Correspondence of the ranks of the SS and the Soviet army. Military ranks and positions

The SS troops belonged to the SS organization, service in them was not considered a state service, even if it was legally equated with such. The military uniform of the SS soldiers is quite recognizable around the world, most often this black uniform is associated with the organization itself. It is known that the uniforms for the SS during the Holocaust were sewn by prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp.

History of the SS military uniform

Initially, the soldiers of the SS troops (also "Waffen SS") dressed in a gray uniform, extremely similar to the uniform of the attack aircraft of the regular German army. In 1930, the very well-known black uniform was introduced, which was supposed to emphasize the difference between the troops and the rest, to determine the elitism of the unit. By 1939, the SS officers received a white full dress uniform, and from 1934 a gray one was introduced, intended for field battles. The gray military uniform differed from black only in color.

In addition, the SS servicemen relied on a black overcoat, which, with the introduction of a gray uniform, was replaced by a double-breasted one, respectively, in gray. Officers of high ranks were allowed to wear their overcoat unbuttoned on the top three buttons so that the colored distinctive stripes were visible. Following the same right (in 1941) received the holders of the Knight's Cross, who were allowed to demonstrate the award.

The women's uniform of the Waffen SS consisted of a gray jacket and skirt, as well as a black cap with the image of an SS eagle.

A black ceremonial club tunic with the symbols of the organization for officers was also developed.

It should be noted that in fact the black uniform was the uniform of the SS organization specifically, and not the troops: only SS members had the right to wear this uniform, the transferred Wehrmacht soldiers were not allowed to use it. By 1944, the wearing of this black uniform was officially abolished, although in fact by 1939 it was used only on solemn occasions.

Distinctive features of the Nazi uniform

The SS uniform had a number of distinctive features that are easily remembered even now, after the dissolution of the organization:

The SS emblem in the form of two Germanic runes "zig" was used on uniform insignia. Runes on uniforms were only allowed to be worn by ethnic Germans - Aryans, foreign members of the Waffen SS were not allowed to use this symbolism.
"Dead Head" - at first, a metal round cockade with the image of a skull was used on the cap of SS soldiers. Later it was used on the buttonholes of the soldiers of the 3rd tank division.
A red armband with a black swastika on a white background was worn by members of the SS and stood out significantly from the black dress uniform.
The image of an eagle with outstretched wings and a swastika (which was the emblem of Nazi Germany) eventually replaced the skulls on cap badges and began to be embroidered on the sleeves of the uniform.

The camouflage of the Waffen SS differed from the camouflage of the Wehrmacht in its pattern. Instead of the conventional pattern design with applied parallel lines, creating the so-called "rain effect", wood and plant patterns were used. Since 1938, the following camouflage elements of the SS uniform have been adopted: camouflage jackets, reversible helmet covers and face masks. On camouflage clothing, it was necessary to wear green stripes indicating the rank on both sleeves, although for the most part this requirement was not respected by the officers. In the campaigns, a set of stripes was also used, each of which denoted one or another military qualification.

SS uniform insignia

The ranks of the Waffen SS soldiers did not differ from the ranks of the Wehrmacht employees: there were differences only in form. The same distinctive signs were used on the uniform, such as shoulder straps and embroidered buttonholes. SS officers wore insignia with the symbols of the organization both on shoulder straps and in buttonholes.

The shoulder straps of SS officers had a double backing, the upper one differed in color depending on the type of troops. The backing was edged with a silver cord. On shoulder straps there were signs of belonging to one or another part, metal or embroidered with silk threads. The shoulder straps themselves were made of gray galloon, while their lining was invariably black. The bumps (or "stars") on the shoulder straps, designed to denote the rank of an officer, were bronze or gilded.

On the buttonholes, runic "ridges" were depicted on one, and insignia by rank on the other. The employees of the 3rd Panzer Division, which was nicknamed the "Dead Head" instead of "zig", had an image of a skull, which was previously worn as a cockade on the SS caps. Along the edge of the buttonholes, they were edged with twisted silk cords, and the generals were covered with black velvet. They also knocked out the general's caps.

