Military ranks of the SS. Ranks of the Wehrmacht and the SS. Ranks in the Wehrmacht

Georgy Vasilyevich Chekhov - a brave officer of the Russian Navy and SS Troops. Georgy Vasilyevich Chekhov was born on December 14, 1892 in the city of Sukhum. In 1914 he graduated from the Naval Corps and was assigned to the Baltic Fleet. In 1916-17. he participated in the fighting on the destroyer "Letun". On October 25, 1916, the "Letun" was blown up by a mine exposed by the German submarine UC-27 in the area of ​​​​Wulf Island. The ship was towed, during the explosion Georgy Vasilievich received a slight nose wound. By 1917, G. V. Chekhov graduated from the Artillery officer class and was enrolled in artillery officers of the 2nd category. During his service in the Russian Navy, he was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav, 3rd class with swords and a bow (November 23, 1915), as well as the Order of St. Anna, 4th class, with the inscription "For Courage" (May 3, 1916).
By the beginning of the Civil War, Georgy Vasilievich served as a senior officer in the 2nd battery of the 1st Naval Heavy Artillery Battalion.
Not accepting the Bolshevik revolution, he left for the Don. At the beginning, Lieutenant Chekhov was on the staff of the Novorossiysk military port.
Since January 22, 1919, he was listed in the Don Army, at the disposal of the head of the Naval Heavy Artillery.
On February 26, 1919, he was appointed commander of the K-5 river gunboat of the 2nd Battalion of the River Flotilla.
06/1/1919 G.V. Chekhov was promoted to the rank of senior lieutenant. In 1920, he was listed as head of boarding transports and commandant of the marinas of the naval base in Varna. In the same 1920, Georgy Vasilyevich, along with the rest of the Russian army of Wrangel, left his homeland.
As part of the Black Sea Fleet, Chekhov was evacuated to Bizerte, he was listed as part of the squadron as of May 25, 1921.
He moved to Germany. Here, in the period from 1920 to 1921. he served as flag officer of the commander of the Russian squadron, Vice Admiral M. A. Kedrov. In 1922, in addition, Georgy Vasilyevich became one of the founding members of the Mutual Assistance Union who served in the Russian fleet. Since the mid-1920s. GV Chekhov lives in Belgium. In 1929, he joins the Naval Union, and also becomes a member of the Russian Imperial Union-Order (RIS-O). This organization adhered to firm anti-Bolshevik views and intentions to continue the fight against the communists who had captured Russia.
In 1937, Georgy Vasilyevich settled in Liege and received Belgian citizenship.
After the outbreak of the German-Soviet war, he joined, along with other Russian emigrants - members of the Russian Imperial Union-Order, the Walloon Legion (373rd Wehrmacht infantry battalion). On August 8, 1941, he was enrolled in the legion with the rank of captain and was appointed commander of the 3rd company of the 373rd infantry battalion. Together with the volunteers of the Legion in November 1941 he arrived at the Soviet-German front.
In the battles for Gromovaya Balka from February 28 to March 2, 1942, the battalion repulsed the attacks of two regiments of the Soviet army, but lost more than a third of its composition and 24 out of 26 officers. For the battles near Gromovaya Balka, G.V. Chekhov was awarded the Iron Cross of the 2nd class, and was also appointed commander of this legion. was officially transferred to the Waffen-SS. Here the legion became the basis for the formation of the SS assault brigade "Wallonia" (from October 19, 1944 - the 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division "Wallonia"). G.V. Chekhov received the rank of Hauptsturmführer (captain).
The Walloon Brigade fought the Bolsheviks in Ukraine, then in Estonia. During the years of his stay on the Soviet-German front, Georgy Chekhov became friends with the leader of the Walloon nationalists Leon Degrelle and became one of his closest assistants in the formation of the Walloon part of the SS troops.

On April 20, Georgy Vasilyevich was promoted to the rank of SS Sturmbannführer (major).
In January 1945, it was decided to send the division to the Eastern Front. January 30 Walloon units arrived in Pomerania. In March 1945, G.V. Chekhov was the commander of the 2nd battalion of the 69th SS Volunteer Grenadier Regiment (28th SS Walloon Division). A few days later he was appointed commander of the 70th regiment of the same division. During the fighting, Georgy Vasilyevich was wounded. By this time, it was decided to transfer all the Russians from this division to units under the command of Otto Skorzeny. On April 6, Chekhov went to Skorzeny's headquarters in Friedenthal, but it turned out that Skorzeny had already moved his headquarters to Bavaria.
Chekhov went to Bavaria, and by the end of the war he reached the city of Zell am See. Here, mingling with the crowd of Belgian workers, G.V. Chekhov took his mother's surname (Cher) so as not to fall into the clutches of the Chekists. The old white émigré managed to avoid extradition to the Soviet punitive authorities, but he was extradited to the Belgian authorities and sentenced to a long prison term. Amnestied in 1948 by the Belgian Prince Regent Charles, Georgy Chekhov left for Argentina.
Arriving in Argentina, Georgy Vasilyevich, together with his wife, Maria Golovkina, actively participated in the activities of the Walloon community. He took part in the publication of the anniversary collection of the Walloon Legion.
Georgy Vasilyevich Chekhov died on November 26, 1961 in the city of Buenos Aires.
During the years of service in the Imperial Navy, Chekhov was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 4th class. for Courage, orders of St. Stanislav with swords 2, 3, 4th class. During the Second World War, he was awarded by the Germans the Iron Cross II class and the medal "For wintering in the East".

