World War II German Army ranks and insignia

The German Army of the Nazi era inherited its uniforms and rank structure from the Reichsheer of the Weimar Republic (1921–1935), many of whose traditions went back to the Imperial Army of the German Empire and earlier. The Reichsheer was renamed Wehrmacht Heer in May 1935. There were few alterations and adjustments made as the Army grew from a limited peacetime defense force of 100,000 men to a war-fighting force of several million men.

These ranks and insignia were peculiar to the Heer and in special cases to senior Wehrmacht officers in the independent services; the SS, Luftwaffe and Navy uniforms and rank system were different. The Nazi Party also had its own series of paramilitary uniforms and insignia.

Insignia

National Emblem (breast eagle): Hoheitszeichen or Wehrmachtsadler

The Reichswehr's visual acknowledgement of the new National Socialist reality came on 17 February 1934, when the Defense Ministry ^[1] ordered the Nazi Party eagle-and-swastika, now Germany's National Emblem, to be worn on uniform blouses and headgear effective 1 May. The design adopted, in silver for the Reichsheer (Army) and in gold for the Reichsmarine (Navy), was a stylized eagle with outstretched, beveled wings clutching a wreathed mobile Hakenkreuz, later to be called the Wehrmachtsadler ("Armed Forces eagle").^[2] On tunics this took the form of a cloth patch about 9 cm (3⅝") wide worn on the right breast, above the pocket. For enlisted uniforms it was jacquard-woven ("BeVo") or sometimes machine-embroidered in silver-grey rayon, for officers machine- or hand-embroidered in white silk or bright aluminum wire, and for generals hand-embroidered in gold bullion.^[3] The backing was "badge-cloth" (Abzeichentuch), a close-woven velvetish fabric; this was originally Reichsheer grey, but in late 1935 the renamed Wehrmacht Heer changed its Abzeichentuch color to a dark blue-green called flaschengrün (bottle-green).

The war brought several variations to the breast eagle, although it should be kept in mind that none of them was replaced or de-authorized, and all were being worn side-by-side at war's end. When hostilities began in 1939, on the enlisted Feldbluse or field blouse the eagle was changed from silver-white to matte grey for reduced visibility; and in 1940 backings began to be produced in field-grey (feldgrau). Another version appeared with the advent of the Model 1944 Field Blouse, which used a triangular backing for speed and simplicity of manufacture. Very late in the war some Hoheitszeichen were simply printed on thin fabric.

There were also versions for other uniforms: both white and grey variants on black for the Panzer uniform, and in dull grey-blue on tan backing for the tropical (Afrikakorps) uniform. A stamped metal pin-on breast eagle was worn with the officers' white summer tunic.

Collar patch (Kragenpatte, Kragenspiegel) ^[4]

In 19th century German armies, Guard and other elite regiments wore lengths of double braid (Doppellitze) encircling all or most of the collar as a mark of distinction. By the middle of World War I these ornate collars had been reduced to an embroidered representation of short lengths of braid joined at the ends, sewn to patches worn at the front of the collar. When the Reichsheer was established in 1921 as Germany's first national army ^[5] Litzen were prescribed as the universal collar device for all personnel other than generals, and the Third Reich continued the practice.

However, for clarification it has to be distinguished between “collar patch” (de: Kragenpatte or Kragenspiegel), and NCO braid (Unteroffizierslitze or Kragenlitze) – the status symbol of all German NCO ranks – encircling the collar of the uniform tunic. An NCO wore both, collar patches, and the collar encircling braid. Commissioned officers wore only collar patches.

Design and versions

On both collar points of any uniform jacket there was a collar patch. Each patch consisted of the padding, and two parallel facings (de: Patten), the so-called Litzenspiegel, symbolising the double braid of the 19th century.

The padding of full-dress collar patches showed the wearer's Waffenfarbe (en: corps-, weapon-, or branch color). The dress tunic version was embroidered in fine aluminum thread on a patch of badge cloth (de: Abzeichentuch). The backing also showed through in the space between the two parallel facings of the collar patch, and formed so a colour center stripe.

