The history of military uniforms is (perhaps fortunately) much shorter than the history of warfare. Men have been fighting in more or less organized bodies since (and perhaps before) they became men. They have worn uniforms, in the proper sense, only for just under three hundred years. It is therefore possible to deal with the subject within the limits of a brief survey, on the condition that the minutiae of regimental differences are resolutely ignored.
A German torpedo hit the RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915. Shortly after, a substantial second explosion shook the ship. Within 20 minutes, the vessel known as the "Greyhound of the Seas" had sunk to the ocean floor, resulting in the deaths of almost 1200 individuals. A new two-step investigation...