What ranks do the Germans have? SS military ranks

Wehrmacht rank insignia
(Die Wehrmacht) 1935-1945

SS troops (Waffen SS)

Insignia of ranks of junior and middle managers
(Untere Fuehrer, Mittlere Fuehrer)

Let us remember that the SS troops were part of the SS organization. Service in the SS troops was not a state service, but was legally equivalent to it.

During their initial formation, the SS troops were created from members of the SS organization (Allgemeine-SS) and since this organization had a paramilitary structure and its own rank system, the SS troops (Waffen SS) when they were created adopted the general SS rank system (for more details, see the article “Troops”) SS" subsection "Tanks of Germany" section " Military ranks"of the same site) with minor changes. Naturally, the division into categories in the SS troops was not quite the same as in the Wehrmacht. If in the Wehrmacht military personnel were divided into privates, non-commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers with sword belts, chief officers, staff officers and generals, then in the SS troops, as well as in the SS organization in general, the term “officer” was absent. The SS military personnel were divided into members, sub-leaders, junior leaders, middle leaders and senior leaders. Well, if you want, you can say “. ...leaders" or "...fuhrers".

However, these names were purely official, so to speak, legal terms. In everyday life and, to a large extent, in official correspondence, the phrase “SS officer” was still used, and quite widely. This was caused, firstly, by the fact that the SS men, mostly coming from the lowest strata of German society, found it very flattering to consider themselves officers. Secondly, as the number of SS divisions increased, it was no longer possible to staff them with officers only from among the SS members, and some Wehrmacht officers were transferred by order to the SS troops. And they really didn’t want to lose the honorary title “officer.”

The well-known SS black uniform was the uniform of the SS organization (Allgemeine-SS), but it was never worn by the SS troops, since it was abolished in 1934, and the SS troops were finally formed by 1939. However, SS troops, as members of the SS organization, had the right to wear uniform of the general SS. The SS troops transferred from the Wehrmacht were not members of the SS organization and had no right to it.

Let us explain that in 1934 the black Allgemeine-SS uniform was replaced by the same cut, but light-colored. gray. She was no longer wearing the red bandage with the black swastika. Instead, an eagle with outstretched wings sitting on a wreath with a swastika was embroidered in this place. One shoulder strap of a special type was replaced by two Wehrmacht types. White shirt with black tie.

In the photo on the left (reconstruction): uniform of the general SS mod. 1934 On the shoulders are two shoulder straps with pink lining (tanker). On the shoulder straps, in addition to the star, you can distinguish the golden monogram of the Leibstandarte division Adolf Hitler". On the collar are the insignia of an SS-Obersturmbannführer. On the left sleeve is an eagle and at the cuff there is a black ribbon on which the name of the division should have been written. On the right sleeve there is a patch for a destroyed enemy tank and below the chevron of an SS veteran (too large).
It follows that this is the jacket of an SS-Obersturmbannführer of the SS troops, who is a member of the SS organization.

From the author. It turned out to be extremely difficult to find an image of the gray uniform of the general SS. There are as many black jackets as you like. I explain this only by the fact that the SS organization, which played such a significant role in the twenties and early thirties in bringing the Nazis to power, by the mid-thirties began to gradually acquire a nominal role. After all, being in the ranks of the general SS was, so to speak, a social activity along with a person’s main job. And with the Nazis coming to power, active members of the SS quickly began to occupy positions in the police, other government institutions, in the guards of concentration camps, where other types of uniforms were usually worn. And with the beginning of the creation of the SS troops, the remaining ones were sent there for service. So by the end of the thirties, few people wore this uniform. Although, if you look at photographs of G. Himmler and his inner circle, taken in the second half of the thirties and later, they are all in this gray uniform of the general SS.

The replacement of the black uniform of the general SS with gray continued until mid-1938, after which its wearing was prohibited. The remains of a black uniform with worn-out badges and sewn green cuffs and collars were issued to policemen in the occupied territory of the USSR during the war.

The main uniform of SS officers was a uniform similar to the uniform of Wehrmacht officers with the same rank insignia in the form of shoulder straps, but on the collars instead of Wehrmacht buttonholes, SS officers wore insignia similar to the insignia on the collars of the open uniforms of the general SS. Thus, SS officers had rank insignia on their uniforms, both in buttonholes and on shoulder straps. Moreover, these insignia (and the same ranks) were worn by officers of the SS troops, both members of the SS organization and those who were not.

