German officers who fought on the side of the Soviet Union. Officer ranks in Nazi Germany

The system of military ranks in the German army was based on the hierarchical system of military ranks established on December 6, 1920. Officers were divided into four groups: generals, staff officers, captains and junior officers. According to tradition, the rank from lieutenant to general implied an indication of the original branch of the army, but in combat units there was no variety in officer insignia.

France, June 1940. Hauptfeldwebel in everyday uniform. The double braid on the cuff of his sleeve and the journal of orders due to his position are clearly visible. The shoulder straps are turned inside out to hide the insignia of his unit. Noteworthy is the ribbon for long service in the Wehrmacht. The peaceful, relaxed look and lack of equipment suggest that the photo was taken when the Battle of France was already over. (Friedrich Hermann)

From March 31, 1936, military musicians in officer ranks - conductors, senior and junior bandmasters - were allocated to a special group of military ranks. Although they had no authority (since they did not command anyone), they not only wore the officer's uniform and insignia, but also enjoyed all the benefits of an officer position equivalent to that of officers in the armies of Great Britain and the United States. Conductors under the Supreme Command of the Ground Forces were considered staff officers, while bandmasters supervised the activities of regimental bands of infantry, light infantry, cavalry, artillery and battalion bands in the engineering troops.

The junior command staff was divided into three groups. The technical junior command staff, approved on September 23, 1937, included senior instructors of the engineering serf troops, and later non-commissioned officers of the veterinary service. The highest junior command staff (that is, senior non-commissioned officer ranks) were called "non-commissioned officers with a lanyard", and the junior or lower ranks of the junior command staff were called "non-commissioned officers without a lanyard". Rank of staff sergeant (Stabsfeldwebel), approved on September 14, 1938, was assigned by recertification to non-commissioned officers with 12 years of service. At first, this military rank was awarded only to veterans of the First World War. Haupt-sergeant major (Hauptfeldwebel) is not a rank, but a military position established on September 28, 1938. He was the senior commander of the junior command staff of the company, was listed at company headquarters, and he was usually called (at least behind his back) “pike” (der Spieb). In other words, this was a company sergeant major, usually with the rank of chief sergeant major (Oberfeldwebel). In terms of seniority, this rank was considered higher than the rank of staff sergeant. (Stabsfeldwebel), who could also be promoted to the position of company sergeant major. Other military personnel from the junior command staff, who could also be appointed to this position, were called “acting company sergeant majors.” (Hauptfeldwebeldiensttuer). However, usually such junior commanders were quickly promoted to the rank of chief sergeant major.

France, May 1940. Motorcyclists of the military police (Feldgendarmerie) from the traffic control battalion conduct a convoy of trucks. Both motorcyclists are dressed in rubberized field overcoats of the 1934 model, but they have very little equipment. The driver has a 98k carbine on his back and a 1938 model gas mask canister on his chest. His passenger in the stroller holds a traffic controller's baton. The division emblem is applied to the side of the sidecar, and under the headlight on the front wheel fender there is a motorcycle number, starting with the letters WH (short for Wehrmacht-Heer- ground troops Wehrmacht). (Brian Davis)

Military rank class "private" (Mannschaften) united all the privates themselves, as well as corporals. Corporals, the most experienced privates, made up a much more significant proportion of the rank and file than in the armies of other countries.

Most military ranks existed in several equivalent versions: in different kinds troops, similar ranks could be called differently. Thus, in medical units, ranks were assigned in order to mark the level of a specialist officer, although the rank itself did not provide any authority or the right to command on the battlefield. Other military ranks, for example captain (Rittmeister) or chief huntsman (Oberjäger) preserved according to tradition.