⇒ see main article Corps colours of the German Heer (1935–1945)

On field – and service uniforms, beginning in late 1935, the collar patch was dark bottle-green to match the collar; the Waffenfarbe "showed through" (in fact colored cord was sewn into) the center strip of each braid, the Litzenspiegel.

For enlisted men, service collar patches were machine-woven in silver-grey rayon; COs´ were embroidered more elaborately in white silk or aluminium thread, and were somewhat larger to match their higher collars.

NCOs (de: Unteroffiziere) wore standard enlisted collar patches but were distinguished by a strip of 9mm silver-grey diamond-woven rayon braid (Unteroffoziers-Tressen, NCO-Tressen), sewn around the collar's front, except on the service – or field uniform, where the NCO-Tresse was more simple and from bright aluminum. However, the rayon braid NCO-Tressen on dress uniforms (de: Ausgangsuniform/ Pardeuniform) encircled the collar's upper edge, the simpler aluminum NCO-Tressen on service – or field uniform encircled the collar's lower edge.

Universal design from 1938

By 1938 the fast-growing Heer had found that it was impractical, for the enlisted field uniform, to manufacture and stock a multitude of collar patches in assorted Waffenfarben which also had to be sewn on and frequently changed by unit tailors. Accordingly, new universal collar patches were introduced with the Litzenspiegel and Mittlestreife woven in dark green to match the backing patch, and which could be applied at the factory; Waffenfarbe was now displayed on the shoulder-straps, which simply buttoned on and were easily switched.

With the wartime change to lower-visibility insignia enlisted collar patches were woven in matte "mouse-grey" with field-grey stripes, which were at first sewn to green collar patches as before but increasingly directly to the collar, which beginning in 1940 was made in feldgrau like the uniform; grey collar patches were never produced. The troops however preferred the green patches (and collars) if they had or could get them, especially on "clean" uniforms for walking-out; and long-service veterans took particular pride in pre-38 versions.

In contrast, officers' service uniform collar patches never changed. While most officers in the front lines wore the enlisted field uniform as per wartime regulations, many opted to have their green-and-silver collar patches added instead of (or on top of) the factory versions.

On olive tropical uniforms the collar patches were tan with dull grey-blue Litzenspiegel for all personnel; officers again sometimes added their green collar patches. Tropical NCO collar patches were opper-brown, or sometimes olive drab.

Armored vehicle uniforms

A major exception to the wearing of Litzen was the "panzer wrap" (de: Panzerjacke), the double-breasted jacket worn by crews of tanks and other armored vehicles. When the Panzertruppe were established in 1935 they were issued a distinctive black uniform and as a badge the Totenkopf or Death's-head, versions of which had formerly been worn by the Imperial tank corps and various cavalry units. These skulls took the form of white-metal pins attached to black Kragenpatten which were edged in Waffenfarbe piping.

In mid-1940 crews of assault guns (Sturmgeschützen) received a uniform of their own, identical in cut to the Panzerjacke but in standard field-grey, which they wore with red artillery piping. Over the course of the war a bewildering and changing series of regulations governed the uniforms and insignia for assault guns, tank destroyers, armored cars and self-propelled guns (SPG). Depending on the unit and the date either the black or grey wrap or the standard Feldbluse might be authorized, and on the grey "assault gun" jacket the regulation collar patches could be black with skulls, or grey with skulls, or no device at all. The result in practice was chaos; wartime photos show a mix of uniforms and insignia worn not only in the same battalion, but even in the same vehicle.

Officially both colors of panzer wrap were working and field uniforms to be worn only in or around the vehicle; this regulation was universally ignored. Panzertruppen were issued standard uniforms for service-dress and walking out but rarely wore them, much preferring their unique jackets.

In North Africa, AFV crews wore the same tropical uniform as the other branches, including collar patches; many tankers however pinned their Totenkopf badges to their lapels.

Infanterie Regiment "Großdeutschland"

In June 1939, the Wehrmacht Heer wanted to renew its ties with the Old Army tradition by introducing a new uniform for its most prestigious unit: Wachregiment "Berlin" which I was renamed Infantry Regiment "Großdeutschland". The new dress uniform for I.R. "Großdeutschland" had an elongated collar patch with single Litzenspiegel. Although shown to the press, this new uniform was not provided to the unit due to the outbreak of WWII and was placed in depot storage.