Video: SS form

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

SS insignia

The insignia on the uniforms of SS members indicated the personal ranks of the SS, belonging to the branch of the SS troops, services, departments, etc. The system of buttonholes with the designation of ranks - so familiar from the film - was introduced in 1926. Moreover, the signs themselves were similar to those that existed in the Assault Detachments (SA) - at that time the SS was an integral part of the SA. The buttonholes themselves were black, while the insignia were white, silver, or grey. Privates, non-commissioned officers, as well as officers up to and including SS Obersturmbannführer, wore insignia only in the left buttonhole (in the right buttonhole they wore their standard number, with the exception of the 87th standard, whose members wore the image of edelweiss, and the 105th standard, where since 1939 they wore the image of elk horns), and officers from the Standartenführer - in both buttonholes. For employees of the SD and the security police in the rank up to Obersturmbannführer, the right buttonholes were clean - the well-known double “zig” runes, which became the hallmark of the SS, were introduced in 1933, initially exclusively for the “SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler”, and then extended to all others German parts of the SS troops. The “belonging” of lavalier runes to the SS troops was taken into account. It just so happened that they were also worn on any field uniform of the SS and those who had nothing to do with the SS troops. In Moments, without exception, all employees of the RSHA are wearing black, gray, and field uniforms. wear double runes "zig", although the vast majority do not have the right to do so.

Beginning in May 1933, the SS men wore one epaulette on the right shoulder with a black uniform.

Shoulder straps were of six types, five of which indicated that their owner belonged to a certain category of ranks: SS-manns (ordinary), sharführers (non-commissioned officers), junior, middle and senior command staff. At the same time, a specific rank in pursuit was not indicated. The shoulder strap of the sixth type was worn only by the Reichsfuehrer SS. Ranks were designated by insignia on the buttonholes in the form of a combination of soutache stripes and knobs (four-pointed stars) -not smooth cubes, like in a movie. On the left sleeve, the SD officers wore a sleeve patch in the form of a black diamond (for officers with a silver edging) and the letters "SD" - these are clearly visible in the film.

On the buttonholes, the ranks of the SS originally wore the following insignia:

Ordinary SS-manns had an empty buttonhole;

Sturmmann - two soutache strips;

Rottenführers - four soutache strips;

Unterscharführer - one bump;

Scarfuhrers - one bump and two soutache strips;

Oberscharführers - two knobs diagonally;

Hauptscharführer - two knobs and two soutache strips;

Sturmscharführer - two knobs and four soutache strips;

Untersturmführers - three knobs diagonally;

Obersturmführers - three knobs and two soutache strips;

Hauptsturmführers - three diagonal knobs and four soutache stripes;

Sturmbannführers - four bumps in the corners;

Obersturmbannführers - four knobs and two soutache strips;

Standartenführers - straight oak leaves diagonally with acorns at the handle;

Oberführers - double curved oak leaves;

Brigadeführers - double curved oak leaves and knobs;

Gruppenführer - triple curved oak leaves;

Obergruppenführer - triple curved oak leaves and knobs;

Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler wore a triple bunch of oak leaves on his buttonholes, surrounded by an open wreath of oak branches.

But not all of these insignia survived until 1945 unchanged. On April 7, 1942, a small reform was carried out, and their design at the highest command staff, starting with the SS Oberführer, changed somewhat. In this form, they already existed until the end of the war. Thus, the ranks up to and including the Standartenführer retained the old insignia, and senior officers received the following:

Oberführer - double straight oak leaves;

Brigadeführers - triple straight oak leaves with acorns in the gaps and at the junction;

Gruppenführer - triple straight oak leaves and knobs;

Obergruppenführer - triple straight oak leaves and two knobs;

Oberstgruppenführers (this title was introduced just at that time) - three straight oak leaves and three knobs.

In the film "Seventeen Moments of Spring" the authors could not do without errors in insignia, and in some cases it is simply impossible to explain why they were made. Most of the higher ranks (“generals”) in the film wear buttonholes of the 1942 model that are quite appropriate for the moment. An exception for completely unknown reasons was only the chief of Stirlitz - Walter Schellenberg. Already in the 1st series, in the scene of a meeting with Hitler, he appears in a black uniform with the insignia of the SS Brigadeführer, canceled in April 1942. At the same time, one cannot even assume that he retained the old insignia out of a whim - Schellenberg never wears such buttonholes for me, since he received his rank of SS Brigadeführer more than two years after the reform, namely on June 23, 1944!

