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 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 in a light gray color. 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 Adolf Hitler division. On the collar are the insignia of an SS-Obersturmbannführer. An eagle is visible on the left sleeve 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 badge for a destroyed enemy tank and below it an SS veteran's chevron (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 agencies, and in the security of concentration camps, where they usually wore other types of uniforms. 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, the headdress with it could be a cap of the model 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 claims in his book that the officers of their regiment full dress uniform They did not wear real heavy steel helmets (which the soldiers were forced to wear), but ones 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. The commander of the SS volunteer regiment "Varyag", a former captain of the Red Army (according to other sources, a 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 the 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 Panzer 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 is endless debate 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 color as the 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 of 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 dimensions with 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 units].

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 SS Police Motorized Rifle Division” (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

SS rank insignia

The insignia on the uniform of SS members indicated personal SS ranks, affiliation with the branch of the SS troops, services, departments, etc. The system of buttonholes indicating ranks - so familiar from the film - was introduced in 1926. Moreover, the signs themselves were similar to those that existed in the Assault Troops (SA) - at that time the SS was an integral part of the SA. The buttonholes themselves were black, and the insignia was white, silver or gray. Privates, non-commissioned officers, as well as officers up to and including the SS-Obersturmbannführer, wore insignia only in the left buttonhole (in the right buttonhole they wore the number of their standard, with the exception of the 87th standard, whose members wore the image of an edelweiss, and the 105th standard, where since 1939 they wore the image of elk antlers), and officers from the Standartenführer - in both buttonholes. SD and Security Police officers with the rank of Obersturmbannführer had clean right buttonholes - the well-known double Zig runes that became business card The SS were introduced in 1933, initially exclusively for the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, and then extended to all other German SS units. The “belonging” of the lapel runes to the SS troops was taken into account. And so it happened that those who had no relation to the SS troops also began to wear them on any SS field uniform. In “Moments,” all RSHA employees, without exception, wear black, gray, and field uniforms wear double zig runes, although the vast majority do not have the right to do so.

Beginning in May 1933, SS men wore one shoulder strap on the right shoulder with their black uniform.

There were six types of shoulder straps, five of which indicated that their owner belonged to a certain category of ranks: SS-manns (private), Scharführer (non-commissioned officers), junior, middle and senior commanders. At the same time, the specific rank in pursuit was not indicated. The sixth type of shoulder strap was worn only by the Reichsführer SS. Ranks were indicated by insignia on the buttonholes in the form of a combination of soutache stripes and cones (four-pointed stars) -and not smooth cubes, like in the movie. On the left sleeve, SD officers wore a sleeve patch in the form of a black diamond (for officers with a silver edging) and the letters “SD” - these are clearly visible in the film.

On their buttonholes, SS ranks initially wore the following insignia:

Private SS-manns had an empty buttonhole;

Sturmmann - two soutache stripes;

Rottenführer - four soutache stripes;

Unterscharführer - one lump;

Scharführers - one cone and two soutache stripes;

Oberscharführer - two bumps diagonally;

Hauptscharführer - two cones and two soutache stripes;

Sturmscharführer - two cones and four soutache stripes;

Untersturmführer - three bumps diagonally;

Obersturmführer - three cones and two soutache stripes;

Hauptsturmführer - three cones on the diagonal and four soutache stripes;

Sturmbannführers - four bumps in the corners;

Obersturmbannführer - four cones and two soutache stripes;

Standartenführer - straight oak leaves diagonally with acorns at the stem;

Oberfuhrers - double curved oak leaves;

Brigadefuhrers - double curved oak leaves and cone;

Gruppenführer - triple curved oak leaves;

Obergruppenführer - triple curved oak leaves and cone;

Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler wore on his buttonholes a triple bunch of oak leaves, surrounded by an open wreath of oak branches.

But not all of these insignia survived until 1945 without changes. On April 7, 1942, a small reform was carried out, and their design was slightly changed by the senior command staff, starting with the SS Oberführer. In this form they already existed until the end of the war. Thus, ranks up to and including Standartenführer retained the old insignia, and senior officers received the following:

Oberfuhrers - double straight oak leaves;

Brigadefuhrers - triple straight oak leaves with acorns in the gaps and at the junction;

Gruppenführer - triple straight oak leaves and cone;

Obergruppenführer - triple straight oak leaves and two cones;

Oberstgruppenführer (this title was introduced just at this time) - three straight oak leaves and three cones.

In the film “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” the authors were unable to avoid errors in insignia, and in some cases it is simply impossible to explain why they were made. Majority senior officials(“generals”) in the film wear buttonholes from the 1942 model that are quite appropriate for the moment. The only exception for completely unknown reasons was Stirlitz's boss, Walter Schellenberg. Already in the 1st episode, in the scene of the meeting with Hitler, he appears in a black uniform with the insignia of an SS Brigadeführer, abolished in April 1942. At the same time, one cannot even assume that he kept the old insignia out of a whim - Schellenberg never wore such buttonholes at all, since he received his rank of SS Brigadefuhrer more than two years after the reform, namely on June 23, 1944!

Also, all the Obersturmbannführers in the film wear the wrong buttonholes - including Eisman and Holthoff - although they have four knobs on their buttonholes, as they should, but only one soutache strip(in general, this strip is somewhat strange, it seems that it is simply the raised lower edge of the buttonhole). Such buttonholes did not exist at all - with four knobs, there were either no stripes at all (for Sturmbannführers), or there were two stripes (for Obersturmbannführers). Rolf has it in the film the buttonholes are the same as Holthoff's, but in his description he is called Sturmbannführer(this is the 6th episode of the film).

Rank insignia
German Security Service (SD) officers
(Sicherheitsdienst des RfSS, SD) 1939-1945.

Preface.
Before describing the insignia of security personnel (SD) in Germany during the Second World War, it is necessary to provide some clarification, which, however, will further confuse readers. And the point is not so much in these signs and uniforms themselves, which were repeatedly amended (which further confuses the picture), but in the complexity and intricacy of the entire structure of government bodies in Germany at that time, which was also closely intertwined with the party bodies of the Nazi Party , in which, in turn, the SS organization and its structures, often beyond the control of party bodies, played a huge role.

First of all, as if within the framework of the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party) and as if being the militant wing of the party, but at the same time not subordinate to party bodies, there was a certain public organization Schutzstaffel (SS), which was initially a group of activists who were engaged in the physical protection of rallies and meetings of the party, the protection of its senior leaders. This public, I emphasize, public organization after numerous reforms of 1923-1939. transformed and began to consist of the SS public organization itself (Algemeine SS), SS troops (Waffen SS) and concentration camp guard units (SS-Totenkopfrerbaende).