Officers of almost all military ranks could occupy positions corresponding not to their rank, but to the next in seniority, thereby becoming candidates for promotion or acting duties. Therefore, German officers and junior commanders often occupied higher command posts compared to their British colleagues of equivalent military ranks. The lieutenant commanding the company - in German army this did not surprise anyone. And if the first platoon of a rifle company was commanded by a lieutenant (as it should be), then the second and third platoons were often headed by a chief sergeant major, or even a sergeant major. Promotion to the infantry military ranks of non-commissioned officer, sergeant major and chief sergeant major depended on the unit's staffing table and occurred among capable non-commissioned officers, naturally - people moved up the career ladder in order of successive career growth. All other ranks of the junior command staff and lower ranks could count on promotion as a reward for service. Even if a soldier could not be promoted to at least a corporal (due to the lack of necessary abilities or qualities), there was still an opportunity to encourage his diligence or reward him for long service - for this the Germans invented the rank of senior soldier (Obersoldat). An old soldier who was not fit to be a non-commissioned officer became, in the same way and for similar reasons, a staff corporal.

Rank insignia indicating the rank of a serviceman were issued, as a rule, in two versions: weekend - for a dress uniform, a dress overcoat and a field uniform with piping, and field - for a field uniform and field overcoat.

Generals With a uniform of any kind, woven shoulder straps of the output sample were worn. Two 4mm thick gold cast cords (or, from 15 July 1938, two golden yellow "celluloid" strands) were interwoven with a central cord of shiny flat aluminum braid, the same 4mm wide, on a bright red background of finishing fabric. On the field marshal's shoulder straps there were depicted two stylized crossed marshal's batons of silver color; generals of other ranks wore shoulder straps with “stars”. Such "stars" square shape with a square width of 2.8 to 3.8 cm, there could be up to three on the chase, and they were made from “German silver” (that is, an alloy of zinc, copper and nickel - the one from which dental fillings are made) or white aluminum. The insignia of the military branches were made of silver-plated aluminum. From April 3, 1941, all three cords on the field marshal’s shoulder straps began to be made from artificial “celluloid” fiber of bright gold or golden yellow color, placing miniature silver marshal’s batons on top of the weaving.

Produced for staff officers woven shoulder straps of the output sample consisted of two shiny flat braids 5 mm wide on a lining made of finishing fabric in the color of the military branch, on top of which “stars” made of copper-plated galvanic method aluminum From November 7, 1935, gold-plated aluminum was used. There could be up to two square “stars”, and the width of the square was 1.5 cm, 2 cm or 2.4 cm. war time The material for the stars was the same aluminum, but gilded using the galvanic method, or gray lacquered aluminum. The shoulder straps of the field sample differed in that the braid was not shiny, but matte (later “feldgrau” color). The insignia of the military branches, approved on September 10, 1935, from November 7, 1935, were made of copper-plated or gold-plated aluminum, and in wartime, aluminum or a gold-colored zinc alloy obtained by electroplating began to be used for the same purpose. or gray- in the latter case, the aluminum was varnished.

Captain's and lieutenant's The shoulder straps of the output sample consisted of two galloons 7–8 mm wide made of shiny flat aluminum, which were laid side by side on finishing fabric in the color of the branch of service, and up to two “stars” made of gold-plated aluminum were attached on top, and the insignia of the branch of service, relying on the headquarters -officers. The shoulder straps of the field sample were covered with matte aluminum braid, and later with feldgrau braid.

France, June 1940. A squad of the Grossdeutschland regiment in a guard uniform of the 1935 model. Those who served in this elite unit wore an armband with the name of the regiment on the cuff of the sleeve and a monogram on the shoulder straps with any type of uniform, even field. The “cords of a marksman” and the warlike ceremonial appearance of the soldiers’ formation are noteworthy. (ECPA)

Bandmasters wore officer's shoulder straps with two braids, each 4 mm wide, made of a flat strip of bright aluminum. A bright red middle cord 3 mm thick was laid between the braids. This entire structure was placed on a bright red lining made of finishing fabric (since February 18, 1943, bright red was approved as the color of the musicians’ branch of the armed forces) and was decorated with a gilded aluminum lyre and an aluminum “star”. The senior and junior bandmasters had striped shoulder straps: five 7 mm wide stripes of flat shiny aluminum braid interspersed with four 5 mm wide stripes of bright red silk, all of this was located on a lining in the color of the branch of service (trimming fabric of white, light green, bright red, golden yellow or black) and was decorated with a gilded aluminum lyre and the same design with “stars”. The braid on the shoulder straps of the field sample was made of dull aluminum, and later from feldgrau-colored fabric.

