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This table contains the final ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS, which were in use from April 1942 to May 1945, in comparison to the Wehrmacht. [1] The highest ranks of the combined SS (German: Gesamt-SS) was that of Reichsführer-SS and Oberster Führer der SS; however, there was no Waffen-SS equivalent to these positions.
2nd pattern SS Totenkopf, 1934–45. While different uniforms existed [1] for the SS over time, the all-black SS uniform adopted in 1932 is the most well known. [2] The black–white–red colour scheme was characteristic of the German Empire, and it was later adopted by the Nazi Party.
The Waffen-SS (German: [ˈvafn̩ʔɛsˌʔɛs]; lit. ' Armed SS ') was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary Schutzstaffel (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both German-occupied Europe and unoccupied lands. [3]
SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer (literal: SS-Colonel group leader), short SS-Obstgruf, was from 1942 to 1945 the highest commissioned rank in the Schutzstaffel (SS), with the exception of Reichsführer-SS. SS-Obstgruf was comparable to four-star ranks in English speaking armed forces (today equivalent to NATO OF-9 ).
All Waffen-SS divisions were ordered in a single series of numbers as formed, regardless of type. [1] Those with ethnic groups listed were at least nominally recruited from those groups. Many of the higher-numbered units were divisions in name only, being in reality only small battlegroups (Kampfgruppen).
Uniforms and insignia of the Sturmabteilung; Ranks and insignia of the Volkssturm; Ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS; After the Nazi Party came to power in Germany, a number of Nazi state controlled and/or sponsored organisations developed Nazi style ranks, insignia, and titles. Such various ranks and insignia included:
The 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland", a Waffen-SS unit, adopted the rune as a variant of its divisional insignia. [3] Hagal: Faith in Nazism The Hagal Armanen rune was widely used in the SS for its symbolic representation of "unshakeable faith" in Nazi philosophy, as Himmler put it. [5]
The Oberst-Gruppenführer rank was worn on the field-grey Waffen-SS tunic, the grey SS service tunic, or in Daluege's case the German police uniform. There are no photographic records of the insignia ever being worn on the black ceremonial uniform, which had largely fallen into disuse by the time the rank was created.