The entire SS organization (both general SS, SS troops and camp guard units) was subordinate to Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler, who, in addition, was the chief of police for all of Germany. Those. In addition to one of the highest party posts, he also held a government position.

To manage all structures involved in ensuring the security of the state and the ruling regime, law enforcement issues (police agencies), intelligence and counterintelligence, the Main Directorate of State Security (Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA)) was created in the fall of 1939.

From the author. Usually in our literature it is written “Main Directorate of Imperial Security” (RSHA). However, the German word Reich is translated as "state", and not at all as "empire". The word "empire" in German looks like this - Kaiserreich. Literally - "state of the emperor." There is another word for the concept of “empire” - Imperium.
Therefore, I use words translated from German as they mean, and not as is generally accepted. By the way, people who are not very knowledgeable in history and linguistics, but have an inquisitive mind, often ask: “Why was Hitler’s Germany called an empire, but there was not even a nominal emperor in it, like, say, in England?”

Thus, the RSHA is a state institution, and by no means a party institution and not part of the SS. It can be compared to some extent with our NKVD.
Another question is that this state institution is subordinate to the Reichsführer SS G. Himmler and he, naturally, first of all recruited members of the public organization CC (Algemeine SS) as employees of this institution.
However, we note that not all RSHA employees were members of the SS, and not all departments of the RSHA consisted of SS members. For example, the criminal police (5th department of the RSHA). Most of its leaders and employees were not members of the SS. Even in the Gestapo there were quite a few senior officials who were not members of the SS. Yes, the famous Müller himself became a member of the SS only in the summer of 1941, although he had led the Gestapo since 1939.

Let's move on now to SD.

Initially in 1931 (i.e., even before the Nazis came to power) the SD was created (from among the members of the general SS) as the internal security structure of the SS organization to combat various violations of order and rules, identify government agents and hostiles among SS members political parties, provocateurs, renegades, etc.
in 1934 (this was after the Nazis came to power) the SD extended its functions to the entire NSDAP, and actually left the subordination of the SS, but was still subordinate to the SS Reichsführer G. Himmler.

In 1939, with the creation of the Main Directorate of State Security (Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA)), the SD became part of its structure.

The SD in the structure of the RSHA was represented by two departments (Amt):

Amt III (Inland-SD), who dealt with issues of nation-building, immigration, race and public health, science and culture, industry and commerce.

Amt VI (Ausland-SD), who was engaged in intelligence work in the Northern, Western and Eastern Europe, USSR, USA, UK and other countries South America. It was this department that Walter Schellenberg led.

And also many of the SD employees were not SS men. And even the head of subdivision VI A 1 was not a member of the SS.

So SS and SD are different organizations, although subordinate to the same leader.

From the author. In general, there is nothing strange here. This is a fairly common practice. For example, in today's Russia there is a Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), which is subordinate to two quite different structures - the police and Internal troops. And in Soviet times, the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs also included fire protection and prison management structures

Thus, to summarize, it can be argued that the SS is one thing, and the SD is something else, although among the SD employees there are many SS members.

Now you can move on to the uniforms and insignia of SD employees.

End of the preface.

In the picture on the left: A soldier and an SD officer in service uniform.

First of all, SD officers wore a light gray open jacket with a white shirt and black tie, similar to the uniform of the general SS mod. 1934 (the replacement of the black SS uniform with a gray one lasted from 1934 to 1938), but with its own insignia.
The piping on the caps of officers is made of silver flagellum, while the piping of soldiers and non-commissioned officers is green. Only green and nothing else.

The main difference in the uniform of SD employees is that there are no signs in the right buttonhole(runes, skulls, etc.). All SD ranks up to and including Obersturmannführer have a purely black buttonhole.
Soldiers and non-commissioned officers have buttonholes without edging (until May 1942, the edging was still black and white striped); officers have buttonholes edged with a silver flagellum.

Above the cuff of the left sleeve there is always a black diamond with white letters SD inside. For officers, the diamond is edged with a silver flagellum.

In the photo on the left: the sleeve patch of an SD officer and the buttonhole with the insignia of an SD Untersturmfuehrer (Untersturmfuehrer des SD).

On the left sleeve above the cuff of SD officers serving in headquarters and departments, it is obligatory a black ribbon with silver stripes along the edges, on which the place of service is indicated in silver letters.

In the photo on the left: an armband with an inscription indicating that the owner is serving in the SD Service Directorate.

In addition to the service uniform, which was used for all occasions (official, holiday, day off, etc.), SD employees could wear field uniforms similar to the field uniforms of the Wehrmacht and SS troops with their own insignia.

In the photo on the right: field uniform (feldgrau) of an SD Untersharfuehrer (Untersharfuehrer des SD) model 1943. This uniform has already been simplified - the collar is not black, but the same color as the uniform itself, the pockets and their valves are of a simpler design, there are no cuffs. The right clean buttonhole and a single star in the left, indicating rank, are clearly visible. Sleeve emblem in the form of an SS eagle, and at the bottom of the sleeve there is a patch with the letters SD.
Pay attention to the characteristic appearance of the shoulder straps and the green edging of the police-style shoulder straps.

Special attention deserves the rank system in the SD. SD officers were named after their SS ranks, but instead of the prefix SS- before the name of the rank, they had the letters SD behind the name. For example, not "SS-Untersharfuehrer", but "Untersharfuehrer des SD". If the employee was not a member of the SS, then he wore a police rank (and obviously a police uniform).

Shoulder straps of soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the SD, not of the army, but of the police type, but not brown, but black. Please pay attention to the titles of the SD employees. They differed both from the ranks of the general SS and from the ranks of the SS troops.

In the photo on the left: SD Unterscharführer's shoulder straps. The lining of the shoulder strap is grass green, on which are superimposed two rows of double soutache cord. The inner cord is black, the outer cord is silver with black highlights. They go around the button at the top of the shoulder strap. Those. In terms of its structure, it is a shoulder strap of a chief officer type, but with cords of other colors.

SS-Mann (SS-Mann). Black police-style shoulder strap without edging. To May 1942, the buttonholes were edged with black and white lace.