General Staff Corps Officers

Generalstaboffiziere were officers carefully selected and trained to represent the German General Staff Corps in both command and staff functions. They ranked from Hauptmann im Generalstab (captain) through Oberst i.G. (colonel). All were, before 1939, graduates of the Military Academy, the Kriegsakademie. On division staffs they held the position of Ia (operational chief of staff) or Ib (chief of the rear echelon). In the higher echelons, the intelligence and training staff sections were most of the time in the personal charge of General Staff Corps officers. The General Staff Officers had their own distinctive Litzen called alt-Preußische (old Prussian), or Kolbenstickerei ("lobe-embroidery"). These were the same whether on carmine dress Kragenpatten or green service patches; colored Litzenspiegel were unnecessary. General Staff officers assigned to the supreme headquarters (the Reichskriegsministerium, later the OKH and the OKW), the Kriegsakademie, and military attaches were further distinguished by having their Litzen in gold rather than silver. These Generalstaboffiziere were called "des Generalstabs", Oberst d.G., etc. The special golden Litzen were abolished in November 1942. Only Military attaches kept their Litzen as long as they were in their present position. The Führer wanted a closer union between the front and the OKW and OKH.

In addition to their collar patches, General Staff Officers wore trouser-stripes, of the same design as generals' but in carmine rather than scarlet.

Generals

From 1900 Prussian generals had worn ornate collar patches embroidered in a style called alt-Larisch, which had first been worn in the 18th century by the 26th (älterer von Larisch) Infantry Regiment; the Reichsheer and the Wehrmacht continued the tradition. These devices, sometimes called Arabesken (arabesques), were embroidered in gold bullion or golden synthetic Celleon on Hochrot (scarlet) backing. Field Marshals wore the same Arabesken as generals until April 1941, when they were authorized a longer variant with three rather than two iterations of the repeating pattern, for a total of six "prongs." In some cases GFM did not bother to replace their generals' tabs, or did so only on their dress uniforms.

General officers of the Special Troop Service (Truppensonderdienst — TDS) and of the specialist careers (medical, veterinary, ordnance, and motor park) wore the same insignia until April 1944, when they were ordered to exchange their scarlet Kragenpatten for alt-Larisch tabs backed in their respective Waffenfarbe:

• medical – cornflower blue Waffenfarbe;
• veterinary – carmine Waffenfarbe;
• ordnance – orange^[6] Waffenfarbe;
• motor park – pink Waffenfarbe;
• TDS administrative – bright blue Waffenfarbe;
• TDS judiciary – wine red Waffenfarbe.

In October 1944, the wear-out period of the scarlet backing color for Generals of the specialist careers was extended for an undetermined period.

Chef

In the Wehrmacht Heer, upon retirement, certain senior German generals were awarded the honorary post of Chef of a regiment, much like the Honorary Colonel in the British Army. It was a German custom dating from the late 18th century. These generals were authorized to wear the tunic and insignia of an officer of the regiment, including ordinary officers’ Litzen. Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, Chef of the 18th Infanterie Regiment, wore a big 18 on his shoulderboards, and for everyday wear favored the ornamented tunic of an infantry officer with white piping rather than a general's uniform.

Hitler appointed first Generaloberst Hans von Seeckt, ancient "Chef der Heeresleitung", to be Chef of the 67th Infanterie Regiment on his 70th birthday in April 1936, a few months before he died. Only seven German generals were appointed Chefs: in addition to Seeckt and Rundstedt they were General der Infanterie Ritter von Epp (Chef of the 61st Infanterie Regiment in Munich); Generalfeldmarschall von Mackensen (Chef of the 5th Kavallerie Regiment in Stolp); Generaloberst von Fritsch (Chef of the 12th Artillerie Regiment in Schwerin); and Generalfeldmarschall von Böhm-Ermolli (Chef of the 28th Infanterie Regiment in Troppau). Generalfeldmarschall von Blomberg was appointed Chef of Infanterie Regiment 73 and wore a big 73 superimposed over the crossed batons of his shoulder board, but on 4 February 1938 he was dismissed and his name was deleted from the seniority list.

