Military
Clothing – Psychological Warfare
Donning military clothing can have a massive psychological
impact on both the soldier wearing it and on his enemy
Military clothing and psychological warfare
Ever since the beginning
of mankind and war, military clothing was used to identify soldiers and
to have an impact on the enemy. Their appearance
and the kinds of military clothing worn were designed to intimidate and
overwhelm the enemy. Even in remote native areas where fighters don’t
have access to uniforms or military clothing, the men would adorn outfits
and garments designed to put fear into their enemy. Nose art and bones
for example were used as symbols to scare opponents.
Distinct military clothing
Those countries with vast armies who had distinct
military clothing, also used garments to strike fear – King Frederick
William 1 of Prussia had an elite unit of tall men in tall mitre hats
to make them
seem bigger, scarier and more intimidating. They were known as the Potsdam
Giants. From 1740 to 1918, Prussian hussars wore the skull and crossbones
on their hats.
Warrior-like clothing
The soldiers of ancient Sparta are perhaps the
most renowned for their warrior-like status. They wore expensive red
cloaks as part of their
military clothing supposedly because the blood of their enemies wouldn’t
leave stains.
Sinister military clothing
Perhaps the most sinister of uniforms in recent
times was that of Hitler’s
army. The military clothing that featured leather boots, leather belts
and insignia, was symptomatic of the times. After 1933, workers in the
government wore uniforms and in Nazi Germany each agency had its own
type of uniform. There were an enormous amount of titles ranks and various
military clothing and uniforms.
The psychology of uniforms
The notion that putting someone into a uniform
can alter their behaviour has fascinated psychologists. It has long been
questioned how ordinary
German people committed such brutal acts of genocide – and some
believe donning military clothing played a big psychological part.
Uniformity and morale
The army have always used military clothing and
uniform to keep people in line. Wearing military clothing also gave a
sense of identity to soldiers
and tellingly when pregnant US servicewomen were allowed to wear normal
clothes in the advanced stages of their pregnancy, they reported morale
problems.
Loss of individual morality
Although military clothing and uniforms can
boost morale and create a sense of purpose, they can also have a worrying
effect on soldiers
too. Academics have discovered that donning military clothing or any
kind of uniform increases the risk of sliding personal morals. People
are more willing to do things in groups that they would never do as an
individual – which explains the genocide of Nazi Germany for example.
Military clothing and camaraderie
However with the correct leadership,
wearing military clothing and uniforms can also promote decent behaviour.
Soldiers who share a uniform tend
to have a stronger sense of loyalty and experts have said that soldiers
will frame their own behaviour so as not to bring shame on their comrades.
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the Forces worldwide. John Bull Military Clothing is based at the Catterick
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