Technical specialists in the ranks of junior command staff they wore wicker shoulder straps with symbols and “stars” made of white aluminum that stood out in their appearance; in wartime, the sprockets were made of gray aluminum or zinc alloy. Since January 9, 1937, horse shoeing instructors (as military veterinarians of the lowest ranks were called) wore shoulder straps with three intertwined golden-yellow woolen cords, framed around the perimeter by the same, but double cord, with a crimson, the color of the military branch, lining, horseshoe and with or without an asterisk. Since January 9, 1939, inspectors of the engineer-serf troops wore similar shoulder straps, but with cords made of artificial black silk inside the shoulder strap and a white cord made of artificial silk around the perimeter, and all this on a black lining - the color of the branch of service; on the shoulder strap there was an image of a lantern wheel (“gear”) and from June 9, 1939, the letter “Fp” (letters of the Gothic alphabet), there could also be one “star”. On May 7, 1942, the shoulder straps of both veterinary blacksmiths and instructors of the engineering serf troops changed their colors to red: intertwined shiny aluminum and red braided cords were placed in the field of the shoulder strap, and a double red cord ran along the perimeter. The horse shoeing instructors' lining was purple, and the new shoulder strap still had a small horseshoe; the instructors of the engineering-serf troops had a black lining and on the shoulder straps there were “stars”, one or two, and the letters “Fp”, as on the previous shoulder strap.

Output quality insignia for senior ranks of junior command staff were “stars”, from three to one (a square with a side of 1.8 cm, 2 cm and 2.4 cm, respectively), made of bright aluminum, placed on dark green fabric with blue shoulder straps of the 1934 model, trimmed according to perimeter with a 9 mm wide braid made of shiny aluminum yarn in the “ordinary diamond” pattern, which was approved on September 1, 1935. Field quality marks were the same, but were located on unedged field shoulder straps of the 1933, 1934 or 1935 model. or on field shoulder straps with piping, model 1938 or 1940. In wartime, braid 9 mm wide was also made from silver-gray rayon, and stars were made from gray aluminum and zinc alloy, and from April 25, 1940, shoulder straps began to be trimmed with braid from matte rayon in feldgrau color or from wool with cellulose. wire. The insignia used the same metal as the stars. The company sergeant major and the acting company sergeant major (Hauptfeldwebel or Hauptfeldwebeldinstuer) wore another 1.5 cm wide braid made of shiny aluminum yarn of the “double diamond” pattern on the cuff of the sleeves of the ceremonial uniform, and on the cuffs of the sleeves of uniforms of other shapes - two braids, each 9 mm wide .

U lower ranks of junior command staff shoulder straps And the galloons were the same as those of senior non-commissioned officers; the non-commissioned sergeant's shoulder strap was trimmed with galloon perimeter, and the non-commissioned officer did not have galloon at the base of the shoulder strap. Output quality insignia on shoulder straps were embroidered with thread in the color of the branch of service, while field quality insignia, no different from output colors, were made from wool or cotton thread, and from March 19, 1937, a “chain stitch” pattern was also used, embroidered with artificial thread. silks. The black insignia of engineering troops and the dark blue insignia of medical service units were edged with white chain stitching, which made them more visible against the dark green and blue background of the shoulder straps. In wartime, these embroideries were often completely replaced by a flat, thin thread.

Norway, June 1940. Mountain riflemen wearing the 1935 pattern field uniform and wearing general purpose goggles with round glasses, crossing the Norwegian fjord in boats designed for eight people. The participants in the crossing do not appear to be in any tension, and they do not have any equipment, so the photo was probably taken after the end of hostilities. (Brian Davis)

Other ranks wore the same shoulder straps as junior non-commissioned officers, with insignia in the colors of the branch of service, but without braid. Military rank insignia of the 1936 model included triangular chevrons, pointing downwards, made of non-commissioned officer braid 9 mm wide, combined with “stars” embroidered with silver-gray or aluminum thread (if the uniform was sewn to order, the “star” could represent a bright aluminum button, like an ingot, made using hand sewing technique). Rank insignia was sewn onto a triangle (for a senior soldier - a circle) from finishing dark green and blue fabric. In May 1940, the fabric of the triangle (circle) was changed to feldgrau-colored fabric, and for tankers - to black fabric. These rank insignia, adopted on September 25, 1936 (the order came into effect on October 1, 1936), continued the tradition of the system of Reichswehr insignia that was adopted on December 22, 1920.