From the author. Why the very first two ranks in the SD are SS, and the ranks of the general SS, is not clear. It is possible that SD officers for the lowest positions were recruited from among ordinary members of the general SS, who were assigned police-style insignia, but were not given the status of SD officers.
These are my conjectures, since Böchler does not explain this incomprehensibility in any way, and I do not have the primary source at my disposal.

It is very bad to use secondary sources because errors inevitably arise. This is natural, since a secondary source is a retelling, an interpretation by the author of the primary source. But in the absence of anything, you have to use what you have. It's still better than nothing.

SS-Sturmmann (SS-Sturmmann) Black police style shoulder strap. The outer row of double soutache cord is black with silver highlights. Please note that in the SS troops and in the general SS, the shoulder straps of the SS-Mann and SS-Sturmmann are exactly the same, but here there is already a difference.
On the left buttonhole there is one row of double silver soutache cord.

Rottenfuehrer des SD (Rottenfuehrer SD) The shoulder strap is the same, but the usual German one is sewn at the bottom 9mm aluminum braid. The left buttonhole has two rows of double silver soutache cord.

From the author. Interesting moment. In the Wehrmacht and the SS troops, such a patch indicated that the owner was a candidate for non-commissioned officer rank.

Unterscharfuehrer des SD (Unterscharfuehrer SD) Black police style shoulder strap. The outer row of double soutache cord is silver or light gray (depending on what it is made of, aluminum or silk thread) with black linings. The lining of the shoulder strap, forming a sort of edging, is grass-green. This color is generally characteristic of the German police.
There is one silver star on the left buttonhole.

Scharfuehrer des SD (SD Scharfuehrer) Black police style shoulder strap. Outer row double soutache cord, silver with black highlights. The lining of the shoulder strap, forming a kind of edging, is grass-green. The lower edge of the shoulder strap is closed with the same silver cord with black piping.
On the left buttonhole, in addition to the star, there is one row of double silver soutache lace.

Oberscharfuehrer des SD (Oberscharfuehrer SD) Shoulder strap black police type. The outer row of double soutache cord is silver with black linings. the lining of the shoulder strap, forming a sort of edging, is grass-green. The lower edge of the shoulder strap is closed with the same silver cord with black piping. In addition, there is one silver star on the shoulder strap.
On the left buttonhole there are two silver stars.

Hauptscharfuehrer des SD (Hauptscharfuehrer SD) Shoulder strap black police type. The outer row of double soutache cord is silver with black linings. The lining of the shoulder strap, forming a kind of edging, is grass-green. The lower edge of the shoulder strap is closed with the same silver cord with black piping. In addition, there are two silver stars on the chase.
The left buttonhole has two silver stars and one row of double silver soutache cord.

Sturmscharfuehrer des SD (SD Sturmscharfuehrer) Shoulder strap black police type. The outer row of double soutache cord is silver with black linings. In the middle part of the shoulder strap there is weaving from the same silver with black lining and black soutache laces. The lining of the shoulder strap, forming a kind of edging, is grass-green. On the left buttonhole there are two silver stars and two rows of double silver soutache cord.

It remains unclear whether this rank existed since the creation of the SD, or whether it was introduced simultaneously with the introduction of the rank of SS-Staffscharführer in the SS troops in May 1942.

From the author. One gets the impression that the rank of SS-Sturmscharführer mentioned in almost all Russian-language sources (including in my works) is erroneous. In fact, obviously, the rank of SS-Staffscharführer was introduced in the SS troops in May 1942, and Sturmscharführer in the SD. But this is my speculation.

The rank insignia of SD officers is described below. Let me remind you that their shoulder straps were similar to those of Wehrmacht and SS troops.

In the photo on the left: shoulder straps of an SD chief officer. The lining of the shoulder strap is black, the piping is grass green and there are two rows of double soutache cord that wrap around the button. Actually, this soutache double cord should be made of aluminum thread and have a dull silver color. At worst, from light gray shiny silk yarn. But this example of a shoulder strap dates back to the final period of the war and the cord is made of simple, harsh, undyed cotton yarn.

The buttonholes were edged with a silver aluminum band.

All SD officers, starting with the Unterschurmführer and ending with the Obersturmbannführer, have an empty right buttonhole, and insignia on the left. From Standartenführer and above, rank insignia is in both buttonholes.

The stars in the buttonholes are silver, and the stars on the shoulder straps are golden. Note that in the general SS and in the SS troops the stars on the shoulder straps were silver.

1. Untersturmfuehrer des SD (Untersturmfuehrer SD).
2.Obersturmfuehrer des SD (Obersturmfuehrer SD).
3.Hauptrsturmfuehrer des SD (Hauptsturmfuehrer SD).

From the author. If you start looking through the list of SD management personnel, the question arises what position “Comrade Stirlitz” held there. In Amt VI (Ausland-SD), where, judging by the book and film, he served, all leadership positions (except for the chief V. Schelenberg, who had the rank of general) by 1945 were occupied by officers with a rank no higher than Obersturmbannführer (that is, lieutenant colonel). There was only one Standarteführer there, who occupied a very high position as head of department VI B. A certain Eugen Steimle. And Müller’s secretary, according to Böchler, Scholz could not have a rank higher than Unterscharführer.
And judging by what Stirlitz did in the film, i.e. ordinary operational work, then he could not possibly have a rank higher than non-commissioned officer.
For example, open the Internet and see that in 1941 the commandant of the huge Auschwitz concentration camp (Auschwitz, as the Poles call it) was an SS officer with the rank of Obersturmührer (senior lieutenant) named Karl Fritzsch. And none of the other commandants was above the captain level.
Of course, both the film and the book are purely artistic, but still, as Stanislavsky used to say, “there must be the truth of life in everything.” The Germans did not throw away ranks and appropriated them sparingly.
And even then, rank in military and police structures is a reflection of the officer’s level of qualifications and his ability to occupy the relevant positions. The title is assigned based on the position held. And even then, not right away. But it is by no means some kind of honorary title or reward for military or service success. There are orders and medals for this.

The shoulder straps of senior SD officers were similar in structure to the shoulder straps of senior officers of the SS and Wehrmacht troops. The lining of the shoulder strap was grass-green in color.

In the picture on the left are shoulder straps and buttonholes:

4.Sturmbannfuehrer des SD (Sturmbannfuehrer SD).

5.Obersturmbannfuehrer des SD (Obersturmbannfuehrer SD).