In the photo on the left (reconstruction): SS-Hauptsturmführer in SS uniform. The piping on the cap is colored according to the type of military service. Here the white one is the infantry. The stars on the shoulder straps are mistakenly golden in color. In the SS troops they were silver. On the right sleeve there is a badge for a damaged tank, on the left there is an SS eagle and above the cuff there is a ribbon with the name of the division.

Note that this is generally the uniform of the SS troops. Depending on the quality in which this uniform is used, headdress he could have had a cap of the type shown, a steel helmet with attributes of the SS troops, or a field cap (cap, cap).

Steel helmet was both a ceremonial headdress and utilitarian item at the front. The cap for the SS troops was introduced in 1942. and differed from the soldier’s in that a silver flagellum ran along the edge of the lapel and along the top. Black cap, model 1942. worn only with a black tank uniform.

In 1943, a cap was introduced for everyone, which had previously been worn only by mountain troops. This headdress was considered most suitable for field conditions, especially in cold weather and in winter, since the lapels could be unbuttoned and lowered, thereby protecting the ears and lower part of the face from the cold. The officer's cap had a silver strip along the edge of the lapel and along the top.

From the author. One evil memoirist from the SS soldiers in his book claims that the officers of their regiment, in full dress uniform, did not wear real heavy steel helmets (which the soldiers were forced to wear), but made of papier-mâché. They were made with such high quality that the soldiers did not realize it for a long time and were amazed at the stamina and endurance of their officers.

The officers of the so-called “SS divisions” (Division der SS) had the same uniform and the same insignia, i.e. divisions formed from persons of other nationalities (Latvian, Estonian, Norwegian, etc.) and other volunteer formations ..
In general, these collaborators had no right to call themselves SS ranks. Their ranks were called, for example, "Waffen-Untersturmfuehrer". Or "Legions-Obersturmfuehrer".

From the author. So gentlemen from the Latvian and Estonian divisions, you are not SS men, but rather henchmen, cannon fodder for Hitler. And you fought not for a Latvia and Estonia free from the Bolsheviks, but for the right to be “Germanized” as defined by the Ost plan, while your other compatriots were supposed to be deported to distant Siberia or simply destroyed.

But the commander of the so-called “RONA assault brigade” B.V. Kaminsky, when this brigade was included in the SS troops, was awarded the rank of SS-Brigadeführer and Major General of the SS troops. Commander of the SS volunteer regiment "Varyag" former captain Red Army (according to other sources, former senior political instructor) M.A. Semenov had the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer.

From the author. This is according to Soviet and modern Russian sources. I have not yet found confirmation in German sources.

The color of the SS officers' uniform basically coincided with the color of the Wehrmacht uniform, but was somewhat lighter, grayer, and the green tint was almost invisible. However, as the war progressed, the attitude towards the color of the uniform became more and more indifferent. They sewed from the fabric that was available (from almost green to almost pure brown). And yet, in the SS troops, the process of simplifying the uniform and deteriorating its quality occurred more slowly and later than in the Wehrmacht.

Tank uniforms and self-propelled artillery uniforms of the SS troops were also basically similar to those of the Wehrmacht tanks. Tankers wore black, self-propelled guns wore feldgrau. The collar has buttonholes similar to those on a regular gray field uniform. The collar trim, unlike the soldier's, is made of silver flagellum.

In the photo on the left (reconstruction): SS-Hauptsturmführer in a black tank uniform. The stars on the shoulder straps are mistakenly golden in color.

Junior leaders and mid-level leaders in the ranks up to and including SS-Obersturmbannführer wore rank insignia in the left buttonhole, and two in the right runes "zig" or have other signs (see article on the insignia of SS soldiers).

In particular, in the 3rd tank division“Totenkopf” (SS-Panzer-Division “Totenkopf”) instead of runes they wore an SS emblem embroidered with aluminum thread in the form of a skull.

SS officers with the ranks of SS-Standartenführer and SS-Oberführer had rank insignia in both buttonholes. There are endless disputes regarding the rank of SS-Oberführer - is it an officer's or a general's rank. In the SS, this is an officer rank higher than Oberst, but lower than Major General of the Wehrmacht.

The buttonholes of SS officers were edged with a silver twisted cord. On black tank uniforms and gray self-propelled artillery uniforms, SS officers often wore buttonholes with pink (tankers) or scarlet (artillerymen) piping instead of silver piping.

In the picture on the right: the buttonholes of an SS-Untersturmführer.

The officers of the 3rd Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (3.SS-Panzer-Division "Totenkopf") wore in their right buttonhole not two "zig" runes, but an emblem in the form of a skull (similar to the emblems of Wehrmacht tankers). This exhausts the variety of signs in the right buttonhole. All other badges were worn only by officers of divisions “under the SS”.