Since November 26, 1938 on white and straw green pique work uniform it was necessary to wear rank insignia made of feldgrau-colored braid, 1 cm wide, with a “single diamond” pattern and two thin black edgings inside a stripe of braid. The staff sergeant-major wore a braided ring under two braided chevrons, pointing upward, on both sleeves, below the elbow. The Hauptfeldwebel (company sergeant major) wore two rings, the chief sergeant major wore a ring and a chevron, the sergeant major had only a ring. The non-commissioned officer and the non-commissioned officer were limited to only the braid along the edge of the collar. All insignia of junior command personnel were replaced on August 22, 1942 new system sleeve insignia. The rank and file wore chevrons made of the same braid and the same feldgrau fabric, with “stars” of braid sewn onto a white or straw-green background.

The branch of service to which the military unit of the serviceman belonged was designated by the color of the branch of service (instrument color), in which the edging on the collar, shoulder straps, headdress, uniform and trousers was painted. The system of colors for the military branches (which continued and developed the traditions of the regimental color system of the imperial army) was approved on December 22, 1920 and remained, changing relatively little, until May 9, 1945.

In addition, the branch of the army was designated by a symbol or letter - a letter of the Gothic alphabet. This symbol denoted some special units within a certain branch of the military. The symbol of the branch of service was placed above the insignia of the military unit - usually the unit number, which was written in Arabic or Roman numerals, but military schools were designated in Gothic letters. This designation system was distinguished by its diversity, and this work presents only a limited selection of insignia of the most important combat units.

Insignia, accurately informing about the unit, were supposed to strengthen the fortitude of soldiers and officers and contribute to the unity of the military unit, but in combat conditions they violated secrecy, and therefore, from September 1, 1939, units of the field troops were ordered to remove or hide too detailed and therefore too eloquent insignia. In many troops, the unit numbers indicated on the shoulder straps were hidden by putting removable feldgrau-colored muffs (black in tank troops) on the shoulder straps, or, for the same purpose, the shoulder straps were turned over. The insignia of the military branch did not have such a revealing value as the insignia of the units, and therefore they were usually not hidden. In the Reserve Army and in field units left in Germany or temporarily in their homeland, unit insignia continued to be worn as it was in peacetime. In fact, even in a combat situation, they often continued to wear these insignia, disregarding the orders of their superiors. On January 24, 1940, for junior command personnel and lower ranks, removable muffs for shoulder straps, 3 cm wide, made of feldgrau-colored fabric were introduced, on which insignia were embroidered with a thread in the color of the branch of the military in chain stitch, indicating the branch of the military and the unit, but senior non-commissioned officers officers often continued to wear their previous white aluminum insignia.

France, May 1940. Infantry colonel in field uniform model 1935. The “saddle-shaped” shape of his officer’s cap is noticeable. The distinctive officers' buttonholes, unlike those of lower ranks, retained the branch-colored piping throughout World War II. This officer was awarded the Knight's Cross, and the number of his regiment on the shoulder strap is deliberately hidden by a removable muff in feldgrau color. (Brian Davis)

The pre-war system, which required numbers to be placed on the shoulder strap buttons of lower ranks in regiments (blank buttons for the regimental headquarters, I -111 for the battalion headquarters, 1-14 for the companies included in the regiment), was abolished in wartime, and all buttons became empty.

Individual specialized or elite formations or individual units included in larger military formations, distinguished by the fact that they claimed continuity with units of the imperial army and sought to preserve the traditions of the old regiments, had special signs differences. Usually these were badges on headdresses, attached between an eagle with a swastika and a cockade. Another manifestation of the same special fidelity to tradition, which has become increasingly stronger over time, is the armbands with honorary names borrowed from CA stormtroopers.