From the author. I deliberately do not provide information here about the correspondence of the ranks of the SD, SS and Wehrmacht. And I certainly don’t compare these ranks with the ranks in the Red Army. Any comparisons, especially those based on the coincidence of insignia or the consonance of names, always carry a certain deceit. Even the comparison of titles based on positions that I proposed at one time cannot be considered 100% correct. For example, in our country a division commander could not have a rank higher than major general, while in the Wehrmacht the division commander was, as they say in the army, a “fork position,” i.e. the division commander could be a major general or a lieutenant general.

Starting with the rank of SD Standartenführer, rank insignia was placed on both buttonholes. Moreover, there were differences in lapel insignia before May 1942 and after.

It's interesting that the shoulder straps
The Standarteführer and Oberführer were the same (with two stars, but the lapel insignia were different. And please note that the leaves before May 1942 were curved, and after that they were straight. This is important when dating the photographs.

6.Standartenfuehrer des SD (SD Standartenfuehrer).

7.Oberfuehrer des SD (Oberfuehrer SD).

From the author. And again, if the Standartenführer can somehow be equated to an Oberst (colonel), based on the fact that there are two stars on his shoulder straps like the Oberst in the Wehrmacht, then to whom can the Oberführer be equated? The shoulder straps are of a colonel, and there are two leaves in the buttonholes. "Colonel"? Or “Under General”, since until May 1942 the Brigadeführer also wore two leaves in his buttonholes, but with the addition of an asterisk. But the brigadeführer’s shoulder straps are those of a general.
Equate to a brigade commander in the Red Army? So our brigade commander clearly belonged to the senior command staff and wore in his buttonholes the insignia of the senior, not the senior command staff.
Or maybe it’s better not to compare and equate? Simply proceed from the existing scale of ranks and insignia for a given department.

Well, then there are ranks and insignia, which can definitely be considered general ones. The weaving on the shoulder straps is not made from double silver soutache cord, but from a double cord, and the two outer cords are golden, and the middle one is silver. The stars on the shoulder straps are silver.

8.Brigadefuehrer des SD (SD Brigadefuehrer).

9. Gruppenfuehrer des SD (SD Gruppenfuehrer).

The highest rank in the SD was that of SD Obergruppenführer.

This title was awarded to the first head of the RSHA, Reinhard Heydrich, who was killed by agents of the British secret services on May 27, 1942, and Ernst Kaltenbrunner, who held this post after Heydrich's death and until the end of the Third Reich.

However, it should be noted that the vast majority of the SD leadership were members of the SS organization (Algemeibe SS) and had the right to wear SS uniforms with SS insignia.

It is also worth noting that if members of the Algemeine SS of general rank who did not hold positions in the SS, police, or SD troops simply had the corresponding rank, for example, SS-Brigadefuehrer, then “... and general of the SS troops” was added to the SS rank in the SS troops. . For example, SS-Gruppenfuehrer und General-leutnant der Waffen SS. And for those who served in the police, SD, etc. “..and the police general” was added. For example, SS-Brigadefuehrer und General-major der Polizei.

This general rule, however, there were many exceptions. For example, the head of the SD, Walter Schelenberg, was called SS-Brigadefuehrer und General-major der Waffen SS. Those. SS-Brigadeführer and Major General of the SS troops, although he never served a single day in the SS troops.

From the author. Along the way. Schelenberg received the rank of general only in June 1944. And before that, he led “the most important intelligence service of the Third Reich” with the rank of only Oberfuhrer. And nothing, I managed. Apparently, the SD was not such an important and comprehensive intelligence service in Germany. So, like our today's SVR (foreign intelligence service). And even then of a lower rank. The SVR is still an independent department, and the SD was just one of the departments of the RSHA.
Apparently the Gestapo was more important, if its leader from 1939 was not a member of the SS or a member of the NSDAP, Reichskriminaldirector G. Müller, who was accepted into the NSDAP only in 1939, was accepted into the SS in 1941 and immediately received the rank of SS-Gruppenfuehrer und Generalleutnant der Polizei, that is, SS-Gruppenführer und der Generalleutnant of Police.

Anticipating questions and queries, although this is somewhat off topic, we note that the Reichsführer SS wore insignia slightly different from everyone else. On the gray all-SS uniform introduced in 1934, he wore his previous shoulder straps from the previous black uniform. Only there were now two shoulder straps.

In the picture on the left: shoulder strap and buttonhole of SS Reichsführer G. Himmler.

A few words in defense of filmmakers and their “film blunders.” The fact is that uniform discipline in the SS (both in the general SS and in the SS troops) and in the SD was very low, unlike the Wehrmacht. Therefore, it was possible in reality to encounter significant deviations from the rules. For example, a member of the SS somewhere in a provincial town, and not only, and in 1945 he could join the ranks of the city’s defenders in his black preserved uniform of the thirties.
This is what I found online when I was looking for illustrations for my article. This is a group of SD officials sitting in a car. The driver in front holds the rank of SD Rottenführer, although he is dressed in a gray uniform jacket. 1938, but his shoulder straps are from an old black uniform (on which one shoulder strap was worn on the right shoulder). The cap, although gray arr. 38, but the eagle on it is a Wehrmacht uniform (on a dark fabric flap and sewn on the side, not the front. Behind him sits an SD Oberscharführer with buttonholes of the pre-May 1942 pattern (striped edging), but the collar is trimmed with galloon in the Wehrmacht style. And shoulder straps not a police model, but an SS one. Perhaps there are no complaints only about the Untersturmführer sitting on the right. And even then, the shirt is brown, not white.

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. Moscow. Minsk, AST Harvest. 2001
13.A.A.Kurylev. German Army 1933-1945. Astrel. AST. Moscow. 2009
14. W. Boehler. Uniform-Effekten 1939-1945. Motorbuch Verlag. Karlsruhe. 2009

Tables of ranks of the German Wehrmacht (Die Wehrmacht) 1935-45.

SS troops
Waffen SS

In Germany from the autumn of 1936 to May 1945. As part of the Wehrmacht, there was a completely unique military organization - the SS Troops (Waffen SS), which were part of the Wehrmacht only operationally. The fact is that the SS Troops were not the military apparatus of the German state, but were an armed organization of the Nazi Party. But since the German state since 1933 has become an instrument for achieving the political goals of the Nazi Party, the German armed forces also carried out the tasks of the Nazis. That is why the SS Troops were operationally part of the Wehrmacht.

To understand the SS rank system, it is necessary to understand the essence of this organization. Many people believe that the SS Troops are the entire SS organization. However, the SS Troops were only part of it (albeit the most visible). Therefore, the table of ranks will be preceded by a brief historical background. In order to understand the SS, I recommend that you first read the historical background on the SA.