By the way, this division should not be confused with the so-called “Totenkopfrerbaende” (SS-Totenkopfrerbaende) units, which had nothing to do with the SS troops, but were part of the concentration camp guards.

The shoulder straps of SS officers were similar to the shoulder straps of Wehrmacht officers, but the lower lining was black, the upper, forming a kind of edging, according to the color of the branch of service. Senior officers had a double base. The bottom one is black, the top one is the color of the military branch.

The colors according to the type of troops in the SS troops were somewhat different from those of the Wehrmacht

*White-. Infantry. This is the same general military color.
*Light gray -. The central apparatus of the SS troops.
*Black and white striped -. Engineering units and units (sappers).
*Blue -. Supply and support services.
*Scarlet -. Artillery.
*Brownish green -. Reserve service.
*Burgundy -. Legal service.
*Dark red - Veterinary service.
*Golden yellow -. Cavalry, motorized reconnaissance units.
*Green -. Infantry regiments police divisions (4th and 35th SS divisions).
*Lemon yellow -. Communication service and propaganda service.
*Light green - Mountain parts.
*Orange - Technical service and replenishment service.
*Pink-. Tankers, anti-tank artillery.
*Cornflower blue -. Medical service.
*Pink-reddish -. Geological Survey.
*Light blue -. Administrative service.
*Raspberry -. Snipers in all branches of the military.
*Copper brown - Intelligence.

Until the summer of 1943, signs of belonging to certain units had to be placed on shoulder straps. These signs could be metal or sewn with silver or gray silk thread. However, SS officers simply ignored this requirement and, as a rule, did not wear any letters on their shoulder straps until 1943, when they were abolished. Perhaps only the officers of the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler", proud of their belonging to the most elite SS division, wore a special monogram. The following signs were installed:
A - artillery regiment;
And the Gothic one is a reconnaissance battalion;
AS/I - 1st Artillery School;
AS/II - 2nd Artillery School;
Gear - technical part(repair parts);
D - Deutschland Regiment;
DF - regiment "Fuhrer";
E/ Gothic figure - Recruitment point number...;
FI - Anti-aircraft machine gun battalion;
JS/B - officer school in Braunschweig;
JS/T - officer school in Tolts;
L - training parts;
Lyra - bandmasters and musicians;
MS - school of military musicians in Braunschweig;
N - Nordland regiment;
Gothic P - anti-tank;
Snake - veterinary service;
A snake entwining a rod - doctors;
US/L - non-commissioned officer school in Lauenburg;
US/R - non-commissioned officer school in Radolfzell;
W - Westland Regiment.

The stars could have a square side of 1.5, 2.0 or 2.4 cm. And if the stars in the buttonholes were always 1.5 cm in size, then the officer chose the size of the stars on the shoulder straps himself, based on the convenience of their placement. For example, on the pursuit of the SS-Obersturmführer, the asterisk is shifted down to make room for the monogram. And if there is no monogram or other emblem on the shoulder strap, then the asterisk is usually in the center of the shoulder strap.

So, the rank of an SS officer could be determined simultaneously by shoulder straps and buttonholes:

Untere Fuehrer (junior managers):

1.SS Untersturmfuehrer (SS-Untersturmfuehrer) [administrative service];

2.SS Obersturmfuehrer (SS-Obersturmfuehrer) [tank units]. In pursuit is the monogram of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler division.

3. SS Hauptsturmfuehrer (SS-Hauptsturmfuehrer) [communications unit].

Mittlere Fuehrer;

4.SS-Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer) [infantry];

5.SS Obersturmbannfuehrer [artillery];

6.SS Standartenfuehrer [medical service];

7.SS Oberfuehrer [tank units].

The insignia on the SS-Standartenführer and SS-Oberführer buttonholes changed slightly in May 1942. Please note that on the old buttonholes there are three acorns on the Oberführer's buttonhole, while the Standartenführer has two. In addition, the branches on old buttonholes are curved, and later straight.

This is essential if you need to determine the period when a particular photograph was taken.

A few words about the insignia of the 4th SS Division.

It was formed in October 1939 from among police officers under the designation “Police Division” (Polizei-Division) as an ordinary infantry division, and was not classified as an SS division, although it was part of the SS troops. Therefore, its military personnel had police ranks and wore police insignia.

In February 1942 The division was officially assigned to the SS troops and received the name "SS Police Division" (SS-Polizei-Division). From that time on, the servicemen of this division began to wear the general SS uniform and SS insignia. In this case, the upper substrate officer's shoulder straps in the division was defined as grassy green.

At the beginning of 1943, the division was renamed the "SS Police Grenadier Division" (SS-Polizei-Grenadier-Ddivision).