Table 4 provides a list of the most important military units that existed from September 1, 1939 to June 25, 1940, and data on the colors of the military branches, the insignia of the military branches, units, and special insignia. The existence of the units listed is not necessarily limited to the specified time frame, and not all of these units participated in the battles.

From May 2, 1939, all ranks of mountain rifle divisions were required to wear insignia with the image alpine flower edelweiss - this emblem was borrowed from the mountain units of the German and Austro-Hungarian armies during the First World War. White aluminum edelweiss with gilded stamens was worn on the cap above the cockade. A white aluminum edelweiss with a gilded stem, two leaves and gilded stamens (in wartime gray aluminum was used and the stamens were made yellow) was worn on the mountain cap on the left. Austrians who served in the Wehrmacht often added a dark green and blue lining from the finishing fabric. A loom-woven white edelweiss with yellow stamens and light green leaves on a light green stem inside a loop of mouse gray rope on an oval of dark green finishing fabric (after May 1940 in feldgrau color) was worn on the right sleeve uniforms and greatcoats above the elbow.

The six infantry battalions retained the light green color of the Jaeger branch - as a sign of fidelity to the traditions of light infantry, although the battalions themselves remained ordinary infantry battalions - at least until June 28, 1942, when special Jaeger units were created.

Some regiments also wore special badges. There are two known icons of this kind. In such a regiment they were worn by military personnel of all ranks on a combat headdress between an eagle and a cockade and, unofficially, on a field headdress. From 25 February 1938, the 17th Infantry Regiment, in memory of the Imperial 92nd Infantry Regiment, wore an emblem with the Brunswick skull and crossbones. From June 21, 1937, the 3rd Motorcycle Reconnaissance Battalion received the right to wear the emblem with the Dragoon Eagle (Schwedter Adler), in memory of the Imperial 2nd Dragoon Regiment, and from August 26, 1939, the 179- th cavalry, and the 33rd, 34th and 36th divisional reconnaissance battalions.

The captain in full dress uniform with his bride on his wedding day in July 1940. He was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, long service medal, Flower Wars medal and Attack Badge. (Brian Davis)

Infantry Regiment "Grossdeutschland" (Grobdeutschland) was created on June 12, 1939 by transforming the Berlin Security Regiment (Wachregiment Berlin). In complete disregard of safety considerations in field conditions the insignia of this selected regiment was on full display throughout the war. The shoulder straps were decorated with the monogram “GD” (approved on June 20, 1939), and the inscription embroidered with aluminum thread was worn on the dark green and blue bandage on the cuff "Grobdeutschland" between two lines along the edges of the bandage, embroidered with the same thread. Instead of this inscription, another one was introduced for a short time - Inf. Rgt Grobdeutschland, with Gothic letters embroidered with silver-gray thread - it was worn on the cuff of the right sleeve of a uniform or overcoat of any kind. One battalion of the Grossdeutschland regiment was assigned to Hitler's field headquarters - this "Fuhrer escort battalion" (Fuhrerbegleitbataillon) stood out with a black wool armband with the inscription "Fuhrer-Hauptquartier"(Fuhrer's headquarters). The inscription in Gothic letters was embroidered with golden-yellow (sometimes silver-gray) thread, either manually or by machine; two lines were also embroidered along the edges of the headband with the same thread.

From June 21, 1939, the Tank Training Battalion and the Signal Training Battalion received the right to wear a maroon-red bandage with a machine-embroidered gold inscription on the cuff of the left sleeve "1936Spanien1939" in memory of the service of these units in Spain - during the Spanish civil war both battalions were part of the Imker group (Groupe Imker). From August 16, 1938, military personnel of the newly formed propaganda companies were given the right to wear a black bandage with an inscription in Gothic letters on the cuff of the right sleeve with an inscription in Gothic letters embroidered by hand or machine with aluminum thread "Propagandakompanie".