Collection "Imperials" 2009, pp. 18-22.

Formed on August 8, 1941, the legion, in which 19 officers and 850 legionnaires served, initially consisted of four companies. The 3rd company was tacitly called "Russian", since it was commanded by a member of the White movement, a member of the RIS, Senior Lieutenant of the Russian Imperial Fleet Georgy Vasilyevich Chekhov (1893 - 1961). In addition, the medical service of the legion was headed by Russian lieutenant Pyotr Yachmin (later in 1943 replaced by captain P. Sakhnovsky). It is important to note that none of the Russians was enrolled in the 373rd Infantry Battalion (that is how the legion began to be called after being included in the Wehrmacht) as privates, they were all officers and sergeants and sergeants. However, recruitment to the legion did not end there, but, on the contrary, continued until 1945. Since everyone in the legion spoke only French, orders were given in this language, and command positions were occupied by the legionnaires themselves. The German "ferbidungshtab" (communications headquarters) was constantly with the legion and translated orders from above into French, and reports and reports into German. Since the Russian emigrants in the eyes of the Germans were Belgians, they enjoyed all the rights, unlike many other parts of the Eastern Wehrmacht troops, where the Germans commanded, and the Russians played only a supporting role. By the will of fate, as well as in Spain, the Imperials had to fight under the banner crowned with the so-called. "Cross of Burgundy" (two red logs on a white background, which, when crossed, form the Cross of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called), the image of which was used by the Walloons as a banner.

At the end of August 1941, the legionnaires were divided into two groups, the first of which, led by the commander (commander) captain Georg Jacobs, left for the Meseritz training camp (Poland), and in early autumn took part in battles with Polish partisans as part of the Romanian military "Markjul" group. Later, on November 2, 1941, the group arrived in Yekaterinoslav (Dnepropetrovsk). Here, in the Pavlograd region, she participated in the successful capture of Soviet fortifications on the left bank of the Samara River. In late autumn - early winter of 1941-1942, the 373rd battalion was quartered in the village of Shcherbinovka and was subordinate to the 100th light infantry (jaeger division) of the XIV motorized corps. Here, the legionnaires suffered the fate of all the Wehrmacht soldiers in the East, who were not ready for the cold winter. Given this circumstance and relying on fresh reserves arrived from the rear, the Soviet command of the South-Western direction, headed by Marshal S.K. Timoshenko began on January 18, 1942, the Barvenkovsko-Lozovskaya offensive operation by the forces of the Southwestern and Southern fronts.

Developing the offensive, the troops of the 57th Army and the 5th Cavalry Corps (mobile group) of the Southern Front captured Barvenkovo ​​(south-southeast of Kharkov) and made a sharp turn to the south. Parts of the V Cavalry Corps, Major General A.A. Grechko by January 27 advanced 25-30 km south of Barvenkovo ​​and moved to the Krasnoarmeisky area, creating a direct threat to the rear and lines of communications of the Wehrmacht in the Donbass. The command of Army Group South, Field Marshal F. von Bock, to localize the breakthrough on January 28, hastily created a battle group of the commander of the III Motorized Corps, General E. von Mackesen, which included the 100th light infantry division with the Walloon Legion. The battles for the Krasnoarmeiskoye region in late January - early February 1942 were of a particularly cruel nature.

The legionnaires had to fill the resulting gap in the area of ​​​​the village of Gromovaya Balka (nicknamed by the Walloons "Thunder Valley"). Having taken a position, the new commander of the legion, Captain Pierre Pauli, having an adventurous temperament, wanting to prove to the Germans the courage and fearlessness of his soldiers, agreed to release the Croatian units, as well as the German reserve, to another sector of the front, thereby leaving the legionnaires face to face with the outnumbered advancing parts of the V-th Soviet cavalry corps. When G.V. Chekhov tried to explain the danger of the situation, the report of the Russian officer caused an inexplicable outburst of anger from Pauli, who accused the emigrant of cowardice and even threatened him with execution (by the way, many officers of the legion and even the battalion chaplain received such threats).