In April 1925, Hitler, concerned about the growing influence of the leaders of the assault troops (CA) and the aggravation of contradictions with them, instructed one of the CA commanders, Julius Schreck, to create the Schutzstaffel (literal translation “defense squad”), abbreviated as SS. For this purpose, it was planned to allocate in each SA Hundert (SA hundred) one SS Gruppe (SS department) in the amount of 10-20 people. The newly created CC units within the CA were assigned a small and insignificant role - the physical protection of senior party leaders (a kind of bodyguard service). On September 21, 1925, Schreck issued a circular on the creation of SS units. At this time there was no need to talk about any SS structure. However, the SS rank system was immediately born; however, these were not yet ranks, but job titles. At this time, the SS was one of the many structural divisions of the SA.

Ranks of general SS from IX-1925 to XI-1926

* Read more about rank encoding.

From the author. Please take into account that during this period the word Gruppe meant a small SS unit. In the Wehrmacht, this word meant a rifle squad (10 people). Accordingly, the rank of SS Gruppenführer simply means squad commander. In military terms, this is the lowest rank of sergeant. This is somewhat later, as the SS develops, the rank of SS-Gruppenführer will be equal army rank Generalleutnant.

In November 1926, Hitler began secretly separating SS units from the SA. For this purpose, the position of SS Obergruppenfuehrer (SS Obergruppenfuehrer) is being introduced, i.e. senior leader of SS groups. Thus, the SS received dual control (through the SA and directly along their line). Josef Bertchtold becomes the first Obergruppenführer. In the spring of 1927 he was replaced by Erhard Heiden.

Ranks of general SS from XI-1926 to I-1929.

In January 1929, Heinrich Himmler (H. Himmler) was appointed head of the SS. SS begins to grow rapidly. If in January 1929 there were only 280 SS men, then by December 1930 there were already 2,727.

At the same time, an independent structure of SS units emerged.

Hierarchy of General SS units from I-1929 to 1932

Note: Speaking about the equivalence of SS units (SS organizations (!), not SS Troops) to army units, the author means similarity in numbers, but not in the tasks performed, tactical purpose and combat capabilities.
But in general, Scharen was an SS cell in a village, an urban area, Truppen unites several cells in a rural area, a city area. Stuerme is already an SS organization in a small town, a district of a large city, several rural areas. Sturmbanne is an SS organization uniting several Stuerme and covering the whole large city, rural area. Standarte is an SS organization covering the capital city and a large area. The largest association of the SS Abschnitt is, in our opinion, a republican organization, and taking into account the administrative division of the then Germany, an organization covering the Gau (region of Germany).

The rank system is changing accordingly. However, these are not titles, but positions.

System of ranks of general SS from I-1929 to 1932.

Code*
1	SS Mann (SS Mann)
2
3	SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer)
7
9
11
12
14
17
18

The last title was awarded to himself by A. Hitler. It meant something like “Supreme Leader of the SS.”

This table clearly shows the influence of the SA rank system. In the SS at this moment there are no large organizations like Gruppe or Obergruppe, but there are ranks. They are worn by senior SS leaders.

In mid-1930, Hitler prohibited the SA from interfering in the activities of the SS with an order that stated “... no SA commander has the right to give orders to the SS.” Although the SS still remained within the SA, in fact it was independent.

In 1932, the largest Oberabschnitte (Oberabschnitte) association was introduced into the SS structure, which included two or three Abschnitte (Abschnitte) and the SS structure acquired its completeness. P

Please note that we are not talking about the SS troops (there is no trace of them yet), but about a public organization that is part of the Nazi party, and all SS men are engaged in this activity on a voluntary basis in parallel with their main work activity (workers, shopkeepers , artisans, unemployed, peasants, small employees, etc.).

Hierarchy of general SS organizations since 1932

The rank table acquires next view(although these are still more job titles than titles):

General SS rank system from 1932 to V-1933

Code*	Names of titles (positions)
1	SS Mann (SS Mann)
2	SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer)
3	SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer)
7	SS Truppfuehrer (SS Truppführer)
9	SS Sturmfuehrer (SS Sturmführer)
11	SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer)
12	SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer)
13
14	SS Gruppenfuehrer (SA Gruppenfuehrer)
17	SS Obergruppenfuehrer (SS Obergruppenfuehrer)
18	Der Oberste Fuehrer der Schutzstaffel. (Der Oberste Fuehrer der Schutzstaffel)

Only A. Hitler held the latter title. It meant something like “Supreme Leader of the SS.”

On January 30, 1933, German President Field Marshal Hindenburg appointed A. Hitler as Reich Chancellor, i.e. Power in the country passes into the hands of the Nazis.

In March 1933, Hitler ordered the formation of the first armed SS unit, the Leibstandarte-SS "Adolf Hitler" (LSSAH). This was Hitler's personal guard company (120 people). From now on SS is divided into its two components:

1.Allgemeine-SS - general SS.
2.Leibstandarte-SS - armed formation of the SS.

The difference was that membership in the CC was voluntary, and the SS men were engaged in SS affairs in parallel with their main activities (workers, peasants, shopkeepers, etc.).
And those who were members of the Leibstandarte-SS, being also members of the CC, were already in service (not in the state service, but in the service of the Nazi Party), and received uniforms and pay at the expense of the NSDAP. Members of the CC, being people personally loyal to Hitler (Himmler took care of the selection of such people in the CC), after the Nazis came to power, began to be appointed to key positions in the state apparatus, starting with the heads of the district post office, police, telegraph, railway stations, etc. up to the highest government positions. Thus, the Allgemeine-SS gradually began to turn into a source of managerial personnel for the state, while simultaneously incorporating a number of state institutions. Thus, the original role of the CC as a purely security unit was emasculated, and the CC quickly turned into the political and administrative basis of the Nazi regime, becoming a supranational organization, an organization that monitored the activities of state institutions in the interests of the Nazis. With the beginning of the creation of concentration camps by Himmler, concentration camp guard units were allocated from the rapidly growing Leibstandarte-SS. The SS organization now began to consist of three components:

1.Allgemeine-SS - general SS.
2.Leibstandarte-SS - armed formation of the CC.

