30.09.2007 22:54
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 familiarize yourself with historical information according to SA.
In April 1925, Hitler, concerned about the growing influence of SA leaders and the aggravation of contradictions with them, instructed one of the SA 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 SS units within the SA 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.
SS ranks from IX-1925 to XI-1926
* Read more about rank encoding
.
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.
SS ranks from XI-1926 to I-1929.
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Code* |
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SS Mann (SS Mann) |
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SS Gruppenfuehrer (SS Gruppenfuehrer) |
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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 SS units from I-1929 to 1932
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Rotten |
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Scharen |
abteilung (branch) |
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Truppen |
zug (platoon) |
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Stuerme |
company (company) |
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Sturmbanne |
battalion (battalion) |
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Standard |
regiment (regiment) |
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Abschnitt |
besatzung (garrison) |
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
The rank system is changing accordingly. However, these are not titles, but positions.
SS rank system from I-1929 to 1932.
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Code* |
Names of titles (positions) |
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SS Mann (SS Mann) |
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SS Obergruppenfuehrer (SS Obergruppenfuehrer) |
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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 formations like Gruppe or Obergruppe, but there are ranks. They are worn senior managers SS.
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 unit Oberabschnitte (Oberabschnitte) was introduced into the SS structure and SS structure acquires its completeness. Please note that we are not talking about the SS troops (there is no trace of them yet), but about public organization, which 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, the unemployed, peasants, minor employees, etc.)
Hierarchy of SS units since 1932
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SA division name |
Equivalent to an army unit…. |
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Rotten |
there is no equivalent. Approximately a cell of 3-5 people. |
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Scharen |
abteilung (branch) |
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Truppen |
zug (platoon) |
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Stuerme |
company (company) |
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Sturmbanne |
battalion (battalion) |
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Standard |
regiment (regiment) |
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Abschnitt |
besatzung (garrison) |
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Oberabschnitte |
kreise (military district) |
The table of ranks takes on the following form (although these are still more job titles than ranks):
SS rank system from 1932 to V-1933
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Code* |
Names of titles (positions) |
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SS Mann (SS Mann) |
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SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer) |
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SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer) |
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SS Truppfuehrer (SS Truppführer) |
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SS Sturmfuehrer (SS Sturmführer) |
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SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer) |
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SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer) |
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SS Gruppenfuehrer (SA Gruppenfuehrer) |
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SS Obergruppenfuehrer (SS Obergruppenfuehrer) |
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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 onSS 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 began to gradually turn into a source of managerial personnel for the state, while simultaneously including 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.
The previous scale of ranks became insufficient and on May 19, 1933, a new scale of ranks was introduced:
SS rank system from May 19, 1933 to October 15, 1934.
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Code* |
Names of titles (positions) |
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SS Mann (SS Mann) |
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SS Sturmann (SS Sturmann) |
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SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer) |
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SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer) |
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SS Truppfuehrer (SS Truppführer) |
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SS Obertruppfuehrer (SS Obertruppführer) |
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SS Sturmfuehrer (SS Sturmführer) |
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SS Sturmhauptfuehrer (SS Sturmhauptfuehrer) |
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SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer) |
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SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer) |
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SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer) |
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SS Gruppenfuehrer (SA Gruppenfuehrer) |
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SS Obergruppenfuehrer (SS Obergruppenfuehrer) |
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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 the political life of 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 SS ranks from October 15, 1934 to 1942.
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Code* |
Names of titles (positions) |
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SS Bewerber (SS Beverber) |
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SS Anwarter (SS Anvaerter) |
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SS Mann (SS Mann) |
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SS Sturmann (SS Sturmann) |
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SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer) |
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SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer) |
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SS Obersharfuehrer (SS Obersharfuehrer) |
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SS Obersturmfuehrer (SS Obersturmführer) |
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SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer) |
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SS Oberturmbannfuehrer (SS Obersturmbannfuehrer) |
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SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer) |
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SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer) |
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SS Brigadenfuehrer (SS Brigadefuehrer) |
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SS Gruppenfuehrer (SA Gruppenfuehrer) |
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SS Obergruppenfuehrer (SS Obergruppenfuehrer) |
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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. More information about SS divisions can be read on the Arsenal website .
Waffen SS and SS-Totenkopfrerbaende ranks from X-1936 to 1942
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Code* |
Titles |
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Mannschaften |
SS Schutze (SS Schutze) |
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SS Sturmann (SS Sturmann) |
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SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer) |
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Unterfuehrer |
SS Unterscharfuehrer (SS Unterscharfuehrer) |
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SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer) |
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SS Obersharfuehrer (SS Obersharfuehrer) |
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SS Hauptscharfuehrer (SS Hauptscharfuehrer) |
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Untere Fuehrer |
SS Untersturmfuehrer (SS Untersturmführer) |
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SS Hauptsturmfuehrer (SS Hauptsturmfuehrer) |
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Mittlere Fuehrer |
SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer) |
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SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer) |
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SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer) |
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Hoehere Fuehrer |
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Why the Waffen SS generals added the words “... and general... of police” to their general SS rank is unknown to the author, but in most primary sources available to the author in German (official documents) these ranks are called that way, although the SS men who remain in the Allgemeine-SS have general ranks did not have this supplement.