Shoulder-straps (Schulterklappen) and shoulderboards (Schulterstücke)

Enlisted men

The Reichsheer's shoulder-straps were very similar to those of World War I, made of feldgrau uniform cloth with pointed or "gable" button ends. In December 1934 the material was changed to grey badge-cloth (Abzeichentuch) and in September 1935 changed again to dark bottle-green (flaschengrün). These "first pattern" shoulder-straps were not edged in Waffenfarbe piping.

In 1938, simultaneous with the removal of Waffenfarbe from field-uniform collar patches, new shoulder-straps were issued. These "second pattern" straps had round rather than pointed ends, and were edged on three sides with wool (later rayon) piping in Waffenfarbe. This pattern would be used through the end of the war, although in 1940 manufacture reverted to field-grey uniform cloth, and as usual alternate versions were made to go with the Panzer uniform (black), tropical uniform (olive cotton) and HBT summer uniform (reed-green twill). Schulterklappen were not worn with the fatigue uniform, nor with camouflage smocks and parkas which used an alternate system of rank insignia.

For junior enlisted men (Mannschaften), rank insignia if any was worn on the left sleeve. However the epaulettes did indicate the wearer's unit (usually regiment or independent battalion) together with his sub-branch if any, machine-embroidered in branch-color. For example, a Schulterklappe with rose-pink piping and number "4" would indicate the 4th Panzer Regiment; but if it carried a pink number "4" and letter "A" it would indicate the 4th Armored Reconnaissance (Aufklärungs) Battalion. The German Army used a very large assortment of Latin initials, Gothic initials, script ciphers, Arabic numerals, Roman numerals and symbols to designate all its various service branches and installations. Before the war, shoulder-buttons were embossed with the number of the wearer's company as well, this practice was discontinued "for the duration."

Beginning in January 1940, shoulder-straps with unit insignia were (supposed to be) phased out as a security measure, and removable fabric loops with devices were issued instead. In May 1944 the embroidery was changed from waffenfarbe to light gray.

Non-commissioned officers wore their rank insignia on their shoulder-straps, consisting of braid and pips (pyramidal "stars"). An Unteroffizier's (corporal's) epaulette was edged with Tresse on three sides and an Unterfeldwebel's (sergeant's) on all four. Senior NCO's (Unteroffiziere mit Portepee) added one to three pips; in addition, their unit identifiers took the form of white-metal pins rather than embroidery.

Shoulder-straps were made in both a standard width (4.5 cm, 1¾") and a wider one for three-digit unit numbers (5.3cm, 2"), and in three lengths depending on the size of the man. There was in addition an extra-large size for the overcoat (Mantel).

Officers

Officers' shoulderboards were constructed from "Russia" braid, an aluminum-thread double piping. Company-grade officers (Leutnant through Hauptmann/Rittmeister) wore epaulettes constructed by wrapping two side-by-side lengths of braid around the buttonhole and back, giving the appearance of eight parallel cords; the whole was sewn to an underlay (Unterlagen) of Waffenfarbe badge-cloth. Until 1938 the underlay was of the same outer dimensions as the braid, and only visible edge-on; in that year the underlay was made wider, so as to create the impression of edge piping like the enlisted shoulder-strap. Rank was indicated by zero to two gilt-metal pips; unit designators were also of gilt metal.

Field-grade officer (Stabsoffizier) shoulderboards were made by plaiting together double widths of Russia braid and looping them to form a buttonhole, sewn to a Waffenfarbe underlay; rank again was displayed by zero to two gilt pips.

Once the war began, dull grey aluminum braid appeared, but bright aluminum continued in use.