From the author. Literally, SS-Totenkopfrerbaende means "SS Death's Head Formation". This is where the confusion arises.
SS-Totenkopfrerbaende is a concentration camp guard. They wear the all-SS uniform with brown piping. In the right buttonhole, where the SS runes (two lightning bolts) are usually worn, they wear the skull and crossbones emblem (the same one that all SS men wear on their hats).
But there was also a division of the SS troops - the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (3.SS-Panzer-Division "Totenkopf"), whose soldiers also wore the same emblem in their right buttonhole. But the edging of the buttonholes was white or pink on tank uniforms. This division fought at the front (including the Soviet-German front) and had nothing to do with guarding the concentration camps.

However, it is still not worth considering the soldiers and officers of the SS troops as not involved in the crimes of the Nazi regime, as K. Semenov does in his book “SS Troops - Soldiers Like Everyone else.” Not to mention the fact that the SS men in the occupied territories of the USSR showed particular cruelty towards prisoners and the local population, it is worth noting that the so-called. The SS Einsatzkommando primarily recruited SS troops to carry out mass executions. Being, as they say, “birds of a feather,” the commanders of SS units, without the slightest objection, sent their soldiers to carry out mass executions, which Wehrmacht commanders often tried to avoid, especially when they began to understand that German soldiers were sometimes captured and that war crimes might have to be punished when then answer.

System of ranks of general SS from May 19, 1933 to October 15, 1934.

Code*	Names of titles (positions)
1	SS Mann (SS Mann)
2a	SS Sturmann (SS Sturmann)
2b	SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer)
3a	SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer)
3b
4a	SS Truppfuehrer (SS Truppführer)
4b	SS Obertruppfuehrer (SS Obertruppführer)
7	SS Sturmfuehrer (SS Sturmführer)
8
9	SS Sturmhauptfuehrer (SS Sturmhauptfuehrer)
10	SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer)
11
12	SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer)
13	SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer)
14
15	SS Gruppenfuehrer (SA Gruppenfuehrer)
17	SS Obergruppenfuehrer (SS Obergruppenfuehrer)
18	Der Oberste Fuehrer der Schutzstaffel. (Der Oberste Fuehrer der Schutzstaffel)

On the night of June 30, 1934, the SS, on Hitler's orders, destroy the top of the SA. After this night the role of the SA in political life the country was reduced to zero, and the role of the SS increased many times over.

On July 20, 1934, Hitler finally removed the SS from the SA structure and gave it the status of an independent organization within the NSDAP.

The role of the SS in the life of the country continued to grow, there were many people who wanted to join this now powerful organization, and on October 15, 1934, Himmler again changed the scale of SS ranks. New ranks SS-Bewerber and SS-Anwarter are introduced, the first for an applicant for entry into the SS and the second for a person undergoing candidate training. The names of some ranks are changing. The title SS Reichsfuehrer (SS Reichsfuehrer) was introduced specifically for Himmler.

This scale existed until 1942. There was no official division into privates, non-commissioned officers, officers, and generals in the Allgemeine-SS. This seemed to emphasize the SS camaraderie and equality. Until 1936, the same scale of ranks was used in the Leibstandarte "Adolf Hitler" and in the concentration camp guard units

General ranks of general SS from October 15, 1934 to 1942.

Code*	Names of titles (positions)
0a	SS Bewerber (SS Beverber)
0b	SS Anwarter (SS Anvaerter)
1	SS Mann (SS Mann)
2a	SS Sturmann (SS Sturmann)
2b	SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer)
3a
3b	SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer)
4a	SS Obersharfuehrer (SS Obersharfuehrer)
4b
7
8	SS Obersturmfuehrer (SS Obersturmführer)
9
10	SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer)
11	SS Oberturmbannfuehrer (SS Obersturmbannfuehrer)
12	SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer)
13	SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer)
14	SS Brigadenfuehrer (SS Brigadefuehrer)
15	SS Gruppenfuehrer (SA Gruppenfuehrer)
16	SS Obergruppenfuehrer (SS Obergruppenfuehrer)
17
18

In October 1936, the creation of the SS troops (Waffen SS) began on the basis of the Leibstandarte-SS. From this time on, the SS finally acquired its three main components:
1.Allgemeine-SS - general CC.
2. Waffen SS - CC troops.
3.SS-Totenkopfrerbaende - concentration camp guard units.

Moreover, the Allgemeine-SS actually merges with the state apparatus, some state institutions become departments and departments of the Allgemeine-SS, and the SS Troops and the concentration camp guards, in the minds of many modern readers, merge into a single whole. Hence the fallacy of the idea that the SS is the SS Troops, especially since since 1936 they and the camp guards have received their own rank system, which differs from the general SS one. The idea that the SS troops were involved in guarding concentration camps is also erroneous. The camps were guarded by specially created units called SS-Totenkopfrerbaende, which were not part of the SS Troops. The structure of the Waffen SS units itself was not a general SS structure, but an army model (squad, platoon, company, battalion, regiment, division). There were no permanent formations larger than a division in the Waffen SS.

Waffen SS and SS-Totenkopfrerbaende ranks from X-1936 to 1942

Code*	Category	Titles
1a	Mannschaften	SS Schutze (SS Schutze)
1b
2a		SS Sturmann (SS Sturmann)
2b		SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer)
3a	Unterfuehrer	SS Unterscharfuehrer (SS Unterscharfuehrer)
3b		SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer)
4a		SS Obersharfuehrer (SS Obersharfuehrer)
4b		SS Hauptscharfuehrer (SS Hauptscharfuehrer)
7	Untere Fuehrer	SS Untersturmfuehrer (SS Untersturmführer)
8
9		SS Hauptsturmfuehrer (SS Hauptsturmfuehrer)
10	Mittlere Fuehrer	SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer)
11
12		SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer)
13		SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer)
14	Hoehere Fuehrer	SS Brigadenfuehrer und der General-maior der Waffen SS (SS Brigadenfuehrer und der General-maior der Waffen SS)
15
16		SS Obergruppenfuehrer und der General der Waffen SS (SS Obergruppenfuehrer und der General der Waffen SS)

Note.

From the author. By the way, the translation of the word "Reich" as "empire" generally accepted in Russian-language literature (hence "Third Empire, imperial,...) is fundamentally incorrect. The correct word is "Reich" - "State". Empire in German is "Kaiserreich" (literally - "imperial state" or "state of the emperor")

In 1937, four officer schools were created in the SS troops, the students of which had the following ranks:

In May 1942, the ranks SS-Sturmscharfuehrer and SS-Oberstgruppenfuehrer were added to the SS rank scale. These were the last changes in the SS rank scale. There were three years left until the end of the thousand-year Reich.