As a result, at the end of February 1942, 500 Walloons were forced to engage in battle with two Soviet regiments with a total number of up to 4 thousand people, who also had 14 tanks against a single Walloon one. Traditionally ignoring the losses, the Soviet units overcame the minefields and broke into the village. Then Pauli ordered a counterattack. Legionnaires entered into an unequal battle with superior enemy units. Despite their bravery, the legion's personnel were rapidly fading away. The situation was saved by the approaching units of the Wehrmacht (the 1st Mountain Jaeger Division arrived in the Mackensen group from February 25, 1942), and the enemy was driven back.

Legionnaires (including Captain Chekhov) received 32 Iron Crosses for the battle, but the results of the first major battle in which the legion took part were reminiscent of a Pyrrhic victory. The Legion lost 30% of its personnel, and out of 22 officers, 20 were killed and wounded. Among the dead was the Russian Colonel Smolensky. The battle near Gromovaya Balka showed the German command not only the resilience of the ranks of the battalion, but also the inadequacy of the position of Captain Pauli, who in March 1942 was replaced by the Companion of the RIS Captain G.V. Chekhov. This was, perhaps, one of the first cases on the Eastern Front, when the post of head of a foreign volunteer battalion was taken by a Russian white émigré. Having stayed at his post for several months and received the rank of major, G.V. Chekhov voluntarily resigned and was appointed to the post of commander of a reserve battalion.

And SS. It was introduced into the structure of the SS in the city as the rank of leaders, from the year it was used as the rank of deputy heads of the territorial divisions of the SS - Sturmbann (SS Sturmbann). The Sturmbann included four small units - the assault (SS Sturme), approximately equal in size to an army company (from 54 to 180 people), one medical unit, equal in size to an army platoon (Sanitätsstaffel) and an orchestra (Spielmannzug). The number of Sturmbann reached 500-800 people. Later, from October 36, when creating the SS troops, it corresponded to the position of battalion commander and the rank of major in the Wehrmacht, as well as a wide range of staff and administrative positions, such as adjutant to the commander of the corps.

Sturmbannführer Waffen-SS insignia

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing the Sturmbannführer

Wehrmacht rank insignia
(Die Wehrmacht) 1935-1945

SS troops (Waffen SS)

Rank insignia for junior and middle managers
(Untere Fuehrer, Mittlere Fuehrer)

Recall that the SS troops were part of the SS organization. Service in the SS troops was not a public service, but was legally equated with such.

During their initial formation, the SS troops were created from members of the SS organization (Allgemeine-SS), and since this organization had a paramilitary structure and its own rank system, the SS troops (Waffen SS) adopted the general SS rank system when they were created (for more details, see the article "Troops SS" of the subsection "Ranks of Germany" of the section "Military ranks" of the same site) with minor changes. Naturally, the division into categories in the SS troops was not quite the same as in the Wehrmacht. If in the Wehrmacht military personnel were divided into privates, non-commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers with belts, chief officers, staff officers and generals, then in the SS troops, as in the SS organization in general, the term "officer" was absent. The SS soldiers were divided into members, sub-leaders, junior leaders, middle leaders and senior leaders. Well, if you want, you can say "... leaders" or "... Fuhrers."

However, these names were purely official, so to speak, legal terms. In everyday life and, to a large extent, in official correspondence, the phrase "SS officer" was still used, and quite widely. This was due, firstly, to the fact that the SS men, mostly from the lowest strata of German society, were very flattered to consider themselves officers. Secondly, as the number of SS divisions increased, it was no longer possible to equip them with officers only from among the members of the SS, and some Wehrmacht officers were transferred by order to the SS troops. And they really did not want to lose the honorary title of "officer".

The well-known SS black uniform was the uniform of the SS organization (Allgemeine-SS), but it was never worn by the SS troops, since it was abolished in 1934, and the SS troops were finally formed by 1939. However, members of the SS troops as members of the SS organization had the right to wear uniform of the general SS. The soldiers of the SS troops, transferred from the Wehrmacht, were not members of the SS organization and had no right to it.

Let us explain that in 1934 the black Allgemeine-SS uniform was replaced by the same cut, but light gray. She was no longer wearing a red armband with a black swastika. Instead, an eagle with outstretched wings sitting on a wreath with a swastika was embroidered in this place. One shoulder strap of a special type was replaced by two Wehrmacht types. The shirt is white with a black tie.

In the picture on the left (reconstruction): the uniform of the general SS arr. 1934 On the shoulders are two epaulettes with a pink lining (tanker). On shoulder straps, in addition to an asterisk, you can distinguish the golden monogram of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler division. On the collar are the insignia of the SS-Obersturmbannführer. An eagle is visible on the left sleeve and a black ribbon near the cuff, on which the name of the division should have been written. On the right sleeve there is a patch for a destroyed enemy tank and below the SS veteran's chevron (too large).
It follows that this is the tunic of the SS Obersturmbannführer of the SS troops, who is a member of the SS organization.