Germany, July 1940. Non-commissioned officer of the 17th Infantry Regiment in his dress uniform with a commemorative Brunswick skull and crossbones badge on his cap, a privilege of his regiment. The "sharpshooter's cord", the Iron Cross 2nd class ribbon in the lapel buttonhole and the typical pre-war style of the epaulet numerals are visible. (Brian Davis)

When mobilized on August 26, 1939, the eight thousand-strong German gendarmerie was transformed into the Field Gendarmerie. Motorized battalions, each with three companies, were assigned to the field armies so that the infantry division had a command (Trupp) of 33 people, for a tank or motorized division - of 47 people, and for part of a military district - a team of 32 people. At first, field gendarmerie soldiers wore the civilian gendarmerie uniform of the 1936 model, adding only army shoulder straps and a dull green armband with a machine-embroidered orange-yellow inscription "Feldgendarmerie". At the beginning of 1940, the gendarmes received army uniforms with the addition of an imperial badge for the police - worn on the left sleeve above the elbow, a woven or machine-embroidered orange eagle with a black swastika in an orange wreath (the officer's badge was embroidered with aluminum thread) against a "feldgrau" background. A brown bandage with the inscription machine-embroidered with aluminum thread was put on the cuff of the left sleeve "Feldgendarmerie"; the edges of the bandage were trimmed with aluminum thread, and later with machine embroidery on a silver-gray background. When performing their duties, military police wore a matte aluminum badge with an eagle and the inscription "Feldgendarmerie" aluminum letters on a stylized dark gray ribbon. Those military gendarmes who controlled traffic, wore a Felgendarmerie uniform without the three above-mentioned insignia, making do with a salmon-colored armband on the left sleeve above the elbow and with an inscription woven in black cotton thread "Verkehrs-Aufsicht"(traffic supervision). The Army Patrol Service, equivalent to the British Regimental Police, wore the obsolete dull aluminum 1920 pattern "sharpshooter's cords" (small aiguillettes) on their field uniforms and field greatcoats.

Conductors wore buttonholes and patches with a staff bright gold or matte gold pattern "Kolben" and from April 12, 1938, all musicians in officer ranks had to wear with their uniform official types special ailets made of shiny aluminum and bright red silk. The musicians of the regimental bands wore "swallow's nest" shoulder pads made of bright aluminum non-commissioned officer braid and finishing fabric on their weekend and field uniforms bright red color. This decoration was introduced on September 10, 1935, with drum majors adding aluminum fringe to the bottom of the shoulder pad. The badges of other specialists are expected to be considered in the 2nd volume of this work.

Luxembourg, September 18, 1940. A cavalry sergeant in dress uniform without the usual belt, but with a steel helmet in his hand, which he took off in favor of a 1938 model cap, is trying to make friends with a local girl. Usually such scenes look fake, but this one does not come across as insincerely theatrical. The sergeant was awarded the Iron Cross, 1st class, and, it seems, just recently received the Iron Cross, 2nd class. It is noticeable that his high cavalry boots are carefully polished. (Joseph Charita)

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, it acquired its sinister and special meaning only after it was re-written for Hitler, who was 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 signal foreshadowing its future power 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's clear that the most important criterion there 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 this division that accounts for the largest number of crimes against both the civilian population 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 the broken 30s Stalin's years life.

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 clear to say where fiction ends and where facts from biography begin Nazi criminal, it is forbidden.

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 held effectively made him commander-in-chief of Hitler's entire personal army. 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. The main goal of his life was the extermination of the 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 troupe-SS - 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 Reichsfuehrer. 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.

Marks of Excellence

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, green oak leaves appear.

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 a “death’s head” with crossed bones, and 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 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. According to the diaries German soldiers, they themselves did not like “Hitler’s dogs” for their arrogance and contempt for all the people around.

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 the 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.

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 of the 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

HAUPTSTURMFUHRER SS, 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

OBERSTGRUPPENFUHRER 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

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

German officer training system

The German Wehrmacht had a unique officer training system, which guaranteed that the troops were staffed with high-quality officers.

A roughly similar system exists today in the Bundeswehr.