General SS ranks from 1942 to 1945

Code*	Names of titles (positions)
0a	SS Bewerber (SS Beverber)
0b	SS Anwarter (SS Anvaerter)
1	SS Mann (SS Mann)
2a	SS Sturmann (SS Sturmann)
2b	SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer)
3a	SS Unterscharfuehrer (SS Unterscharfuehrer)
3b	SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer)
4a	SS Obersharfuehrer (SS Obersharfuehrer)
4b	SS Hauptscharfuehrer (SS Hauptscharfuehrer)
5	SS Sturmscharfuehrer (SS Sturmscharfuehrer)
7	SS Untersturmfuehrer (SS Untersturmführer)
8	SS Obersturmfuehrer (SS Obersturmführer)
9	SS Hauptsturmfuehrer (SS Hauptsturmfuehrer)
10	SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer)
11	SS Oberturmbannfuehrer (SS Obersturmbannfuehrer)
12	SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer)
13	SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer)
14	SS Brigadenfuehrer (SS Brigadefuehrer)
15	SS Gruppenfuehrer (SA Gruppenfuehrer)
16a	SS Obergruppenfuehrer (SS Obergruppenfuehrer)
16b	SS-Oberstgruppenfuehrer (SS Oberstgruppenfuehrer)
17	SS Reichsfuehrer (SS Reichsfuehrer) Only G. Himmler had this title
18	Der Oberste Fuehrer der Schutzstaffel. (Der Oberste Fuehrer der Schutzstaffel) Only A. Hitler had this title

Waffen SS and SS-Totenkopfrerbaende ranks from V-1942 to 1945.

Code*	Category	Titles
1a	Mannschaften	SS Schutze (SS Schutze)
1b		SS Oberschutze (SS Oberschutze)
2a		SS Sturmann (SS Sturmann)
2b		SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer)
3a	Unterfuehrer	SS-Unterscharfuehrer (SS Unterscharfuehrer)
3b		SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer)
4a		SS Obersharfuehrer (SS Obersharfuehrer)
4b		SS Hauptscharfuehrer (SS Hauptscharfuehrer)
5		SS-Sturmscharfuehrer (SS Sturmscharfuehrer)
7	Untere Fuehrer	SS Untersturmfuehrer (SS Untersturmführer)
8		SS Obersturmfuehrer (SS Obersturmführer)
9		SS Hauptsturmfuehrer (SS Hauptsturmfuehrer)
10	Mittlere Fuehrer	SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer)
11		SS Obersturmbannfuehrer (SS Obersturmbannfuehrer)
12		SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer)
13		SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer)
14	Hoehere Fuehrer	SS Brigadenfuehrer und der General-maior Waffen SS (SS Brigadenfuehrer und der Major General der Waffen SS)
15		SS Gruppenfuehrer und der General-leutnant der Waffen SS (SA Gruppenfuehrer und der General-leutnant der Waffen SS)
16a		SS Obergruppenfuehrer und der General der Waffen SS (SS Obergruppenfuehrer und der General der Waffen SS)
16b		SS-Oberstgruppenfuehrer und der General-oberst der Waffen SS (SS Oberstgruppenfuehrer und der General-Oberst der Waffen SS)

Note. For generals of the SS troops, the words “... and general... der Wafen SS” were added to the general SS rank, but for those serving in the RSHA (Main Directorate of State Security), “... and general....” were added to the general SS rank. der Polizei" ("... und General...der Polizei). In the guards of the concentration camps there were no general positions, and, accordingly, no general ranks. At the same time, the SS men who remained in the Allgemeine-SS did not have this addition.

At the final stage of the war, the activities of SS organizations ceased with the occupation of this territory by the Red Army or Allied troops.
Formally, the activities of the SS were terminated, and the organization itself was dissolved in the fall of 1945 on the basis of decisions Potsdam Conference Allies about the denazification of Germany.
By the verdict of the international tribunal in Nuremberg in the fall of 1946. The SS was recognized as a criminal organization, and membership in it was a crime. However, only senior leaders and some of the middle SS personnel, as well as soldiers and officers of the SS troops and concentration camp guards, were subjected to real criminal prosecution.
Soviet Union During the war, SS soldiers and officers were taken prisoner along with Wehrmacht soldiers. However, at the end of the war, on the basis of the verdict of the Nuremberg Tribunal, all SS men were classified as criminals and, on this basis, were kept in prison until the end of 1955.

Sources and literature

1. K. Semenov. SS troops. Soldiers are like everyone else. YAUZA.EXMO. Moscow. 2004
2.V.Shunkov. Soldiers of destruction. Harvest. AST. Moscow. Minsk. 2001
3.K.Zalesky. SS. Security detachments of the NSDAP. EKSMO.YAUZA. Moscow. 2004
4.B.Lee Davis. Uniform of the Third Reich. AST.Moscow. 2000
5.S von Eelking. Die Uniformen von der Braunhemden. Zentrakverlag der N.S.D.A.P. Muenchen.1934.
6.F.Altrichter. Der reserveoffizier. Verlag von E.S.Mittler & Sohn. Berlin. 1943

One of the most cruel and merciless organizations of the 20th century is the SS. Ranks, distinctive insignia, functions - all this was different from those in other types and branches of troops in Nazi Germany. Reich Minister Himmler completely brought together all the scattered security detachments (SS) into a single army - the Waffen SS. In the article we will take a closer look at the military ranks and insignia of the SS troops. And first, a little about the history of the creation of this organization.

Prerequisites for the formation of the SS

In March 1923, Hitler was concerned that the leaders of the assault troops (SA) were beginning to feel their power and importance in the NSDAP party. This was due to the fact that both the party and the SA had the same sponsors, for whom the goal of the National Socialists was important - to carry out a coup, and they did not have much sympathy for the leaders themselves. Sometimes it even came to an open confrontation between the leader of the SA, Ernst Röhm, and Adolf Hitler. It was at this time, apparently, that the future Fuhrer decided to strengthen his personal power by creating a detachment of bodyguards - the headquarters guard. He was the first prototype of the future SS. They had no ranks, but insignia had already appeared. The abbreviation for the Staff Guard was also SS, but it came from the German word Stawsbache. In every hundred of the SA, Hitler allocated 10-20 people, supposedly to protect high-ranking party leaders. They personally had to take an oath to Hitler, and their selection was carried out carefully.

