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.

Uniforms and Insignia of the Waffen-SS

Joachim Peiper as SS-Sturmbannführer

Max Wünsche as SS-Obersturmführer

The Schutzstaffel wore uniforms to differentiate themselves from the regular German armed forces, the German state and the Nazi Party. Commander of the Leibstandarte SS Josef Sepp Dietrich ordered his men in 1933 to wear the uniform without a swastika armband in order to differentiate themselves from the rank and file of the Allgemeine-SS units throughout the German Reich. Among the uniforms of the SS, the all black SS uniform is the most well known. However, after the outbreak of war black uniforms were seldom worn, except for the black uniform worn by SS-Panzer crews. The combat units of the Waffen-SS wore a variation of the Army uniform with distinguishing SS insignia. SS uniforms used a variety of insignia, the most standard of which were the classic SS skull and collar patches and shoulder boards to denote rank and position. The basic SS rune collar patch was standard for all German and Germanic Waffen-SS formations except Totenkopf units, whose men wore the embroidered skull patches throughout the conflict. Cuff titles, worn on the lower left sleeve of the tunic, were another distictive part of the SS uniform. The SS arm eagle was also a distinctive part of the uniform. Only the Heer, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine wore the eagle on their right breast, thus the SS wore theirs on the upper left arm, a left-facing eagle and straight wings tapering to a point. The uniforms and insignia of the SS was designed by Professor Dr. Karl Diebitsch, promoted to SS-Oberführer on April 20 1944, and graphic designer Walter Heck, promoted to SS-Obersturmführer on Nov. 9 1933. The German fashion house Hugo Boss produced these uniforms along with the uniforms of the youth organisation Hitlerjugend. The belt buckle featuring the motto Meine Ehre heißt Treue was produced by the Overhoff firm. Images: many famous high-ranking Waffen-SS commanders like Joachim Peiper and Max Wünsche, both officers of the Leibstandarte SS, began their pre-wartime careers in the SS-Verfügungstruppe. Credit: Julia Kotterias. FU.

Waffen-SS use of Camouflage Clothing

Camouflage helmet covers and smocks utilized by the Waffen-SS

Camouflage Zeltbahn utilized by the Waffen-SS

The Waffen-SS was the first military organization in the world to use mottled camouflage clothing. Its combat units used various patterns from 1935 onwards. They had pioneered camouflage zeltbahns, smocks and helmet covers in distinctive spotted patterns, and subsequently made wide use of a perplexing variety of season patterns and colors. Camouflage zeltbahns and smocks were designed to be reversible, providing camouflage for two seasons, whether summer and autumn, or summer and winter. Distribution was limited to the Waffen-SS, ostensibly because of a patent. The camouflage patterns were designed by Johann Georg Otto Schick, a Munich art professor and then the director of the German camouflage research unit. The Waffen-SS camouflage development truly blossomed as a science and an art. Insignia were not supposed to be worn on camouflage uniforms, but this regulation was widely ignored among the Waffen-SS and the SS sleeve eagle, though unofficial, were often seen worn on the upper left arm, which went aginst regulations. In 1944 the Waffen-SS introduced a complete tunic-and-trousers camouflage uniform. The German names used for the plane tree, palm and oakleaf patterns were invented post-war. Left image: Waffen-SS machine gun crew wearing camouflage smocks in 'Eichenlaub and rare camouflage face veils. Commonly associated with sniper equipment, it was actually issued to all types of Waffen-SS close combat ground forces. The photo was probably taken by SS-KB Hans Cantzler who served with the battle-hardened SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf during Zitadelle in 1943, better known as the Battle of Kursk. U.S. NARA. Right image: a conscript of the infamous 7.SS-Freiwilligen Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen in a Zeltbahn in Serbia in 1944. The tent quarter is separated into two different camo patterns, the Eichenlaub and Platanen pattern. Credit: Johannes Dorn. Fair use.