In 1937, four officer schools were created in the Waffen SS, 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 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
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Code* |
Names of titles (positions) |
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SS Bewerber (SS Beverber) |
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SS Anwarter (SS Anvaerter) |
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SS Mann (SS Mann) |
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SS Sturmann (SS Sturmann) |
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SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer) |
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SS Unterscharfuehrer (SS Unterscharfuehrer) |
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SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer) |
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SS Obersharfuehrer (SS Obersharfuehrer) |
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SS Hauptscharfuehrer (SS Hauptscharfuehrer) |
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SS Sturmscharfuehrer (SS Sturmscharfuehrer) |
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SS Untersturmfuehrer (SS Untersturmführer) |
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SS Obersturmfuehrer (SS Obersturmführer) |
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SS Hauptsturmfuehrer (SS Hauptsturmfuehrer) |
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SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer) |
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SS Oberturmbannfuehrer (SS Obersturmbannfuehrer) |
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SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer) |
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SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer) |
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SS Brigadenfuehrer (SS Brigadefuehrer) |
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SS Gruppenfuehrer (SA Gruppenfuehrer) |
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16a |
SS Obergruppenfuehrer (SS Obergruppenfuehrer) |
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16b |
SS-Oberstgruppenfuehrer (SS Oberstgruppenfuehrer) |
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SS Reichsfuehrer (SS Reichsfuehrer) Only G. Himmler had this title |
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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.
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Code* |
Titles |
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Mannschaften |
SS Schutze (SS Schutze) |
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SS Oberschutze (SS Oberschutze) |
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SS Sturmann (SS Sturmann) |
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SS Rottenfuehrer (SS Rottenfuehrer) |
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Unterfuehrer |
SS-Unterscharfuehrer (SS Unterscharfuehrer) |
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SS Sharfuehrer (SS Sharfuehrer) |
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SS Obersharfuehrer (SS Obersharfuehrer) |
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SS Hauptscharfuehrer (SS Hauptscharfuehrer) |
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SS-Sturmscharfuehrer (SS Sturmscharfuehrer) |
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Untere Fuehrer |
SS Untersturmfuehrer (SS Untersturmführer) |
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SS Obersturmfuehrer (SS Obersturmführer) |
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SS Hauptsturmfuehrer (SS Hauptsturmfuehrer) |
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Mittlere Fuehrer |
SS Sturmbannfuehrer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer) |
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SS Obersturmbannfuehrer (SS Obersturmbannfuehrer) |
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SS Standartenfuehrer (SS Standartenfuehrer) |
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SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer) |
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Hoehere Fuehrer |
SS Brigadenfuehrer und der General-maior der Polizei (SS Brigadenfuehrer und der General-maior der Polizei) |
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SS Gruppenfuehrer und der General-leutnant der Polizei (SA Gruppenfuehrer und der General-leutnant der Polizei) |
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16a |
SS Obergruppenfuehrer und der General der Polizei (SS Obergruppenfuehrer und der General der Polizei) |
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16b |
SS-Oberstgruppenfuehrer und der General-oberst der Polizei (SS Oberstgruppenfuehrer und der General-Oberst der Polizei) |
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 discontinued, and the organization itself was dissolved in the fall of 1945 based on the decisions of the Potsdam Allied Conference on 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 part 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. They were not recognized as prisoners of war when captured, and were treated as if they were criminals. Convicted SS soldiers and officers were released from USSR camps under an amnesty at the end of 1955
Brigadefuhrer (German: Brigadefuhrer)- rank in the SS and SA, corresponding to the rank of major general.
May 19, 1933 introduced into the SS structure as the rank of leaders of the main territorial divisions of the SS Oberabschnitte (SS-Oberabschnitte). This is the highest structural subdivision SS organizations. There were 17 of them. It can be equated to an army district, especially since the territorial boundaries of each oberabshnit coincided with the boundaries of the army districts. Oberabschnit did not have a clearly defined number of abschnites. This depended on the size of the territory, the number of SS units stationed on it, and the population size. Most often, an oberabschnit had three abschnites and several special formations: one signal battalion (SS Nachrichtensturmbann), one engineer battalion (SS Pioniersturmbann), one sanitary company (SS Sanitaetssturm), an auxiliary reserve squad of members over 45 years of age, or a women's auxiliary squad ( SS Helferinnen). Since 1936 in the Waffen-SS it corresponded to the rank of major general and the position of division commander.