Read about the ranks of students at officer schools.
Anyone who wanted to become an officer, after checking his trustworthiness through the Gestapo, passing physical training exams through the Jungfolk and Hitler Youth, took the entrance exams to the school.

Then the candidate was sent to a combat regiment (during war, necessarily to the regiment leading combat operations) for a year as a soldier (during war, the period was reduced).

After the end of the term, subject to positive feedback from the regiment command, the candidate received the rank of “fanejunker” equal to the rank of “corporal” and after short theoretical studies (from 2 to 6 months) he was again sent to another combat regiment for a corporal position for a period of 4 to 6 months. During this period, he should have been given the opportunity to perform the duties of a squad commander part of the time. Fanenjunkers who did not meet the requirements of the command did not return to the school, but remained to serve in the unit as corporals.

Upon returning to the school, the Fanenjunker received the title of “Fahenjunkerunterofficer”, took a 2-6 month course of theoretical training and was sent to the third combat regiment as a squad commander. Part of the time he had to serve as deputy platoon commander and company sergeant major.

After that, with the rank of "Oberfenrich" he was sent to the regiment for permanent service.

The assignment of the rank of "lieutenant" depended on the command of the regiment and division. Basically, the time from admission to the school to the assignment of an officer rank was more than three years (even during the war, and to ensure sufficient replenishment of the troops with officers, enrollment in the schools increased). To be awarded each successive officer rank, it was necessary to undergo 4-6 months of training at the appropriate school or academy for the position to which it was planned to send the officer, and to undergo an internship in a new position. Thus, there was a constant filtering of quality candidates from random and unfit to lead soldiers. By the time he received the officer rank, the candidate had combat experience and theoretical knowledge; knew how to use all types of weapons, knew how to command soldiers, knew the features of managing various units, and had authority. Internships in various parts

from different commanders and their decisive conclusion on the suitability of the candidate guaranteed that the unworthy would not receive the officer rank (due to connections, for father’s merits, for origin, etc.).

Moreover, in peacetime, no more than 75% of the number of persons who passed the previous stage could be accepted for each subsequent level of training.

A significant part of the officers in wartime were recruited from among distinguished, capable non-commissioned officers. If necessary, they were given the opportunity to receive military education, and before being awarded the rank of officer, they also underwent a course of theoretical training.

With all the hostility towards the fascists, it is impossible not to note that the German officers were above all praise, which Marshal G.K. Zhukov noted in his memoirs.

It’s just a pity that this cruel lesson remained unlearned; so no one here understood that the money, time, and resources spent on training officers in peacetime would save a lot of soldiers’ lives during the war. Our current leaders of the country have not learned this lesson, and we are again learning to fight during the war, paying for our studies with the blood of incompetent soldiers and untrained officers. And the Germans in post-war Germany (and after the 1st and 2nd World Wars) carefully preserved their non-commissioned officers and officers, found the opportunity to allocate money from a meager budget for pensions for former military personnel, for their secret training and retraining (including including in the USSR), and when necessary, in the shortest possible time managed to deploy a first-class army. It is only amateurs from military science who can believe that it is enough to hang on the shoulder straps and the general is ready. Military science and the centuries-long experience of all countries clearly say that an ordinary soldier of average quality can be trained in two to three years, a company commander in 8-12 years. It takes another two years to put together such soldiers and officers into a combat-ready regiment. And generals are a piece of goods. More talent is required from a general than from an artist. If an artist’s price for mediocrity is whistles in the hall, then the price for a general’s mediocrity is thousands of ruined lives. After all, the art of war is the ability to accept the only correct solution

in conditions of lack or even complete absence of information and acute shortage of time. Intuition is required here more than in a chess game.

Try winning a chess game with your back to the board and not knowing how your opponent's pieces are positioned. And this is the general’s job.

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 - the Adolf Hitler strike force - 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 the armed units of the SA - legal way 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 liked to use aviation terms in 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 the 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 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 mass 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 Western allies such a person would be useful. 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 look at the highest ranks of 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 and oak leaves on both sides of the lapels. 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:

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:

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.