Also, the wrong buttonholes are worn in the film by all the Obersturmbannführers - including Eisman and Holtoff - although they have four knobs on their buttonholes, as they should, but only one soutache strip(in general, this strip is somewhat strange, it seems that it is just a raised lower edge of the buttonhole). There were no such buttonholes at all - with four knobs, there were either no stripes at all (for Sturmbannfuehrers), or there were two stripes (for Obersturmbannfuehrers). Rolf in the movie buttonholes are the same as those of Holtoff, but in his description he is called Sturmbannführer(This is the 6th episode of the film).

Military insignia are present on the uniform of military personnel and indicate the corresponding personal rank, a certain affiliation to one of the types of armed forces (in this case, the Wehrmacht), branch of service, department or service.

Interpretation of the concept of "Wehrmacht"

These are the "defense forces" in 1935-1945. In other words, the Wehrmacht (photo below) is nothing but the armed forces of Nazi Germany. At the head is the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces of the country, in whose subordination were the ground forces, the Navy and the Air Force, and the SS troops. They were led by the main commands (OKL, OKH, OKM) and the commanders-in-chief of various types of the Armed Forces (since 1940 also the SS troops). Wehrmacht - Reich Chancellor A. Hitler. A photo of Wehrmacht soldiers is shown below.

According to historical data, the word in question in the German-speaking states denoted the armed forces of any country. It acquired its usual meaning when the NSDAP came to power.

On the eve of the Second World War, the Wehrmacht numbered approximately three million people, and its maximum strength was 11 million people (as of December 1943).

Varieties of military signs

These include:

Uniform and insignia of the Wehrmacht

There were several varieties of uniforms and clothing. Each soldier had to independently monitor the condition of his weapons and uniforms. Their replacement was carried out in accordance with the established procedure or in case of serious damage during the exercise. Military uniforms lost color very quickly due to washing and daily brushing.

The shoes of the soldiers were subjected to a thorough inspection (at all times, bad boots were a serious problem).

Since the formation of the Reichswehr in the period 1919 - 1935), the military uniform has become unified for all existing German states. Its color is "feldgrau" (translated as "field gray") - a wormwood shade with a predominant green pigment.

A new uniform (the uniform of the Wehrmacht - the armed forces of Nazi Germany in the period 1935 - 1945) was introduced along with a new steel helmet model. Ammunition, uniforms and a helmet outwardly did not differ from their predecessors (which existed back in the Kaiser era).

At the whim of the Fuhrer, the smartness of the military was emphasized by a large number of various elements with signs, stripes, piping, badges, etc.). By applying a black-white-red imperial cockade and a tricolor shield on the helmet on the right side, devotion to National Socialism was expressed. The appearance of the imperial tricolor dates back to mid-March 1933. In October 1935, it was supplemented by an imperial eagle holding a swastika in its claws. At this time, the Reichswehr was renamed the Wehrmacht (the photo was shown earlier).

This topic will be considered in relation to the Ground Forces and Waffen SS.

Insignia of the Wehrmacht and specifically the SS troops

To begin with, some points should be clarified. First, the SS troops and the SS organization itself are not identical concepts. The latter is the militant component of the Nazi Party, formed by members of a public organization, parallel to the SS, conducting their profiling activities (worker, shopkeeper, civil servant, etc.). They were allowed to wear a black uniform, which since 1938 has been replaced by a light gray uniform with two Wehrmacht-type shoulder straps. The latter reflected the general SS ranks.

As for the SS troops, it can be said that they are a kind of security detachments (“reserve troops” - “Dead Head” formations - Hitler’s own troops), in which only members of the SS were accepted. They were equated with the soldiers of the Wehrmacht.

The difference in the ranks of members of the SS organization in buttonholes existed until 1938. On the black uniform there was a single shoulder strap (on the right shoulder), by which it was possible to find out only the category of a particular SS member (private or non-commissioned officer, or junior or senior officer, or general). And after the introduction of a light gray uniform (1938), another distinctive feature was added - shoulder straps of the Wehrmacht type.