And only in October 1943 the division received the final name "4th Police motorized rifle division SS" (4.SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division).

So, from the moment of its formation in October 1939 to February 1942, the division insignia:

The paired Wehrmacht style buttonholes on the flap are grass green. The collar is brown with grass green edging. In general, this is the uniform of the German police.

Shoulder straps on a green background.

From right to left:

1. Leutnant der Polizei
(Leutnant der Polizei)

2. Oberleutnant der Polizei
(Oberleutnant der Polizei)

3.Hauptmann der Polizei
(Hauptmann der Polizei)

4. Major der Polizei (Major der policeman)

5. Oberstleutnant der Polizei (Oberstleutnant der Polizei)

6.Oberst der Polizei (Oberst der Policeman).

It is worth noting that from the very beginning this division was commanded by a member of the SS organization, SS-Gruppenführer and Police Lieutenant General Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch

On camouflage clothing it was necessary to wear green stripes on a black flap on both sleeves above the elbow. One row of oak leaves with acorns meant a junior officer, two rows meant a senior officer. The number of stripes under the leaves meant rank. The picture shows the SS-Obersturmführer's patches. However, as a rule, SS officers ignored these stripes and preferred to indicate their rank by wearing a collar with rank insignia over their camouflage clothing.

An interesting remark from one of the Soviet veterans of SMERSH counterintelligence officers: “... since the late autumn of 1944, I have repeatedly discovered carefully wrapped buttonholes and shoulder straps of the Wehrmacht in the pockets of killed or captured SS men. During interrogation, these SS men unanimously declared that they had previously served in They were forcibly transferred to the Wehrmacht and the SS by order, and they keep the old insignia as a memory of their honest soldier’s service.”

In conclusion, it should be noted that there was no category of military officials in the SS troops. as in the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. All positions were performed by SS soldiers. Also, there were no priests in the SS troops, because... SS members were prohibited from practicing any religion.

Literature and sources.

1. P. Lipatov. Uniforms of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht. Publishing House "Technology for Youth". Moscow. 1996
2. Magazine "Sergeant". Chevron series. No. 1.
3.Nimmergut J. Das Eiserne Kreuz. Bonn. 1976.
4.Littlejohn D. Foreign legions of the III Reich. Volume 4. San Jose. 1994.
5.Buchner A. Das Handbuch der Waffen SS 1938-1945. Friedeberg. 1996
6. Brian L. Davis. German Army Uniforms and Insignia 1933-1945. London 1973
7.SA soldiers. NSDAP assault troops 1921-45. Ed. "Tornado". 1997
8.Encyclopedia of the Third Reich. Ed. "Lockheed Myth". Moscow. 1996
9. Brian Lee Davis. Uniform of the Third Reich. AST. Moscow 2000
10. Website "Wehrmacht Rank Insignia" (http://www.kneler.com/Wehrmacht/).
11.Website "Arsenal" (http://www.ipclub.ru/arsenal/platz).
12.V.Shunkov. Soldiers of destruction. Organization, training, weapons, uniforms of the Waffen SS. Moscow. Minsk, AST Harvest. 2001
13.A.A.Kurylev. German Army 1933-1945. Astrel. AST. Moscow. 2009
14. W. Boehler. Unoform-Effekten 1939-1945. Motorbuch Verlag. Karlsruhe. 2009

OFFICER RANKS IN FASCIST GERMANY

OFFICER RANKS IN FASCIST GERMANY, Reichsführer SS corresponded to the rank of Field Marshal of the Wehrmacht;
Oberstgruppenführer - Colonel General;
Obergruppenführer - general;
Gruppenführer - Lieutenant General;
brigadenführer - major general;
Standartenführer - colonel;
Obersturmbannführer - lieutenant colonel;
Sturmbannführer - major;
Hauptsturmführer - captain;
Obersturmführer - Oberleutnant;
Untersturmführer - Lieutenant.

Encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

See what "OFFICER RANKS IN FASCIST GERMANY" are in other dictionaries:

Officer ranks troops of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition and the Axis countries during the Second World War. Not marked: China ( Anti-Hitler coalition) Finland (Axis powers) Designations: Infantry Naval forces Military air force Waffen... ... Wikipedia

SS BRIGADENFUHRER, see Officer ranks in Nazi Germany (see OFFICER RANKS IN FASCIST GERMANY) ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

SS HAUPTSTURMFUHRER, see Officer ranks in Nazi Germany (see OFFICER RANKS IN FASCIST GERMANY) ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

SS GRUPPENFUHRER, see Officer ranks in Nazi Germany (see OFFICER RANKS IN FASCIST GERMANY) ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

OBERGRUPPENFUHRER SS, see Officer ranks in Nazi Germany (see OFFICER RANKS IN FASCIST GERMANY) ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

OBERSGRUPPENFUHRER SS, see Officer ranks in Nazi Germany (see OFFICER RANKS IN FASCIST GERMANY) ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

OBERSTURMBANNFUHRER SS, see Officer ranks in Nazi Germany (see OFFICER RANKS IN FASCIST GERMANY) ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

Brigadefuhrer (German: Brigadefuhrer)- rank in the SS and SA, corresponding to the rank of major general.

May 19, 1933 introduced into the SS structure as the rank of leaders of the main territorial divisions of the SS Oberabschnitte (SS-Oberabschnitte). This is the highest structural unit SS organizations. There were 17 of them. It can be equated to an army district, especially since the territorial boundaries of each oberabshnit coincided with the boundaries of the army districts. Oberabschnit did not have a clearly defined number of abschnites. This depended on the size of the territory, the number of SS units stationed on it, and the population size. Most often, the Oberabschnit had three abschnit and several special formations: one signal battalion (SS Nachrichtensturmbann), one engineer battalion (SS Pioniersturmbann), one sanitary company (SS Sanitaetssturm), an auxiliary reserve squad of members over 45 years of age, or a women's auxiliary squad ( SS Helferinnen). Since 1936 in the Waffen-SS it corresponded to the rank of major general and the position of division commander.

The change in the insignia of senior SS Fuhrers (generals) in April 1942 was caused by the introduction of the rank of Oberstgruppenführer and the desire to unify the number of stars on the buttonholes and on shoulder straps, which were worn on all other types of uniforms, except for the party one, since with the increase in the number of Waffen-SS units, more and more There were problems with the correct recognition of SS ranks by ordinary Wehrmacht soldiers.

Starting from this SS rank, if its holder was appointed to a military (since 1936) or police (since 1933) position, he received a duplicate rank in accordance with the nature of the service:

SS Brigadeführer and Major General of Police - German. SS Brigadefuehrer und der General-maior der Polizei
SS Brigadeführer and Major General of the Waffen-SS - German. SS Brigadefuehrer und der General-major der Waffen SS

The SS is one of the most sinister and frightening organizations of the 20th century. To this day, it is a symbol of all the atrocities of the Nazi regime in Germany. At the same time, the phenomenon of the SS and the myths that circulate about its members is an interesting subject for study. Many historians still find documents of these very “elite” Nazis in the archives of Germany.

Now we will try to understand their nature. and SS ranks will be our main topic today.

History of creation

The abbreviation SS was first used to designate Hitler's personal paramilitary security unit in 1925.

The leader of the Nazi Party surrounded himself with security even before the Beer Hall Putsch. However, its sinister and special meaning she acquired it only after she had been re-recruited for Hitler, who had been released from prison. At that time, SS ranks were still extremely stingy - there were groups of ten people, headed by the SS Fuhrer.

The main goal This organization was the protection of members of the National Socialist Party. The SS appeared much later, when the Waffen-SS was formed. These were precisely those parts of the organization that we remembered most vividly, since they fought at the front, among ordinary Wehrmacht soldiers, although they stood out among them in many ways. Before this, the SS was, although paramilitary, a “civilian” organization.

Formation and activity

As mentioned above, initially the SS was just the personal guard of the Fuhrer and some other high-ranking party members. However, gradually this organization began to expand, and the first bell foretelling its future power, there was the introduction of a special SS rank. It's about about the position of Reichsfuhrer, then simply the chief of all SS Fuhrers.

Second important point The rise of the organization was permission to patrol the streets on a par with the police. This made the SS members no longer just guards. The organization has turned into a full-fledged law enforcement service.

However, at that time, the military ranks of the SS and the Wehrmacht were still considered equivalent. The main event in the formation of the organization can be called, of course, the accession to the post of Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler. It was he who, while simultaneously serving as head of the SA, issued a decree that did not allow any of the military to give orders to members of the SS.

At that time, this decision, understandably, was met with hostility. Moreover, along with this, a decree was immediately issued that demanded that all the best soldiers be placed at the disposal of the SS. In essence, Hitler and his closest associates pulled off a brilliant scam.

Indeed, among the military class, the number of adherents of the National Socialist labor movement was minimal, and therefore the heads of the party seizing power understood the threat posed by the army. They needed firm confidence that there were people who would take up arms on the orders of the Fuhrer and would be ready to die while carrying out the tasks assigned to him. Therefore, Himmler actually created a personal army for the Nazis.