From the author. It turned out to be extremely difficult to find an image of the gray tunic of the general SS. There are as many black tunics as you like. I explain this only by the fact that the SS organization, which played such a significant role in the twenties and early thirties in bringing the Nazis to power, gradually began to acquire a nominal role by the mid-thirties. After all, the state in the ranks of the general SS was, so to speak, social activity along with the main work of a person. And with the advent of the Nazis to power, active members of the SS quickly began to occupy positions in the police, other government agencies, in the protection of concentration camps, where they usually wore other types of uniforms. And with the beginning of the creation of the SS troops, the remaining ones were sent there to serve. So few people wore this uniform by the end of the thirties. Although, if you look at the photographs of G. Himmler and his inner circle, taken in the second half of the thirties and later, then they are all in this gray uniform of the general SS.

The replacement of the black uniform of the general SS with gray continued until mid-1938, after which it was forbidden to wear it. The remains of a black uniform with torn badges and sewn green cuffs and collars during the war were issued to policemen in the occupied territory of the USSR.

The main uniform of the officers of the SS troops was a uniform similar to the uniform of Wehrmacht officers with the same rank insignia in the form of epaulettes, but on the collars instead of Wehrmacht buttonholes, SS officers wore insignia similar to the insignia on the collars of the open uniforms of the general SS. Thus, SS officers had rank insignia on their uniforms both in buttonholes and on shoulder straps. Moreover, these insignia (and the same ranks) were worn by officers of the SS troops, both who were members of the SS organization and who were not.

In the photo on the left (reconstruction): SS-Hauptsturmführer in the uniform of the SS troops. Edges on the cap in color according to the type of troops. Here white is infantry. The stars on the shoulder straps are erroneously golden in color. In the SS troops, they were silver. On the right sleeve there is a patch for a wrecked tank, on the left an SS eagle and a ribbon with the name of the division above the cuff.

Note that this is generally the uniform of the SS troops. Depending on the capacity in which this uniform is used, the headdress with it could be a cap of the shown sample, a steel helmet with attributes of the SS troops, or a field cap (cap, kepi).

The steel helmet was both a ceremonial headdress and utilitarian item at the front. The cap for the SS troops was introduced in 1942. and differed from the soldier's in that a silver flagellum passed along the edge of the lapel and along the top. Black cap model 1942. worn only with a black tank uniform.

In 1943, a kepi was introduced for all, which until then was worn only in the mountain troops. This headgear was considered the most suitable for field conditions, especially in cold weather and in winter, since the lapels could be unbuttoned and pulled down, thus protecting the ears and lower face from the cold. the officer's cap has a silver flagellum along the edge of the lapel and along the top.

From the author. One evil memoirist from the soldiers of the SS troops in his book claims that the officers of their regiment in full dress did not wear real heavy steel helmets (which soldiers were forced to wear), but made of papier-mâché. They were made of such high quality that the soldiers did not know about it for a long time and were surprised at the stamina and endurance of their officers.

The officers of the so-called "divisions under the SS" (Division der SS) had the same uniform and the same insignia, i.e. divisions formed from persons of other nationalities (Latvian, Estonian, Norwegian, etc.) and other volunteer formations ..
In general, these collaborators did not have the right to call themselves SS titles. Their ranks were called, for example, "Waffen-Untersturmfuehrer (Waffen-U ntersturmfuehrer). Or" Legions-Obersturmführer (Legions-Obersturmfuehrer.

From the author. So gentlemen from the Latvian and Estonian divisions, you are not SS men at all, but, henchmen, cannon fodder for Hitler. And you fought not for Latvia and Estonia free from the Bolsheviks, but for the right to be "Germanized" as the "Ost" plan determined this, while your other compatriots were supposed to be evicted to distant Siberia or simply destroyed.

But the commander of the so-called "RONA assault brigade" B.V. Kaminsky, when this brigade was included in the SS troops, was awarded the rank of SS brigadefuhrer and major general of the SS troops. The commander of the SS Volunteer Regiment "Varyag", a former captain of the Red Army (according to other sources, a former senior political instructor) M.A. Semenov had the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer.

From the author. This is according to Soviet and modern Russian sources. I have not yet found confirmation in German sources.

The color of the uniform of the officers of the SS troops basically coincided with the color of the uniform of the Wehrmacht, but it was somewhat lighter, grayer and the green tint was almost invisible. However, in the course of the war, the attitude towards the color of the uniform became more and more indifferent. They sewed from the fabric that was available (from almost green to almost pure brown). And yet, in the SS troops, the process of simplifying the form and deteriorating its quality was slower and later than in the Wehrmacht.