Generals

• 1 Generalfeldmarschall (OF10, five-star rank, shoulder strap since 1942);
• 2 Generalfeldmarschall (OF10, five-star rank, shoulder strap until 1942);
• 3 Generaloberst (OF9, four-star rank);
• 4 General of the branch (OF8, three-star rank);
• 5 Generalleutnant (OF7, two-star rank); and
• 6 Generalmajor (OF6, one-star rank)

Generals' shoulderboards were constructed similarly to those of field-grade officers, but comprised a length of silver Russia braid between two braided cords of gold bullion or Celleon. Since the resulting combination was wider, generals' boards were plaited in four 'loops' rather than five. Their buttons were gilt, and rank was indicated by zero to three silver pips, or crossed batons in the case of field marshals. The underlay was scarlet, except (from 1944) for generals of staff corps, who were instructed to wear Waffenfarbe instead.

In April 1941, Generalfeldmarschall epaulettes were changed to incorporate a central gold cord instead of silver.

Colonels-in-chief wearing that uniform wore gold generals' shoulderboards underlaid with the Waffenfarbe of the regiment rather than scarlet; GFM von Rundstedt sometimes simply pinned his crossed batons to an infantry colonel's epaulettes.

Retired personnel

By order of Marshal Hindenburg in March 1932, soldiers who retired after 15 years of service received the right to wear the uniform of the unit they left. The shoulderboards and shoulder straps of retired soldiers had a bridle 1.5 cm wide attached under the middle.

Headgear

Caps and helmets bore two common insignia elements, in various forms: the National Emblem (eagle and swastika) and the national colors. World War I caps had carried dual cockades or roundels, one in Imperial black-white-red and one in the colors of the particular State within the Empire. The Reichsheer changed this to a single cockade in the Weimar Republic's black, red and gold; almost as soon as Hitler took power he restored the pre-1919 tricolor flag, and ordered the Army to return to black-white-red.

Peaked cap (Schirmmütze)

Schirmmütze, early model (1935)

Schirmmütze

Schirmmütze

Officers' old-style field cap or "crusher" (Feldmütze älterer Art)

Feldmütze älterer Art

Feldmütze älterer Art

Feldmütze älterer Art

Panzer beret

Panzer berets without the national emblem

Panzer beret

Garrison cap (Feldmütze)

Feldmütze

Feldmütze

Feldmützen

Mountain, tropical, and M43 field caps (Gebirgs-, Tropen- und Einheitsfeldmützen)

Einheitsfeldmützen

Tropenmützen

Gebirgsmützen

Gebirgsmütze

Steel helmet (Stahlhelm)

See also Stahlhelm

Steel helmet

Steel helmets

Steel helmets

Steel helmet

Pith helmet (Tropenhelm)

Pith helmet

Pith helmets

Belt buckles (Koppelschlösser)

Belt buckles for enlisted men were of box type, made of aluminum or stamped steel with a pebbled surface, and bearing a circular device with a version of the Hoheitszeichen called the Army eagle or Heeresadler (an eagle with downswept wings clutching an unwreathed swastika) surmounted by the motto Gott mit uns, or "God with us." For field wear these were usually painted field-grey to reduce visibility; on the other hand dress buckles were silver-washed.

Officers' field and service buckles were of a two-pronged frame type. With dress uniform officers wore a belt of silver braid with a circular silver-washed or -plated aluminum buckle, in the form of an oakleaf wreath surrounding a Heeresadler. Generals' were the same but gilt or gold-plated.

With the tropical uniform and its belt of cotton webbing, officers wore a buckle identical to the dress buckle but painted olive-drab.

Ranks and rank insignia

Rank tables

Mannschaften (Enlisted personnel)

