The overall effect of this military parade was still somewhat positive. Ernst underestimated the conservatism of people in the current era. In the eyes of the older generation, the East African army uniforms were too much of a break from tradition.
In fact, the military uniforms of this era are not unattractive, and can even be quite splendid. However, this kind of splendor typically only stands out for officers. The quality of uniforms for ordinary soldiers is somewhat uneven. The East African army, overall, is fairly unified, and there isn't a significant breakthrough in appearance. In fact, because they removed the distinct tall hats unique to European military uniforms, they seem somewhat less imposing.