The insignia of the SS and the military personnel and members of the organization are the same. However, the former still wear a field uniform, which is an analogue of the Wehrmacht. It has two epaulettes, outwardly similar to those of the Wehrmacht, and their military rank insignia are identical.

The rank system, and consequently the insignia, underwent many changes, the last of which occurred in May 1942 (they did not transform until May 1945).

The military ranks of the Wehrmacht were designated with buttonholes, epaulettes, galloons and chevrons on the collar, and the last two insignia were also on the sleeves, as well as special sleeve patches mainly on camouflage military clothing, various stripes (gaps of a contrasting color) on trousers, headwear design.

It was the field uniform of the SS that was finally established around 1938. If we consider the cut as a comparison criterion, then we can say that the uniform of the Wehrmacht (ground forces) and the uniform of the SS were no different. In color, the second one was a little grayer and lighter, the green tint was practically not visible.

Also, if we describe the insignia of the SS (specifically, the patch), then the following points can be distinguished: the imperial eagle was slightly above the middle of the segment from the shoulder to the elbow of the left sleeve, its pattern differed in the shape of the wings (there were often cases when it was the Wehrmacht eagle that was sewn onto the field uniform of the SS ).

Also, a distinctive feature, for example, on the SS tank uniform, was the fact that the buttonholes, like those of the Wehrmacht tankers, were in pink edging. The insignia of the Wehrmacht in this case is represented by the presence of a “dead head” in both buttonholes. SS tankers in the left buttonhole could have insignia by rank, and in the right - either a "dead head" or SS runes (in some cases it might not have signs or, for example, in a number of divisions the emblem of tankers was placed there - skull with crossbones). Even buttonholes were located on the collar, the size of which was 45x45 mm.

Also, the insignia of the Wehrmacht include the way the numbers of battalions or companies were squeezed out on the buttons of the uniform, which was not done in the case of the SS military uniform.

The emblems of shoulder straps, although identical to those of the Wehrmacht, were quite rare (the exception was the first tank division, where the monogram on shoulder straps was regularly worn).

Another difference in the system that accumulates SS insignia is the way soldiers who were candidates for the rank of SS navigator wore a lace of the same color as his piping at the bottom of the shoulder strap. This rank is an analogue of the Gefreiter in the Wehrmacht. And candidates for SS Unterscharführer also wore a nine-millimeter wide galloon (braid embroidered with silver) at the bottom of the shoulder strap. This rank is an analogue of a non-commissioned officer in the Wehrmacht.

As for the ranks of the rank and file, there was a difference in buttonholes and sleeve patches, which were above the elbow, but below the imperial eagle in the center of the left sleeve.

If we consider camouflage clothing (where there are no buttonholes and shoulder straps), we can say that the SS men on it never had insignia in ranks, but they preferred to release collars with their buttonholes over this one.

In general, the discipline of wearing a uniform in the Wehrmacht was much higher than in the troops of which they allowed themselves a large number of liberties regarding this issue, and their generals and officers did not seek to stop this kind of violation, on the contrary, they often made similar ones. And this is only a small part of the distinctive features of the uniforms of the Wehrmacht and the SS troops.

To summarize all of the above, we can conclude that the insignia of the Wehrmacht is much wiser than not only the SS, but also the Soviet ones.

Ranks of the ground forces

They were presented as follows:

privates;
non-commissioned officers without belts (galoon or belt sling for wearing a tashka, cold, and later firearms);
non-commissioned officers with belts;
lieutenants;
captains;
staff officers;
generals.

Combat ranks extended to military officials of various departments and departments. The military administration was subdivided into categories from the most junior non-commissioned officers to noble generals.