Rank	Translation	Approx. US/UK equivalent	Insignia	Notes
Soldat (rank)	Soldier	Private(or equivalent British Army ranks)		Soldat the collectice name to the lowest private OR1-rank, it could be advanced directly to Gefreiter OR-2.
Soldat (Offizieranwärter (OA))	Private (OR-1) (Officer aspirant)	Officer candidate 2nd class		See #Officer candidates (Fähnriche) below
Obersoldat[7] (from 1936)	Senior Soldier	Private First Class/Senior Private		Obersoldat was the generic term; for actual ranks see below. Automatic after 12 (later 6) months if not yet advanced to Gefreiter.
Gefreiter	Exempted	Lance Corporal		Historically in German armies, a Gefreiter was an experienced soldier who by virtue of seniority was exempted from more menial duties.
Gefreiter (Offizieranwärter (OA))	Private (rank)(OR-2) (Officer aspirant)	Officer candidate 1st class		See below
Obergefreiter	Senior Exempted	Senior Lance Corporal		Second sleeve insignia indicates 6 years of service.[8]
Stabsgefreiter[7] (from 1942)	Staff Exempted	Senior Lance Corporal		The rank was commonly trusted with positions in food provision supply and quartermaster duties. In the last years of World War II Stabsgefreiter were often used as group leaders Gruppenführer due to a lack of Unteroffiziere (NCOs). Promotions to this rank were suspended in 1934, although existing Stabsgefreiter retained it; promotions resumed in 1942.
Soldat (Unteroffizieranwärter (OA))	Private (rank)(OR-1) (NCO aspirant)	NCO candidate		Soldier selected for or attending Unteroffizierschule (NCO school); could be of any rank from Soldat (OR-1) through Stabsgefreiter (OR-3)

Obersoldat insignia.

Non-commissioned officers (Unteroffiziere)

Rank	Translation	Approx. US/UK equivalent	Insignia	Notes
Junior NCOs, Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee [9]
Unteroffizier Oberjäger (Light and mountain infantry)	Subordinate-Officer Senior Ranger	Sergeant/Corporal[10]		Originally only upon completion of NCO school; later also an automatic promotion for acting squad leaders with 4 months of combat experience. Could be advanced directly to Feldwebel/Wachtmeister.
Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier	Flag-Squire[11][12] Subordinate-Officer	Officer candidate Corporal		Unteroffizier epaulette, additional with two silver strips, as on the Fähnriche epaulette below
Unterfeldwebel[7] Unterwachtmeister[7] (Cavalry, artillery and transport)	Junior Field Guide Junior Watch Master	Staff Sergeant/Sergeant		Called Sergeant to 1921. Automatic after 6 years of service and 3 years as an Unteroffizier if not yet advanced to Feldwebel/Wachtmeister.
Fähnrich	Ensign	Officer candidate		Unterfeldwebel epaulet, additional with two silver strips
Senior NCOs, Unteroffiziere mit Portepee [9]
Feldwebel Wachtmeister (Cavalry, artillery and transport)	Field Guide Watch Master	Technical Sergeant/Staff Sergeant		From mid-war an automatic promotion for acting platoon leaders with 4 months of combat experience.
Oberfeldwebel Oberwachtmeister (Cavalry, artillery and transport)	Senior Field Guide Senior Watch Master	Master Sergeant/Warrant Officer Class II
Oberfähnrich	Senior Ensign	Student Officer / Senior officer candidate		Oberfeldwebel epaulette (additional with two silver strips), worn with officer's uniform
Stabsfeldwebel Stabswachtmeister (Cavalry, artillery and transport)	Staff Field Guide Staff Watch Master	Sergeant Major/Warrant Officer Class I		Restricted to career volunteers; automatic after 12 years of service. Rank created in 1938.

Hauptfeldwebel/Hauptwachtmeister: Hauptfeldwebel was not a rank but an appointment: the administrative and mustering NCO of a company and the commander's logistical assistant. He was therefore roughly analogous to a Company Sergeant-Major or First Sergeant, although his duties did not usually involve combat leadership. Der Spieß ^[13] or die Kompanie-Mutter, as he was called, was not necessarily the ranking Unteroffizier in the company, especially since typically two of the platoons were commanded by senior NCOs rather than officers. A Hauptfeldwebel however had to be of Portepee grade; a junior NCO filling the role was a Hauptfeldwebeldiensttuer, "one doing Hauptfeldwebel duties."

The insignia for a Hauptfeldwebel was a pair of NCO Tressen encircling each lower sleeve, nicknamed "piston rings;" he also carried a leather Meldetasche or report-case tucked into his tunic front.

