The parade had produced some effect overall. Ernst had underestimated the conservatism of people in this age; in the eyes of the older generation, the East African Army's dress uniforms were far too much of a break from tradition.
In truth, military uniforms of this era were not unattractive—some were even quite splendid. Yet such splendor was generally reserved for officers, while ordinary soldiers' uniforms varied greatly in quality. The East African Army was relatively uniform as a whole, and its appearance had not actually broken much new ground. It even seemed somewhat lacking in majesty after doing away with the tall peaked hats characteristic of European uniforms.
Put another way, European uniforms still retained features of the cold-weapons era, while the East African Army was transitioning toward the Second World War era of Ernst's previous life, placing greater emphasis on practicality. Compared separately, East Africa fell slightly short in artistry, but these East African dress uniforms were exceptionally suited to appearing as a unit, their chief feature being a solemn, oppressive sense of grandeur.
After a brief silence, fervent applause erupted from both sides of Vienna's streets. The East African Army was not Austria's army, so naturally it did not receive cheers, but the iron discipline it displayed won the praise of Vienna's citizens.
"The Kingdom of East Africa has Prussia's warlike blood flowing in its bones. That must be a tradition of the House of Hohenzollern!" a citizen remarked.
It would not hold up to say East Africa alone was as warlike as Prussia, because the East African Army contained yellow faces—people who were not even Germans. Thus, the influence of the Hechingen Royal Family had to be included. Since the Hechingen Royal Family also bore the name Hohenzollern, the East African Army was bound to have been