The change in the insignia of senior SS Fuhrers (generals) in April 1942 was caused by the introduction of the rank of Oberstgruppenführer and the desire to unify the number of stars on the buttonholes and on shoulder straps, which were worn on all other types of uniforms, except for the party one, since with the increase in the number of Waffen-SS units, more and more There were problems with the correct recognition of SS ranks by ordinary Wehrmacht soldiers.
Starting with this SS rank, if its holder was appointed to a military (since 1936) or police (since 1933) position, he received a duplicate rank in accordance with the nature of the service:
SS Brigadeführer and Major General of Police - German. SS Brigadefuehrer und der General-maior der Polizei
SS Brigadeführer and Major General of the Waffen-SS - German. SS Brigadefuehrer und der General-major der Waffen SS
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 integral part SA. The buttonholes themselves were black, and the insignia were 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 a 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;
Brigadeführers - 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. Most of the higher ranks (“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 as mine, since he received his rank of SS Brigadeführer 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).
The SS troops belonged to the SS organization; service in them was not considered state service, even if it was legally equivalent to such. The military uniform of SS soldiers is quite recognizable all over the world; most often this black uniform is associated with the organization itself. It is known that the uniforms for SS employees during the Holocaust were sewn by prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp.
History of the SS military uniform
Initially, soldiers of the SS troops (also “Waffen SS”) wore gray uniforms, very similar to the uniform of regular stormtroopers German army. In 1930, the same, well-known, black uniform was introduced, which was supposed to emphasize the difference between the troops and the rest and determine the elitism of the unit. By 1939, SS officers received a white dress uniform, and from 1934, a gray one was introduced, intended for field battles. The gray military uniform differed from the black one only in color.
Additionally, SS soldiers were entitled to a black overcoat, which, with the introduction of the gray uniform, was replaced by a double-breasted one, respectively. gray. High-ranking officers were allowed to wear their overcoat unbuttoned by the top three buttons so that the colored distinctive stripes were visible. Subsequently, holders of the Knight's Cross received the same right (in 1941), who were allowed to display the award.
The Waffen SS women's uniform consisted of a gray jacket and skirt, as well as a black cap with the SS eagle.
A black ceremonial club jacket with the symbols of the organization for officers was also developed.
It should be noted that in fact the black uniform was the uniform of the SS organization specifically, and not the troops: only SS members had the right to wear this uniform; transferred Wehrmacht soldiers were not allowed to use it. By 1944, the wearing of this black uniform was officially abolished, although in fact by 1939 it was used only on special occasions.
Distinctive features of the Nazi uniform
The SS uniform had a number of distinctive features, which are easily remembered even now, after the dissolution of the organization:
- The SS emblem of two German "Sig" runes was used on uniform insignia. Only ethnic Germans were allowed to wear runes on their uniforms - Aryans, foreign members of the Waffen SS were not allowed to use this symbolism.
- “Death's Head” - at first, a metal round cockade with the image of a skull was used on the cap of SS soldiers. Later it was used on the buttonholes of soldiers of the 3rd Tank Division.
- The red armband with a black swastika on a white background was worn by members of the SS and stood out significantly against the background of the black dress uniform.
- Image of an eagle with outstretched wings and a swastika (former coat of arms fascist Germany) eventually replaced skulls on cap badges and began to be embroidered on the sleeves of uniforms.
The Waffen SS camouflage pattern differed from the Wehrmacht camouflage. Instead of the accepted pattern design with applied parallel lines creating the so-called “rain effect”, wood and plant drawings. Since 1938, the following camouflage elements of the SS uniform have been adopted: camouflage jackets, reversible covers for helmets and face masks. On camouflage clothing it was necessary to wear green stripes indicating rank on both sleeves, however, for the most part this requirement was not observed by officers. During campaigns, a set of stripes was also used, each of which denoted one or another military qualification.
Rank insignia on SS uniform
The ranks of Waffen SS soldiers did not differ from the ranks of Wehrmacht employees: the differences were only in form. The uniform used the same distinctive signs, such as shoulder straps and embroidered buttonholes. SS officers wore insignia with the symbols of the organization both on shoulder straps and in buttonholes.
The shoulder straps of SS officers had a double backing, the upper one differing in color depending on the type of troops. The backing was edged with a silver cord. On the shoulder straps there were signs of belonging to one or another unit, metal or embroidered with silk threads. The shoulder straps themselves were made of gray braid, while their lining was invariably black. The bumps (or “stars”) on the shoulder straps, designed to indicate the officer’s rank, were bronze or gilded.
The buttonholes featured runic “zigs” on one, and rank insignia on the other. The employees of the 3rd Panzer Division, which was nicknamed "Death's Head" instead of "zig", had an image of a skull, which was previously worn as a cockade on the cap of SS men. The edges of the buttonholes were edged with twisted silk cords, and for generals they were covered with black velvet. They also used it to line the general's caps.
Video: SS form
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