"The SA were also called the "Brownshirts" (Braunhemden), from the color of their uniform shirts, similar to Benito Mussolini´s blackshirts. The SA developed pseudo-military titles for its members, with ranks that were later adopted by several other Nazi Party groups, chief amongst them the Schutzstaffel (SS). This had originated as a branch of the SA before being separated. Brown-colored shirts were chosen as the SA uniform because a large number of them were cheaply available after World War I, having originally been ordered during the war for colonial troops posted to Germany´s former African colonies." - (en.wikipedia.org 30.01.2020)
