(Newsreel Voiceover) "Although the town is won
dazed prisoners filter back in streams.
The enemy keeps up stiff resistance.
A prolonged and bitter engagement takes place across the airfield to the south.
Jerry counter-attacks with full force."
Germany's chaotic governance in the Third Reich period led to the bizarre creation of
a number of armed ground forces. Arguably the most efficient of these forces was the Waffen-SS,
which began life as a handful of volunteer units. They saw action in Poland
and France, largely as a propaganda exercise, but their success in the field encouraged
expansion to five divisions by the summer of 1941 when the campaign in Russia began.
Original recruiting standards were high and only ethnic Germans of peak physical condition
were selected. As the war went on, standards were relaxed, and a number of foreign divisions
were manned with volunteers from throughout Europe.
The Waffen-SS patterned its tactical
units after their Army counterparts but maintained their own unique culture. As the force was
expanded and spread over three fronts the Waffen-SS increasingly grew to rely on non-German
volunteers and even conscripts.
The force peaked at over 900,000 men.
By 1945 the Waffen-SS included 38 divisions, many in name only, but also including about
25% of Germany's front-line armoured divisions.
The Waffen-SS wore uniforms patterned after that of the army, though many clothing items
had minor variations, and the SS had their own unique insignia, usually rendered on a
black background rather than the green or field grey of Army badges.
The most unique element of the Waffen-SS uniform was rank-based collar patches and a corresponding
set of rank titles shared with the other components of the SS, which in turn was inspired by the
ranks of the Sturmabteilung, the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party that the
SS had largely replaced.
The right collar patch bore the runes of the SS. This insignia was considered appropriate
only for German citizens. When SS units recruited from foreign nations were created, they adopted
divisional insignia instead of the runes, to distinguish themselves from the Reichsdeutsche,
or native Germans.
Ethnic Germans in foreign units not permitted the SS collar runes were permitted to wear
the runes on the breast instead.
The left collar patch bore the soldier's rank. Similar to the case in the Royal Air Force,
with rank titles like Squadron Leader or Wing Commander, many of the rank titles in the
Waffen-SS were a literal expression of the role fulfilled by the bearer and this literal
nomenclature may not be obvious to English-speakers.
The national insignia of SS pattern was worn on the left sleeve, and in many cases a cuff
title on the left sleeve identified the soldier's division.
Shoulder straps were rendered in black and piped in the waffenfarbe or branch colour
in the same manner as Army uniforms.
The lowest rank in the SS was SS-Mann denoted by blank collar patch and sleeves. In the
Waffen-SS he was designated SS-Schütze.
An Oberschütze wore a single rank star on the sleeve, rendered on a black background.
This rank was generally for soldiers with a certain minimum time in service but who
were not considered suitable for further promotion. Those with greater aptitude were promoted
to SS-Sturmmann. The highest non-NCO rank in the Waffen-SS was Rottenführer.
In German a Rotte is a small group, hence in English an approximate translation would
be “section leader”.
These modest promotions reflected time in rank and qualified the soldier for a raise
in pay. As was the case in the Army, enlisted men had no special authority and were not
considered non-commissioned officers.
Non-Commissioned officers in the Waffen-SS were identified by silver lace on the collar
and shoulder straps in the same manner as their Army counterparts. A squad of nine or
ten men was generally led by an SS-Unterscharführer, though the literal English translation of
that rank title matches the higher NCO ranks which generally led platoons.
The senior NCO of every infantry company, tank company, artillery battery, etc., held the
appointment of Stabsscharführer. Any NCO could hold the appointment but it was almost always
a senior NCO. As in the Army, he was nicknamed der Spiess, wore two rows of rank braid on
his sleeves as a badge of office, and carried a reporting pouch in his tunic front.
The senior most grade was SS-Sturmscharführer, equivalent to the Army's Stabsfeldwebel - a
rank created for career NCOs who enlisted for the pre-war 12-year term of enlistment.
In practice this was a perk for long service NCOs rather than an additional step in the
chain of command.
As in the army, aspiring officers held NCO rank and were distinguised by a double-loop
of NCO braid on the shoulder strap.
The officer ranks followed the same sequence as their Army counterparts. Collar patches
were edged in silver piping. Shoulder boards displayed their branch of service colour,
but differed from Army insignia in having an additional black underlay. After 1941,
SS officers also used silver coloured rank stars rather than gold.
An additional rank existed in the Waffen-SS which had no equivalent in the Army, that
of Oberführer. It is variously translated into English as either a senior
colonel or a junior grade of general such as brigadier. Translations are made more difficult
in that the British and Americans treated both ranks very differently. An American colonel
was a regimental commander while his British counterpart was usually a staff officer. A
British brigade, the equivalent of an American regiment, was commanded by a Brigadier, not a colonel.
General officers included their Army equivalent ranks as part of the formal title. Insignia
was similar to that worn by Army generals, with the standard gold cords sewn to a silver-grey
underlay (rather than red). Like Army generals, they also used silver rank stars. The collar
patch design changed for all general ranks in 1942.
Confusingly, the first of the general officer ranks was SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor
der Waffen-SS, and despite the name, this was the most common working rank for a divisional commander.
A general rank equivalent to the Army's Generaloberst was created in 1942. When the Waffen-SS expanded
to field formations up to army size, it was felt the rank would be required should an
SS general be given command of an army group. That never came to pass, though two Waffen
SS generals were promoted to this rank in 1944.
Superiors in the German Army were addressed by adding the prefix “Herr” to their rank
title. As part of the unique culture fostered by the Waffen-SS, this courtesy was omitted.
The National Socialist government desired in theory to abolish class distinctions in
society and the SS followed suit. This minor point of etiquette combined with literal rank
titles could provide amusing results, if a popular anecdote has any basis in truth. On
one inspection tour, when a lieutenant-general asked a young squad leader what his job in
the unit was, he proudly replied
“Gruppenführer, Gruppenführer!”
This video can only be a brief introduction to a complex topic, and no mention has been
made of the many camouflage uniforms and associated insignia, nor the crossovers between the General SS
and the Waffen SS, such as the Old Campaigner's chevron, worn on the right sleeve instead
of the left, and not to be confused with a military rank. Many good references now exist
in English, some of which are linked in the description below. Old myths still challenge
perception, and pop culture should never be considered a prime source of information.
Collectors of the old Charlton war comics, for example, will find an abundance of perfectly
unique SS rank titles which they will not find in any references.