The main purpose of the new army

These people performed the dirtiest and lowest, from a moral point of view, work. Concentration camps were under their responsibility, and during the war, members of this organization became the main participants in punitive purges. SS ranks appear in every crime committed by the Nazis.

The final victory of the authority of the SS over the Wehrmacht was the appearance of SS troops - later the military elite of the Third Reich. No general had the right to subjugate a member of even the lowest rung in the organizational ladder of the “security detachment,” although the ranks in the Wehrmacht and SS were similar.

Selection

To get into the SS party organization, one had to meet many requirements and parameters. First of all, SS ranks were given to men with absolute age at the time of joining the organization should have been 20-25 years. They were required to have the “correct” structure of the skull and absolutely healthy white teeth. Most often, joining the SS ended the “service” in the Hitler Youth.

Appearance was one of the most important selection parameters, since people who were members of the Nazi organization were destined to become the elite of the future German society, “equals among unequals.” It is clear that the most important criterion was endless devotion to the Fuhrer and the ideals of National Socialism.

However, such an ideology did not last long, or rather, it almost completely collapsed with the advent of the Waffen-SS. During the Second World War, Hitler and Himmler began to recruit everyone who showed desire and proved loyalty into the personal army. Of course, they tried to preserve the prestige of the organization by assigning only SS ranks to newly recruited foreigners and not accepting them into the main cell. After serving in the army, such individuals were supposed to receive German citizenship.

In general, the “elite Aryans” “ended up” very quickly during the war, being killed on the battlefield and taken prisoner. Only the first four divisions were completely “staffed” by pure race, among which, by the way, was the legendary “Death’s Head”. However, already the 5th (“Viking”) made it possible for foreigners to receive SS titles.

Divisions

The most famous and ominous is, of course, the 3rd Tank Division “Totenkopf”. Many times she completely disappeared, being destroyed. However, it was revived again and again. However, the division gained fame not because of this, and not because of any successful military operations. “Dead Head” is, first of all, an incredible amount of blood on the hands of military personnel. It is on this division that lies greatest number crimes against both civilians and prisoners of war. Rank and title in the SS did not play any role during the tribunal, since almost every member of this unit managed to “distinguish themselves.”

The second most legendary was the Viking division, recruited, according to the Nazi formulation, “from peoples close in blood and spirit.” Volunteers from Scandinavian countries entered there, although their number was not overwhelming. Basically, only Germans still held SS ranks. However, a precedent was created, because Viking became the first division to recruit foreigners. For a long time they fought in the south of the USSR, the main place of their “exploits” was Ukraine.

"Galicia" and "Rhone"

The Galicia division also occupies a special place in the history of the SS. This unit was created from volunteers with Western Ukraine. Motives of people from Galicia who received German ranks The SS were simple - the Bolsheviks came to their land just a few years ago and managed to repress a considerable number of people. They joined this division not out of ideological similarity with the Nazis, but for the sake of the war against the communists, whom many Western Ukrainians perceived in the same way as citizens of the USSR perceived the German invaders, i.e. as punitive and murderers. Many went there out of a thirst for revenge. In short, the Germans were looked upon as liberators from the Bolshevik yoke.

This view was typical not only of residents of Western Ukraine. The 29th Division "RONA" gave SS ranks and shoulder straps to Russians who had previously tried to gain independence from the communists. They got there for the same reasons as the Ukrainians - a thirst for revenge and independence. For many people, joining the ranks of the SS seemed like a real salvation after a life broken by the 30s under Stalin.

At the end of the war, Hitler and his allies went to extremes just to keep people associated with the SS on the battlefield. They began to recruit literally boys into the army. A striking example This is the Hitler Youth division.

In addition, on paper there are many units that were never created, for example, the one that was supposed to become Muslim (!). Even blacks sometimes ended up in the ranks of the SS. Old photographs testify to this.

Of course, when it came to this, all elitism disappeared, and the SS became simply an organization under the leadership of the Nazi elite. The recruitment of “imperfect” soldiers only shows how desperate Hitler and Himmler were at the end of the war.

Reichsfuehrer

The most famous head of the SS was, of course, Heinrich Himmler. It was he who made the Fuhrer’s guard a “private army” and held the post of its leader the longest. This figure is now largely mythical: it is impossible to clearly say where fiction ends and where the facts from the biography of a Nazi criminal begin.

Thanks to Himmler, the authority of the SS was finally strengthened. The organization became a permanent part of the Third Reich. The SS rank he bore actually made him commander-in-chief of all personal army Hitler. It must be said that Heinrich approached his position very responsibly - he personally inspected concentration camps, conducted inspections in divisions, and participated in the development of military plans.