Military colors of the ground forces of the Wehrmacht

In Germany, the branch of service was traditionally designated by the corresponding colors of edging and buttonholes, hats and uniforms, and so on. They changed quite often. During the outbreak of World War II, the following color distinction was in effect:

White - infantry and border guards, financiers and treasurers.
Scarlet - field, horse and self-propelled artillery, as well as general edging, buttonholes and stripes.
Raspberry or carmine red - non-commissioned officers of the veterinary service, as well as buttonholes, stripes and epaulettes of the Headquarters and the General Staff of the Wehrmacht High Command and the ground forces.
Pink - anti-tank self-propelled artillery; edging of tank uniform parts; gaps and selection of buttonholes of service tunics of officers, gray-green jackets of non-commissioned officers and soldiers.
Golden yellow - cavalry, reconnaissance units of tank units and scooters.
Lemon yellow - signal troops.
Burgundy - military chemists and courts; smoke curtains and multi-barreled reactive "chemical" mortars.
Black - engineering troops (sapper, railway, training units), technical service. The sappers of tank units have a black and white border.
Cornflower blue - medical and sanitary personnel (except for generals).
Light blue - edges of motor transport parts.
Light green - military pharmacists, rangers and mountain units.
Grass green - motorized infantry regiment, motorcycle units.
Gray - army propagandists and landwehr and reserve officers (edging on epaulettes of military colors).
Gray-blue - registration service, ranks of the American administration, specialist officers.
Orange - military police and officers of the engineering academy, recruiting service (pipe color).
Purple - military priests
Dark green - military officials.
Light red - quartermasters.
Light blue - military lawyers.
Yellow - horse reserve service.
Lemon - feldpochta.
Light brown - recruit training service.

Shoulder straps in the military uniform of Germany

They had a dual purpose: as a means of determining the rank and as carriers of a unitary function (fasteners on the shoulder of various kinds of equipment).

The shoulder straps of the Wehrmacht (rank and file) were made of simple cloth, but with the presence of an edging, which had a certain color corresponding to the type of troops. If we take into consideration the shoulder straps of a non-commissioned officer, then we can note the presence of an additional edging, consisting of braid (width - nine millimeters).

Until 1938, there was a special army epaulette exclusively for the field uniform, which was worn by all ranks below the officer. It was entirely dark blue-green in color with the end slightly tapered towards the button. It did not have a piping corresponding to the color of the military branch. Wehrmacht soldiers embroidered insignia (numbers, letters, emblems) on them to highlight the color.

The officers (lieutenants, captains) had narrower shoulder straps, which looked like two intertwining strands made of a flat silvery “Russian braid” (the strand was woven in such a way that thinner threads were visible). All strands were sewn onto the valve of the color of the branch of service, which is at the heart of this shoulder strap. A special bend (U-shaped) of the braid in the place of the button hole helped to create the illusion of eight of its strands, when in fact there were only two.

The shoulder straps of the Wehrmacht (headquarters officers) were also made using the “Russian braid”, but in such a way as to demonstrate a row consisting of five separate loops located on both sides of the shoulder strap, in addition to the loop around the button located in its upper part.

The general's shoulder straps had a distinctive feature - "Russian braid". It was made from two separate golden strands, twisted on both sides with a single silver ribbed thread. The method of weaving meant the visibility of three knots in the middle and four loops on each side of it, in addition to one loop located around the button at the top of the shoulder strap.

Wehrmacht officials had, as a rule, the same shoulder straps as those of the active army. However, they were still distinguished by the slight introduction of a thread of dark green braid and various emblems.

It would not be superfluous to recall once again that shoulder straps are signs of the Wehrmacht.

Buttonholes and shoulder straps of generals

As mentioned earlier, the generals of the Wehrmacht wore shoulder straps, for weaving which were used two thickened gold-metal cords and a silver soutache between them.

They also had removable shoulder straps, which (as in the case of the ground forces) were lined with scarlet cloth with a special figured cutout running along the contour of the harnesses (their lower edge). And the bending and sewn-in shoulder straps were distinguished by a direct lining.

The generals of the Wehrmacht wore silver stars on their shoulder straps, while there was some difference: major generals did not have stars, lieutenant generals - one, a general of a certain type of troops (infantry, tank troops, cavalry, etc.) - two, oberst general - three (two adjacent stars at the bottom of the shoulder strap and one slightly above them). Previously, there was such a rank as a colonel general in the position of field marshal general, which was not used by the beginning of the war. The epaulette of this rank had two stars, which were placed in its upper and lower parts. It was possible to distinguish the general-field marshal by the crossed silver batons along the shoulder strap.