The tank uniform and the uniform of the self-propelled artillery of the SS troops were also basically similar to the tank uniform of the Wehrmacht. Tankers wore black, field grey-colored self-propelled gunners. Buttonholes on the collar are similar to buttonholes on a regular gray field uniform. The collar lining, unlike the soldier's, is made of a silvery flagellum.

In the photo on the left (reconstruction): SS-Hauptsturmführer in a black tank uniform. The stars on the shoulder straps are erroneously golden in color.

Junior leaders and middle leaders in ranks up to and including SS-Obersturmbannführer wore rank insignia in the left buttonhole, and two in the right buttonhole. runes "zig" or have other signs (see the article on the insignia of SS soldiers).

In particular, in the 3rd Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (SS-Panzer-Division "Totenkopf"), instead of runes, they wore an SS emblem in the form of a skull embroidered with aluminum thread.

SS officers in the ranks of SS-Standartenführer and SS-Oberführer had rank insignia in both buttonholes. There are endless disputes regarding the rank of SS-Oberführer - is it an officer or general rank. In the SS troops, this is an officer rank above Oberst, but below Major General of the Wehrmacht

The buttonholes of SS officers were edged with a silver twisted cord. On black tank uniforms and gray self-propelled artillery uniforms, SS officers often wore buttonholes with pink (tank) or scarlet (gunners) edging instead of a silver cord.

In the picture on the right: SS-Untersturmführer buttonholes.

The officers of the 3rd Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (3.SS-Panzer-Division "Totenkopf") wore in the right buttonhole not two "zig" runes, but an emblem in the form of a skull (similar to the emblems of the Wehrmacht tankers). This exhausts the variety of signs in the right buttonhole. All other signs were worn only by officers of divisions "at the SS".

By the way, this division should not be confused with the so-called "Dead Head" (SS-Totenkopfrerbaende) units, which had nothing to do with the SS troops, but were part of the concentration camp guards.

The shoulder straps of SS officers were similar to the shoulder straps of Wehrmacht officers, but the lower lining was black, the upper one, forming, as it were, a piping, according to the color of the military branch. Senior officers had a double backing. The lower one is black, the upper one is the color of the military branch.

The colors of the type of troops in the SS troops were somewhat different from the Wehrmacht

*White-. Infantry. The same color is combined arms.
*Light gray -. The Central Office of the SS Troops.
*Black and white striped -. Engineering units and subdivisions (sappers).
*Blue -. Supply and support services.
*Scarlet -. Artillery.
*Brownish green -. Reserve service.
*Burgundy -. Legal service.
*Dark red - Veterinary service.
*Yellow golden -. Cavalry, motorized reconnaissance units.
*Green -. Infantry regiments of police divisions (4th and 35th SS divisions).
*Yellow lemon -. Communication and propaganda service.
*Light green - Mountain parts.
*Orange - Technical service and replenishment service.
*Pink-. Tankers, anti-tank artillery.
*Cornflower blue -. Medical service.
*Pink-reddish -. Geological Service.
*Light blue -. Administrative service.
* Raspberry -. Sniper in all branches of the military.
*Copper Brown - Exploration.

Until the summer of 1943, signs of belonging to certain units were to be placed on shoulder straps. These badges could be metal or embroidered with silver or gray silk thread. However, SS officers simply ignored this requirement and, as a rule, did not wear any letters on shoulder straps until the age of 43, when they were canceled. Perhaps only the officers of the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler", proud of their belonging to the elite SS division, wore a special monogram. The signs were installed as follows:
A - artillery regiment;
And the Gothic one is a reconnaissance battalion;
AS / I - 1st artillery school;
AS / II - 2nd artillery school;
Gear wheel - technical part (repair parts);
D - Regiment "Deutschland";
DF - Regiment "Fuhrer";
E/ Gothic numeral - Recruitment point number...;
FI - Anti-aircraft machine gun battalion;
JS / B - officer school in Braunschweig;
JS/T - officer school in Tolz;
L - training parts;
Lira - bandmasters and musicians;
MS - school of military musicians in Braunschweig;
N - regiment Nordland;
Gothic P - anti-tankers;
Snake - veterinary service;
A snake wrapping around a rod - physicians;
US / L - non-commissioned officer school in Lauenburg;
US / R - non-commissioned officer school in Radolfzell;
W - Westland Regiment.

Asterisks could have dimensions with a square side of 1.5, 2.0 or 2.4 cm. And if the stars in the buttonholes were always 1.5 cm in size, then the officer chose the size of the stars on shoulder straps, based on the convenience of their placement. For example, on the pursuit of the SS-Obersturmführer, the asterisk is shifted down to make room for the monogram. And if there is no monogram or other emblem on the shoulder strap, then the asterisk is usually in the center of the shoulder strap.