Himmler was a truly ideological Nazi and considered serving in the SS his true calling. His main goal in life was to exterminate Jewish people. Perhaps the descendants of Holocaust victims should curse him more than Hitler.

Due to the impending fiasco and Hitler's increasing paranoia, Himmler was accused of treason. The Fuhrer was sure that his ally had entered into an agreement with the enemy in order to save his life. Himmler lost all high posts and titles, and his place was to be taken by the famous party leader Karl Hanke. However, he did not have time to do anything for the SS, since he simply could not take office as Reichsführer.

Structure

The SS Army, like any other paramilitary force, was strictly disciplined and well organized.

The smallest unit in this structure was the Shar-SS department, consisting of eight people. Three similar army units formed the SS troupe - according to our concepts, this is a platoon.

The Nazis also had their own equivalent of a Sturm-SS company, consisting of about one and a half hundred people. They were commanded by an Untersturmführer, whose rank was the first and most junior among the officers. From three such units, the Sturmbann-SS was formed, headed by a Sturmbannführer (the rank of major in the SS).

And finally, the Standar-SS is the highest administrative-territorial organizational unit, analogous to a regiment.

Apparently, the Germans did not reinvent the wheel and spend too much time looking for original structural solutions for their new army. They just selected analogues of conventional military units, giving them a special, excuse me, “Nazi flavor.” The same situation happened with ranks.

Ranks

The military ranks of the SS Troops were almost completely similar to the ranks of the Wehrmacht.

The youngest of all was a private, who was called a Schütze. Above him stood the equivalent of a corporal - a Sturmmann. So the ranks rose to officer untersturmführer (lieutenant), continuing to remain modified simple army ranks. They walked in this order: Rottenführer, Scharführer, Oberscharführer, Hauptscharführer and Sturmscharführer.

After this, the officers began their work. The highest ranks were general (Obergruppenführer) of the military branch and colonel general, called Oberstgruppenführer.

All of them were subordinate to the commander-in-chief and head of the SS - the Reichsführer. There is nothing complicated in the structure of SS ranks, except perhaps the pronunciation. However, this system is built logically and in an army-like manner, especially if you add up the ranks and structure of the SS in your head - then everything generally becomes quite simple to understand and remember.

Insignia

It is interesting to study ranks and titles in the SS using the example of shoulder straps and insignia. They were characterized by a very stylish German aesthetic and truly reflected everything that the Germans thought about their achievements and purpose. The main topic there was death and ancient Aryan symbols. And if the ranks in the Wehrmacht and the SS were practically the same, the same cannot be said about shoulder straps and stripes. So what's the difference?

The shoulder straps of the rank and file were nothing special - an ordinary black stripe. The only difference is the stripes. did not go far, but their black shoulder strap was edged with a stripe, the color of which depended on the rank. Starting with the Oberscharführer, stars appeared on the shoulder straps - they were huge in diameter and quadrangular in shape.

But you can really get it if you look at the insignia of a Sturmbannführer - they resembled in shape and were woven into a fancy ligature, on top of which stars were placed. In addition, on the stripes, in addition to stripes, oak sheets green.

They were made in the same aesthetics, only they had a gold color.

However, of particular interest to collectors and those wishing to understand the culture of the Germans of that time are a variety of stripes, including signs of the division in which the SS member served. It was both a “death’s head” with crossed bones and a Norwegian hand. These patches were not mandatory, but were included in the SS army uniform. Many members of the organization wore them with pride, confident that they were doing the right thing and that fate was on their side.

Form

Initially, when the SS first appeared, the “security squad” could be distinguished from an ordinary party member by their ties: they were black, not brown. However, due to the “elitism”, the requirements for appearance and standing out from the crowd increased more and more.

With the arrival of Himmler, black became the main color of the organization - the Nazis wore caps, shirts, and uniforms of this color. To these were added stripes with runic symbols and a “death’s head”.

However, since Germany entered the war, black was found to be extremely conspicuous on the battlefield, so military gray uniforms were introduced. It did not differ in anything except color, and was of the same strict style. Gradually, gray tones completely replaced black. The black uniform was considered purely ceremonial.

Conclusion

SS military ranks do not carry with them any sacred meaning. They are just a copy of the military ranks of the Wehrmacht, one might even say a mockery of them. Like, “look, we are the same, but you cannot command us.”

However, the difference between the SS and the regular army was not at all in the buttonholes, shoulder straps and names of ranks. The main thing that the members of the organization had was endless devotion to the Fuhrer, which charged them with hatred and bloodthirstiness. Judging by the diaries of German soldiers, they themselves did not like “Hitler’s dogs” for their arrogance and contempt for all the people around them.

