian clothes, lets say with blue jeans and normal shoes, nobody will think you are "in uniform" or impersonating anybody. You will not be mistaken for a soldier, not by the authorities, by soliders or by civilians. It's just an old jacket as part of your normal clothes.

By the letter of the law? To be perfectly safe, I would remove the patches, especially if they display state or country symbols/emblems. But that is for lawyers. Nobody on the street would care.

Is it socially acceptable?

The green/drab clothes is perfectly fine. Especially if you are around university student age, people expect you to wear used things and mix and match.

It does become weird though, when you wear something that screams "military", like the camo, or if you make it an actual fashion choice instead of one item in your outfit. So for example wearing the green/drab jackets with jeans and shoes should be perfectly fine, wearing them with black cargo pants and combat boots would be seen as weird. That is not longer "oh, he got an army surplus jacket, how smart" and strays deep into "oh, he plays dress up as a soldier, why that?".

Wearing that camo with jeans will probably just mark you as "that weird US guy", while wearing any of it as a fashion choice with matching boots and pants will make you look like a militant follower of a radical ideology. Right wing. Maybe even left wing if you pick the correct accessories. Or even "lonely lunatic" that people will use to point out why we have guns laws over here, "because that guy would shoot something up, sooner or later, just look at him".

So if you want to blend in, leave the camo at home and pack enough non-military clothes for those green/drab pieces to just be one piece of a mix of mostly civilian clothing you wear. That should be perfectly fine.

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A little background: back in time when Germany had mandatory service, seeing uniformed men travelling all over the country on Friday evening (home) and Sunday evening (to their barracks) was normal. But it is either full uniform or full civilian. I am not even sure if members of the military are allowed to mix that up, I am sure it's against regulations. Germans treat a uniform less like a symbol of pride and more like work clothing. When your shift ends, you want to go home and get out of it. Someone wearing their uniform (or parts of it) when not on duty (again, not even sure if that is even allowed for actual service members) is sending a very specific, militaristic, nationalistic message.

Answer 3

I can’t speak to Germany specifically, but most of the places in Europe I’ve been to, someone walking around in a plain (no camo, no rank/unit insignias, no official lettering), outdated military/LE jacket/parka, but otherwise wearing normal civilian clothing is not likely to get any reaction whatsoever from most people. Military surplus in Europe is usually cheap, and the jackets are often rather good quality for the price, so it’s not unusual for people who are strapped for cash to use some as part of their wardrobe. Wearing it with other military/LE attire though, such as a backpack covered in MOLLE/PALS webbing, or matching (or black) cargo pants, or combat boots, is likely to get you some strange looks.

The camo is likely not illegal, but a bit dicier in terms of social perceptions, when worn outside of usage in an official uniform or as part of a set of hunting gear it’s often strongly associated with specific sub-cultures, especially those with radical or nationalist outlooks (note that ‘nationalism’ is not something you want to be associated with in most of Europe, especially Germany). Camo attire is mostly seen as a matter of practical necessity for a specific purpose over in Europe, not something ‘the cool kids wear’ like it is here in the US (and this has a lot to do with how they tend to view the military more as a necessary component of the government of a sovereign state and not with the cool ‘action hero’ vibes we seem to have here in the US).

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But all of that is kind of irrelevant. The correct answer to this question is: If you think it has even the slightest possibility of being an issue, do something different.

Answer 4

I have several friends who also wear the camo parka and it has never been a problem. Of course, you have to remove any shoulder boards showing the military rank, but wearing the camo parka is not a problem at all.

The green jacket with the official logo of "Justizverwaltung" is a little bit different. It is not common that people wear that kind of stuff. Even if there's a new design now, people in the street may still think this is an official uniform which might lead to misunderstandings. I don't know if it's really legally forbidden (I even don't think so), but I would not do that, as it is not common at all here.

Regarding the Austrian cloth, I don't know.

Answer 5

Without knowing if this is reflected in the relevant laws, I think wearing a police uniform is much more problematic than wearing a military uniform, because soldiers don't have any special authority in Germany.

as I understand that the green Polizei style was phased out a number of years ago and replaced with navy blue.

Maybe, but each of the 16 states has their own police force, and some of them kept the green uniform longer than others. As a German, I have no idea if there are states or special agencies left with green uniforms. If I see someone wearing a realistic police uniform, I will perceive him as a police officer even if it is green.

In America, it's not uncommon to wear camouflage in the winter, but will German people assume I'm some Bundeswehr veteran because I'm wearing camouflage?

I really don't think so. If you combine it with camouflage pants and boots, you will be perceived as an active soldier, otherwise you'll be seen as someone who likes to wear camouflage. Most people wouldn't do it, but enough people do it that it won't automatically be seen as a political statement.

And will the patch on the Austrian parka cause people to assume the same for the Bundesheer?

Even less than with the Flecktarn, because it is not as easily recognized as part of a uniform, at least to my eyes. Also, most Germans will never have seen an Austrian military uniform. I don't know however if there is a technical legal argument to be made about the patch.