Starting in 1915, NCOs of the Imperial German Army would only wear gold "tresse" tape in a "V" shape on the collar, no longer wearing in on the cuff. However, NCO collar buttons would continue to be worn.

RIR Nr. 48 was a regiment in the 5th Brandenburgisches (Brandenburg) Division of the Prussian Army during the First World War. The 48th was a Reserve Infantry Regiment that served in Belgium at the outbreak of the war in 1914, then was relocated to the Eastern Front in December of 1914 where it would remain under the command of Field Marshal August von Mackensen of the 9th Army until the end of the War in the East. After the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which ended the war with Russia, the 48th RIR was again relocated, this time to France, where they would spend the rest of the war.


A photograph of soldiers and NCOs of the 48th RIR