The same attitude was towards officers - the only thing for which SS members were tolerated in the army was the incredible fear of them. As a result, the rank of major (in the SS this is Sturmbannführer) began to mean much more to Germany than highest rank in a simple army. The leadership of the Nazi Party almost always took the side of “their own” during some internal army conflicts, because they knew that they could only rely on them.

Ultimately, not all SS criminals were brought to justice - many of them fled to South American countries, changing their names and hiding from those to whom they were guilty - that is, from the entire civilized world.

The SS troops belonged to the SS organization; service in them was not considered state service, even if it was legally equivalent to such. The military uniform of SS soldiers is quite recognizable all over the world; most often this black uniform is associated with the organization itself. It is known that the uniforms for SS employees during the Holocaust were sewn by prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp.

History of the SS military uniform

Initially, soldiers of the SS troops (also “Waffen SS”) dressed in gray uniform, extremely similar to the uniform of regular attack aircraft German army. In 1930, the same well-known black uniform was introduced, which was supposed to emphasize the difference between the troops and the rest and determine the elitism of the unit. By 1939, SS officers received a white dress uniform, and since 1934, a gray one was introduced, intended for field battles. Gray military uniform differed from black only in color.

Additionally, SS servicemen were entitled to a black overcoat, which, with the introduction of the gray uniform, was replaced by a double-breasted, respectively, gray overcoat. High-ranking officers were allowed to wear their overcoat unbuttoned by the top three buttons so that the colored distinctive stripes were visible. Subsequently, holders of the Knight's Cross received the same right (in 1941), who were allowed to display the award.

The Waffen SS women's uniform consisted of a gray jacket and skirt, as well as a black cap with the SS eagle.

A black ceremonial club jacket with the symbols of the organization for officers was also developed.

It should be noted that in fact the black uniform was the uniform of the SS organization specifically, and not the troops: only SS members had the right to wear this uniform; transferred Wehrmacht soldiers were not allowed to use it. By 1944, the wearing of this black uniform was officially abolished, although in fact by 1939 it was used only on special occasions.

Distinctive features of the Nazi uniform

The SS uniform had a number of distinctive features, which are easily remembered even now, after the dissolution of the organization:

SS emblem in the form of two Germanic runes"zig" was used on uniform insignia. Only ethnic Germans - Aryans - were allowed to wear runes on their uniforms; foreign members of the Waffen SS did not have the right to use this symbolism.
“Death's Head” - at first, a metal round cockade with the image of a skull was used on the cap of SS soldiers. Later it was used on the buttonholes of soldiers of the 3rd Tank Division.
Red armband with a black swastika on a white background was worn by members of the SS and stood out significantly against the background of the black dress uniform.
The image of an eagle with outstretched wings and a swastika (formerly the coat of arms of Nazi Germany) eventually replaced skulls on cap badges and began to be embroidered on the sleeves of uniforms.

The Waffen SS camouflage pattern differed from the Wehrmacht camouflage. Instead of the accepted pattern design with printed parallel lines Woody and plant patterns were used to create the so-called “rain effect”. Since 1938, the following camouflage elements of the SS uniform have been adopted: camouflage jackets, reversible covers for helmets and face masks. On camouflage clothing it was necessary to wear green stripes indicating rank on both sleeves, however, for the most part this requirement was not observed by officers. During campaigns, a set of stripes was also used, each of which denoted one or another military qualification.

Rank insignia on SS uniform

The ranks of Waffen SS soldiers did not differ from the ranks of Wehrmacht employees: the differences were only in form. The uniform used the same distinctive signs, such as shoulder straps and embroidered buttonholes. SS officers wore insignia with the symbols of the organization both on shoulder straps and in buttonholes.

The shoulder straps of SS officers had a double backing, the upper one differing in color depending on the type of troops. The backing was edged with a silver cord. On the shoulder straps there were signs of belonging to one or another unit, metal or embroidered with silk threads. The shoulder straps themselves were made of gray galloon, while their lining was invariably black. The bumps (or “stars”) on the shoulder straps, designed to indicate the officer’s rank, were bronze or gilded.

The buttonholes featured runic “zigs” on one, and rank insignia on the other. The employees of the 3rd Panzer Division, which was nicknamed "Death's Head" instead of "zig", had an image of a skull, which was previously worn as a cockade on the cap of SS men. The edges of the buttonholes were edged with twisted silk cords, and for generals they were covered with black velvet. They also used it to line the general's caps.