A few months later, Hitler renamed the organization Stosstruppe - this was the name of the shock units of the Kaiser's army during the First World War. The abbreviation SS nevertheless remained the same, despite the fundamentally new name. It is worth noting that the entire Nazi ideology was associated with an aura of mystery, historical continuity, allegorical symbols, pictograms, runes, etc. Even the symbol of the NSDAP - the swastika - Hitler took from ancient Indian mythology.

Stosstrup Adolf Hitler - strike force"Adolf Hitler" - acquired the final features of the future SS. They did not yet have their own ranks, but insignia appeared that Himmler would later retain - a skull on their headdress, a black distinctive color of the uniform, etc. The “Death's Head” on the uniform symbolized the readiness of the detachment to defend Hitler himself at the cost of their lives. The basis for future usurpation of power was prepared.

Appearance of Strumstaffel - SS

After the Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler went to prison, where he remained until December 1924. The circumstances that allowed the future Fuhrer to be released after an attempted armed seizure of power are still unclear.

Upon his release, Hitler first of all banned the SA from carrying weapons and positioning itself as an alternative to the German army. The fact is that the Weimar Republic could only have a limited contingent of troops under the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty after the First World War. It seemed to many that armed SA units were a legitimate way to avoid restrictions.

At the beginning of 1925, the NSDAP was restored again, and in November the “shock detachment” was restored. At first it was called Strumstaffen, and on November 9, 1925 it received its final name - Schutzstaffel - “cover squadron”. The organization had nothing to do with aviation. This name was invented by Hermann Goering, a famous fighter pilot of the First World War. He loved to apply aviation terms to everyday life. Over time, the “aviation term” was forgotten, and the abbreviation was always translated as “security detachments.” It was headed by Hitler's favorites - Schreck and Schaub.

Selection for the SS

The SS gradually became an elite unit with good salaries in foreign currency, which was considered a luxury for the Weimar Republic with its hyperinflation and unemployment. All Germans of working age were eager to join the SS detachments. Hitler himself carefully selected his personal guard. The following requirements were imposed on candidates:

1. Age from 25 to 35 years.
2. Having two recommendations from current members of the CC.
3. Permanent residence in one place for five years.
4. Availability of such positive qualities like sobriety, strength, health, discipline.

New development under Heinrich Himmler

The SS, despite the fact that it was personally subordinate to Hitler and the Reichsführer SS - from November 1926, this position was held by Josef Berthold, was still part of the SA structures. The attitude towards the “elite” in the assault detachments was contradictory: the commanders did not want to have SS members in their units, so they shouldered various responsibilities, for example, distributing leaflets, subscribing to Nazi propaganda, etc.

In 1929, Heinrich Himmler became the leader of the SS. Under him, the size of the organization began to grow rapidly. The SS turns into an elite closed organization with its own charter, a mystical ritual of entry, imitating the traditions of medieval knightly Orders. A real SS man had to marry a “model woman.” Heinrich Himmler introduced a new mandatory requirement for joining the renewed organization: the candidate had to prove evidence of purity of descent in three generations. However, that was not all: the new Reichsführer of the SS ordered all members of the organization to look for brides only with a “pure” genealogy. Himmler managed to nullify the subordination of his organization to the SA, and then completely leave it after he helped Hitler get rid of the leader of the SA, Ernst Röhm, who sought to turn his organization into a massive people's army.

The bodyguard detachment was transformed first into the Fuhrer's personal guard regiment, and then into the personal SS army. Ranks, insignia, uniforms - everything indicated that the unit was independent. Next, we’ll talk in more detail about insignia. Let's start with the rank of the SS in the Third Reich.

Reichsführer SS

At its head was the Reichsführer SS - Heinrich Himmler. Many historians claim that he intended to usurp power in the future. In the hands of this man was control not only over the SS, but also over the Gestapo - the secret police, the political police and the security service (SD). Despite the fact that many of the above organizations were subordinate to one person, they were completely different structures, which sometimes even were at odds with each other. Himmler well understood the importance of a branched structure of different services concentrated in the same hands, so he was not afraid of Germany’s defeat in the war, believing that such a person would be useful to the Western allies. However, his plans were not destined to come true, and he died in May 1945, biting into an ampoule of poison in his mouth.

Let's consider highest ranks The SS among the Germans and their correspondence with the German army.

Hierarchy of the SS High Command

The insignia of the SS high command consisted of Nordic ritual symbols on both sides of the lapels and oak sheets. The exceptions - SS Standartenführer and SS Oberführer - wore oak leaf, but belonged to senior officers. The more of them there were on the buttonholes, the higher the rank of their owner.

The highest ranks of the SS among the Germans and their correspondence with the ground army:

SS officers

Let's consider the features of the officer corps. The SS Hauptsturmführer and lower ranks no longer had oak leaves on their buttonholes. Also on their right buttonhole was the SS coat of arms - a Nordic symbol of two lightning bolts.

Hierarchy of SS officers:

SS rank	Lapels	Compliance in the military
SS Oberführer	Double oak leaf	No match
Standartenführer SS	Single sheet	Colonel
SS Obersturmbannführer	4 stars and two rows of aluminum thread	Lieutenant colonel
SS Sturmbannführer	4 stars
SS Hauptsturmführer	3 stars and 4 rows of thread	Hauptmann
SS Obersturmführer	3 stars and 2 rows	Chief Lieutenant
SS Untersturmführer	3 stars	Lieutenant

I would like to immediately note that the German stars did not resemble the five-pointed Soviet ones - they were four-pointed, rather reminiscent of squares or rhombuses. Next in the hierarchy are the SS non-commissioned officer ranks in the Third Reich. More details about them in the next paragraph.

Non-commissioned officers

Hierarchy of non-commissioned officers:

SS rank	Lapels	Compliance in the military
SS Sturmscharführer	2 stars, 4 rows of thread	Staff sergeant major
Standartenoberunker SS	2 stars, 2 rows of thread, silver edging	Chief Sergeant Major
SS Hauptscharführer	2 stars, 2 rows of thread	Oberfenrich
SS Oberscharführer	2 stars	Sergeant Major
Standartenjunker SS	1 star and 2 rows of thread (differing in shoulder straps)	Fanenjunker-sergeant-major
Scharführer SS		Non-commissioned sergeant major
SS Unterscharführer	2 threads at the bottom	Non-commissioned officer

Buttonholes are the main, but not the only insignia of ranks. Also, the hierarchy could be determined by shoulder straps and stripes. SS military ranks were sometimes subject to change. However, above we presented the hierarchy and the main differences at the end of World War II.