There were also exceptional moments. So, for example, Gerd von Rundstedt (Field Marshal General, who was removed from command due to the defeat near Rostov, chief of the 18th Infantry Regiment) wore the regiment number on the shoulder straps on top of the field marshal's batons, as well as on the collar the white and silver ceremonial buttonholes of an infantry officer troops instead of richly ornamented gold buttonholes embroidered on a scarlet cloth flap (40x90 mm in size) relying on generals. Their pattern was found back in the days of the Kaiser's army and the Reichswehr, with the formation of the GDR and the FRG, it also arose among the generals.

From the beginning of April 1941, elongated buttonholes were introduced for field marshals, which had three (instead of the previous two) ornamental elements and shoulder straps made of golden thickened harnesses.

Another sign of general dignity is stripes.

The field marshal could also carry in his hand a natural baton, which was made of especially precious wood, individually designed, generously inlaid with silver and gold and decorated with reliefs.

personal identification mark

It looked like an oval aluminum token with three longitudinal slots, which served to ensure that at a certain moment (the hour of death) it could be broken into two halves (the first, where there were two holes, was left on the body of the deceased, and the second half with one hole was given to headquarters).

Wehrmacht soldiers wore this, as a rule, on a chain or on a neck lace. The following was stamped on each token: blood type, badge number, numbers of the battalion, regiment where this badge was issued for the first time. This information was supposed to accompany the soldier throughout the entire service life, if necessary, supplemented by similar data from other units, troops.

The image of the German soldiers can be seen in the photo "Wehrmacht Soldier" shown above.

Finding in Besh-Kungei

According to official data, in April 2014, a treasure from the era of the Second World War was found by a citizen D. Lukichev in the village of Besh-Kungei (Kyrgyzstan). When digging a cesspool, he came across a metal army field locker of the Third Reich. Its contents are a baggage shipment of 1944 - 1945. (age - more than 60 years), which is not affected by moisture due to tight insulation through the rubber gasket of the lid of the box.

It included:

a light case with the inscription "Mastenbrille" containing glasses;
a folded travel bag with pockets filled with toiletries;
mittens, interchangeable collars, socks with footcloths, clothes brush, sweater, suspenders and dust protectors;
a bundle tied with twine, with a supply of leather and fabric for mending;
granules of some kind of remedy (presumably from moths);
an almost new tunic worn by a Wehrmacht officer, with a spare sewn-on emblem of the military branch and a metal dog tag;
hats (winter hat and kepi) with insignia;
military passes through front-line checkpoints;
a banknote of five Reichsmarks;
a couple of bottles of rum;
a box of cigars.

Dmitry thought about donating most of the uniforms to the museum. As for the bottles of rum, the box of cigars and the tunic worn by the officer of the Wehrmacht, he wants to keep them for himself on the rights of the legal 25% laid down by the state when finding historical value.

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:

Age from 25 to 35 years.
The presence of two recommendations from current members of the CC.
Permanent residence in one place for five years.
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 subjugation of his SA organization, and then completely withdraw from it after he helped Hitler get rid of the SA leader, 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:

SS rank	Buttonholes	Compliance in the army
Oberführer SS	double oak leaf	No match
SS Standartenführer	single sheet	Colonel
Obersturmbannführer SS	4 stars and two rows of aluminum thread	Lieutenant colonel
Sturmbannführer SS	4 stars
SS Hauptsturmführer	3 stars and 4 rows of thread	Hauptmann
Obersturmführer SS	3 stars and 2 rows	Ober Lieutenant
Untersturmführer SS	3 stars	Lieutenant

I would like to immediately note that the German stars did not resemble 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:

SS rank	Buttonholes	Compliance in the army
Sturmscharführer SS	2 stars, 4 rows of thread	Staff sergeant major
Standartenoberjunker SS	2 stars, 2 rows of thread, silver piping	Chief sergeant major
SS Hauptscharführer	2 stars, 2 rows of thread	Oberfenrich
Oberscharführer SS	2 stars	Feldwebel
Standartenunker SS	1 asterisk and 2 rows of thread (differed in shoulder straps)	Fanejunker sergeant major
Scharführer SS		Unter sergeant major
Unterscharführer SS	2 strands at the bottom	non-commissioned officer

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.