Ranks of the Waffen-SS

Pre-war officers of the Waffen-SS

Waffen-SS                                     U.S. Army
SS-Oberstgruppenführer                General
SS-Obergruppenführer                   Lieutenant General
SS-Gruppenführer                          Major General
SS-Brigadenführer                         Brigadier General
SS-Oberführer                                Senior Colonel
SS-Standartenführer                       Colonel
SS-Obersturmbannführer               Lieutenant Colonel
SS-Sturmbannführer                      Major
SS-Hauptsturmführer                     Captain
SS-Obersturmführer                       First Lieutenant
SS-Untersturmführer                      Second Lieutenant
SS-Sturmscharführer                      Sergeant Major
SS-Hauptscharführer                      Master Sergeant
SS-Oberscharführer                        Technical Sergeant
SS-Scharführer                               Staff Sergeant
SS-Unterscharführer                       Sergeant
SS-Rottenführer                              Corporal
SS-Sturmmann                                Lance Corporal
SS-Oberschütze                               Private First Class
SS-Schütze                                      Private                                         
SS-Anwärter                                   Candidate 

After 1941, Anwärter was also used as a rank of the Waffen-SS, but to a much lesser degree than in the Allgemeine-SS. Once basic training began, the Waffen-SS applicant was unceremoniously promoted to the rank of SS-Schütze. Note that the prefix SS- was usually replaced with Waffen- or Legion- in the non-germanic units. Image: the Schulze brothers, SS-Obersturmführer Richard Schulze-Kossens (October 2 1914 - July 3 1988) and SS-Untersturmführer Hans-Georg Frettchen Schulze (September 11 1917 - July 27 1941) walking down the street during pre-war days. They are both wearing the well known black ensemble designed by Karl Diebitsch and Walter Heck produced by the luxury fashion house Hugo Boss. FU.