So, the rank of an SS officer could be determined simultaneously by shoulder straps and buttonholes:

Untere Fuehrer (junior managers):

1.SS Untersturmführer (SS-Untersturmfuehrer) [administrative service];

2.SS Obersturmführer (SS-Obersturmfuehrer) [tank units]. On the chase is the monogram of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler division.

3. SS Hauptsturmführer (SS-Hauptsturmfuehrer) [communication units].

Mittlere Fuehrer;

4.SS-Sturmbannführer (SS Sturmbannfuehrer) [infantry];

5.SS Obersturmbannfuehrer (SS Obersturmbannfuehrer) [artillery];

6.SS-Standartenführer (SS Standartenfuehrer) [medical service];

7.SS Oberfuehrer (SS Oberfuehrer) [tank units].

The insignia in the buttonholes of the SS-Standartenführer and SS-Oberführer changed somewhat in May 1942. Please note that on the old buttonholes of acorns on the buttonhole of the Oberfuhrer there are three, and the Standartenfuehrer has two. In addition, the branches on the old buttonholes are curved, and later straight.

This is essential if you want to determine the period when a particular picture was taken.

A few words about the insignia of the 4th SS division.

It was formed in October 1939 from among the police under the designation "Police Division" (Polizei-D ivision) as an ordinary infantry division, and was not included in the SS divisions, although it was part of the SS troops. Therefore, its military personnel had police ranks and wore police insignia.

In February 1942 The division was officially assigned to the SS troops and received the name "SS Police Division" (SS-Polizei-Division). Since that time, the soldiers of this division began to wear the general SS uniform and SS insignia. At the same time, the upper substrate of officer epaulettes in the division was defined as grassy green.

In early 1943, the division was renamed the "SS Police Grenadier Division" (SS-Polizei-Grenadier-Ddivision).

And only in October 1943 the division received the final name "4th SS Police Motorized Rifle Division" (4.SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division).

So, from the moment of formation in October 1939 to February 1942, the insignia of the division:

Paired buttonholes of the Wehrmacht model on a grass-green color. The collar is brown with grass green piping. In general, this is the form of the German police.

Shoulder straps on a green backing.

From right to left:

1. Leutnant der Polizei
(Leutnant der Polizei)

2. Oberleutnant der Polizei
(Oberleutnant der Polizei)

3. Hauptmann der Polizei
(Hauptmann der Polizei)

4. Major der Polizei (Major der Polizei)

5. Oberstleutnant der Polizei

6.Oberst der Polizei (Oberst der Polizei).

It is worth noting that from the very beginning this division was commanded by a member of the SS organization SS-Gruppenführer and Police Lieutenant General Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch

On camouflage clothing, it was supposed to wear green stripes on a black valve on both sleeves above the elbow. One row of oak leaves with acorns meant a junior officer, two rows of a senior officer. The number of stripes under the leaves meant rank. The picture shows the patches of the SS-Obersturmführer. However, as a rule, SS officers ignored these patches and preferred to designate their rank by releasing a collar with rank insignia over their camouflage clothing.

An interesting remark by one of the Soviet veteran counterintelligence officers SMERSH: "... starting from the end of autumn 44, I repeatedly found carefully wrapped buttonholes, Wehrmacht shoulder straps in the pockets of killed or captured SS men. During interrogation, these SS men unanimously stated that they had previously served in The Wehrmacht and the SS were transferred by order by force, and the old insignia are preserved as a memory of their honest soldier's service.

In conclusion, it should be noted that there was no category of military officials in the SS troops. as in the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. All positions were filled by the SS. Also, there were no priests in the SS troops, because. Members of the SS were forbidden to practice any religion.

Literature and sources.

1.P. Lipatov. Uniform of the Red Army and the Wehrmacht. Publishing house "Technology-youth". Moscow. 1996
2. Magazine "Sergeant". Series "Chevron". No. 1.
3. Nimmergut J. Das Eiserne Kreuz. Bonn. 1976.
4.Littlejohn D. Foreign legions of the III Reich. Volume 4. San Jose. 1994.
5. Buchner A. Das Handbuch der Waffen SS 1938-1945. Friedeberg. 1996
6. Brian L. Davis. German Army Uniforms and Insignia 1933-1945. London 1973
7.SA soldiers. Assault detachments of the NSDAP 1921-45. Ed. "Tornado". 1997
8. Encyclopedia of the Third Reich. Ed. "Lockheed Myth". Moscow. 1996
9. Brian Lee Davis. Uniform of the Third Reich. AST. Moscow 2000
10. Website "Wehrmacht Rank Insignia" (http://www.kneler.com/Wehrmacht/).
11. Site "Arsenal" (http://www.ipclub.ru/arsenal/platz).
12. V. Shunkov. Soldiers of destruction. Organization, training, armament, Waffen SS uniform. Moscow. Minsk, AST Harvest. 2001
13. A.A. Kurylev. Army of Germany 1933-1945. Astrel. AST. Moscow. 2009
14. W. Boehler. Unoform-Effekten 1939-1945. Motorbuch Verlag. Karlsruhe. 2009

Allgemeine SS officer's cap

Although the SS was the most complex of all the structures that made up the NSDAP, the rank system changed little throughout the history of this organization. In 1942, the rank system took its final form and lasted until the end of the war.

Mannschaften (lower ranks):
SS-Bewerber - SS candidate
SS-Anwaerter - cadet
SS-Mann (SS-Schuetze in the Waffen-SS) - Private
SS-Oberschuetze (Waffen-SS) - private after six months of service
SS-Strummann - junior corporal
SS-Rollenfuehrer - Corporal
Unterfuehrer (non-commissioned officers)
SS-Unterscharfuehrer - Corporal
SS-Scharfuehrer - junior sergeant
SS-Oberscharfuehrer - sergeant
SS-Hauptscharfuehrer - senior sergeant
SS-Sturmscharfuerer (Waffen-SS) - company senior sergeant

Left buttonhole with insignia of an SS Obergruppenführer, front and back view

SS Sturmbannführer's buttonholes

Patch eagle ss

On Labor Day, 1935, the Fuehrer watched a parade of members of the Hitler Youth. To Hitler's left is SS Grupnenführer Philipp Bowler, head of the Führer's personal office. A dagger hangs from Bowler's belt. Bowler and Goebbels (behind the Fuhrer) wear a badge on their chests, issued specifically for Tag der Arbeit 1935, while Hitler, who avoided wearing jewelry on his clothes, limited himself to only one Iron Cross. The Fuhrer did not even put on the Golden Party Badge.

Samples of SS insignia

From left - from top to bottom: buttonhole of the Oberstgruppenführer, buttonhole of the Obergruppenführer, buttonhole of the Gruppenführer (until 1942)

In the middle - from top to bottom: Gruppenfuhrer's shoulder strap, Gruppenfuhrer's buttonhole, Brigadeführer's buttonhole. Bottom left: Oberführer's buttonhole, Standartenführer's buttonhole.

Bottom right: Obersturmbannführer's buttonhole, Hauptsturmführer's collar with buttonhole, Hauptscharführer's buttonhole.

Below in the middle: shoulder strap of an infantry obersturmbannfuehrer, shoulder strap of an untersturmführer of the communications units of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler division, shoulder strap of an oberscharführer of anti-tank self-propelled artillery.

From top to bottom: Oberscharführer collar, Scharführer collar, Rottenführer buttonhole.

Top right: officer's all-SS buttonhole, soldier's buttonhole of the Totenkopf (Dead Head) division, buttonhole of the 20th Estonian SS Grenadier Division, buttonhole of the 19th Latvian SS Grenadier Division

Reverse side of buttonhole

In the Waffen-SS, non-commissioned officers could receive the position of SS-Stabscharfuerer'a (non-commissioned officer on duty). The duties of the non-commissioned officer on duty included various administrative, disciplinary and reporting functions, the SS Staffscharführers had the unofficial nickname "tier Spiess" and wore a tunic, the cuffs of which were decorated with a double piping of aluminum galloon (Tresse).

Untere Fuehrer (junior officers):
SS-Untersturmfuehrer - lieutenant
SS-Obcrstrumfuehrer - Oberleutnant
SS-Hauptsturmfuehrer - Captain

Mittlere Fuehrer (senior officers):
SS-Sturmbannfuehrer - major
SS-Obersturmbannfuehrer - lieutenant colonel
SS“Standar£enfuehrer - Colonel
SS-Oberfuehrer - Senior Colonel
Hoehere Fuehrer (higher officers)
SS-Brigadefuehrer - brigadier general
SS-Gruppenl "uchrer - major general
SS-Obergruppertfuehrer - lieutenant general
SS-Oberstgruppenfuehrer - Colonel General
In 1940, all SS generals also received the corresponding army ranks, for example
SS-Obergruppcnfuehrer und General der Waffen-SS. In 1943, the ranks of generals were supplemented by a police rank, since by this time the police had already been practically absorbed by the SS. The same general in 1943 was called SS-Obergruppenfuehrer und General der Waffen-SS und Polizei. In 1944, some of Himmler's deputies in charge of the Allgemeine-SS. Waffen-SS and police, received the rank of Hoehere SS- und Polizei fuehrer (HSSPI).
Himmler retained his title of Reichsführer-SS. Hitler, who by his position headed the SA. NSKK, Hitler Youth and other formations of the NSDAP. He was Commander-in-Chief of the SS and held the title of Der Oberste Fuehrer der Schutzstaffel.
Allgemeine-SS ranks usually took precedence over the corresponding Waffen-SS and police ranks, so members of the Allgemeine-SS were transferred to the Waffen-SS and police while maintaining their ranks and if they received a promotion, this was automatically taken into account in their rank in the Allgemeine-SS.

Candidate officers of the Waffen-SS (Fuehrerbewerber) served in non-commissioned officer positions until they received the officer rank. For 18 months SS- Fuhreranwarter(cadet) received the ranks of SS-Junker, SS-Standartenjunker and SS-Standartenoberjunker, which corresponded to the ranks of SS Unterscharführer, SS Scharführer and SS Haupgscharführer. Officers and candidate officers of the SS enrolled in the reserve received a appendage der Reserve to their rank. . A similar scheme was applied to candidates for non-commissioned officers. Civilian specialists (translators, doctors, etc.) who served in the ranks of the SS received the addition of Sonderfuehrer or Fach fuehrer to their rank.

Cap patch CC (trapezoid)

Skull cockade ss

One of the most cruel and merciless organizations of the 20th century is the SS. Ranks, decals, functions - all this was different from those in other types and branches of the troops in Nazi Germany. Reichsminister Himmler brought together all the disparate guard units (SS) into a single army - the Waffen SS. In the article we will analyze in more detail the military ranks and insignia of the SS troops. And first, a little about the history of the creation of this organization.

Prerequisites for the formation of the SS

In March 1923, Hitler was concerned that the leaders of the Stormtroopers (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 did not have ranks, but the insignia had already appeared. The abbreviation for headquarters guards was also SS, but it came from the German word Stawsbache. In every hundred SA, Hitler allocated 10-20 people ostensibly 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 renames the organization Stosstruppe - that 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 a halo of mystery, historical continuity, allegorical symbols, pictograms, runes, etc. Even the NSDAP symbol - the swastika - was taken by Hitler from ancient Indian mythology.

Stosstrup Adolf Hitler - the strike force "Adolf Hitler" - acquired the final features of the future SS. They did not yet have their own titles, however, insignia appeared that Himmler would later retain - a skull on headdresses, a black distinctive color of the uniform, etc. The "dead head" on the uniform symbolized the willingness of the detachment to defend Hitler himself at the cost of his life. The basis for the future usurpation of power was prepared.

Emergence of Strumstaffel - SS

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

Upon his release, Hitler first of all forbade the SA to carry weapons and position 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 were a legitimate way to avoid the restriction.

At the beginning of 1925, the NSDAP was restored again, and in November, the "shock detachment". 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 Göring, a famous fighter pilot of the First World War. He liked to apply terms from aviation in everyday life. Over time, the "aviation term" was forgotten, and the abbreviation was always translated as "security units." It was headed by Hitler's favorites - Shrek and Schaub.

Selection in 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. Candidates were required to:

1. Age from 25 to 35 years.
2. The presence of two recommendations from current members of the SS.
3. Permanent residence in one place for five years.
4. The presence of such positive qualities as 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 occupied 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 detachments, so they shouldered various duties, such as distributing leaflets, subscribing to Nazi agitation, 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 charter, a mystical ritual of entry, imitating the traditions of medieval knightly Orders. A real SS man had to marry a "model woman." Heinrich Himmler introduced a new mandatory requirement for entry into the renewed organization: the candidate had to prove evidence of purity of lineage in three generations. However, that was not all: the new Reichsführer SS obliged all members of the organization to look for brides only with a “clean” genealogy. Himmler managed to nullify the subordination of his organization to the SA, and then completely withdraw from it after he helped Hitler get rid of the leader of the SA - Ernst Röhm, who sought to turn his organization into a massive people's army.

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

Reichsfuehrer SS

At the head was the Reichsfuehrer SS - Heinrich Himmler. Many historians claim that he was going 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 quarreled with each other. Himmler was well aware of the importance of a branched structure from different services concentrated in the same hands, so he was not afraid of Germany's defeat in the war, believing that such a person would be useful to the Western allies. However, his plans were not destined to come true, and he died in May 1945, biting a vial of poison in his mouth.

Consider 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 was that the buttonholes on both sides depicted Nordic ritual symbols and oak leaves. Exceptions - SS Standartenführer and SS Oberführer - wore an oak leaf, but belonged to senior officers. The more they 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 land army:

SS officers

Consider the features of the officer corps. SS Hauptsturmführer and lower ranks no longer had oak leaves on their buttonholes. Also on the right buttonhole they had the coat of arms of the SS - 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 resembling squares or rhombuses. Next in the hierarchy are non-commissioned officer ranks of the SS in the Third Reich. More 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. The military ranks of the SS were sometimes subject to change. However, above we have presented the hierarchy and the main differences at the end of World War II.