Senior non-commissioned specialist officers

In two specialist career paths it was possible to attain rank above Stabsfeldwebel: fortifications engineers (Festungspioniere) and farriers (Hufbeschlagschmieder).^[14] They were actual NCOs with command authority, not Heeresbeamten (uniformed Army civil servants). There was no direct Anglosphere equivalent; perhaps the closest examples of the time would be the British Royal Navy's and United States Navy's ranks of Warrant Officer.

Rank	Translation	Insignia
Festungswerkmeister Hufbeschlaglehrmeister	Fortress Works Master Farrier Instruction Master
Festungsoberwerkmeister Oberhufbeschlaglehrmeister	Fortress Senior Works Master Senior Farrier Instruction Master

These men wore shoulderboards braided in a unique pattern, orange-red and silver on black underlay with Gothic "Fp" for fortress engineers,^[15] and gold-yellow and silver on carmine with a horseshoe device for farriers.^[16]

Officer candidates (Fähnriche)

To 1940	1940–1941	1942–1945	Translation	Notes
Fahnenjunker	Schütze (Offizier-Bewerber)	Schütze (Offizier-Bewerber)	Flag-Squire[11][12] Rifleman (Officer Applicant)	Officer candidate in basic training
Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter	Gefreiter (Offizier-Bewerber)	Gefreiter (Offizier-Bewerber)	Flag-Squire Lance Corporal Lance Corporal (Officer Applicant)	Officer candidate in advanced training with the Field Army
Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier Fahnenjunker-Oberjäger	Unteroffizier (Offizier-Anwärter) Oberjäger (Offizier-Anwärter)	Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier Fahnenjunker-Oberjäger	Flag-Squire Subordinate-Officer/Flag-Squire Senior Ranger Subordinate-Officer (Officer Candidate)/Senior Ranger (Officer Candidate)	Cadet beginning Officer Candidate School or specialist academy
Fähnrich	Feldwebel (Offizier-Anwärter) Wachtmeister (Offizier-Anwärter)	Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Fahnenjunker-Wachtmeister	Ensign Field Guide (Officer Candidate)/Watch Master (Officer Candidate) Flag-Squire Field Guide/Flag-Squire Watch Master	Cadet completing Officer Candidate School or specialist academy
Oberfähnrich Unterarzt (physician) Unterapotheker (pharmacologist) Unterveterinär (veterinary) Oberfähnrich im Ing. Korps (Engineering) Feuerwerker m. b. Offiziersprüfung (Ordnance)	Oberfähnrich Unterarzt Unterveterinär Unterapotheker Feldingenieur Oberfähnrich (Waffen)	Oberfähnrich Unterarzt Unterapotheker Unterveterinär Feldingenieur Oberfähnrich (Waffen)	Senior Ensign Subordinate-Surgeon Subordinate-Pharmacologist Subordinate-Veterinarian Sr. Ensign in the Engineer Corps/Field Engineer Fireworker on Officer Probation/Sr. Ensign (Ordnance)	Graduate serving as acting lieutenant, ensign or 3rd Lieutenant prior to commissioning as an officer.

Officers (Offiziere)

Rank	Translation	US/UK equivalent	Shoulder Insignia
Leutnante
Leutnant Assistenzarzt (Medical) Veterinär (Veterinary)	Lieutenant Assistant Surgeon Veterinarian	2nd Lieutenant	White: Infantry Hunter-green: Jäger
Oberleutnant Oberarzt (Medical) Oberveterinär (Veterinary)	Senior Lieutenant Senior Surgeon Senior Veterinarian	1st Lieutenant/Lieutenant	Lemon-yellow: Communications corps Cooper-brown: Motorbike-schütze
Hauptleute
Hauptmann Rittmeister (mounted branches) Stabsarzt (Medical) Stabsveterinär (Veterinary) Stabsrichter (Judicial) Heereshilfspfarrer (Chaplain) [18]	Captain (lit. "head man, lead man") Riding Master Staff Surgeon Staff Veterinarian Staff Lawyer Army Help-Chaplain	Captain	Golden-yellow: Reconnaissance
Stabsoffiziere
Major Oberstabsarzt (Medical) Oberstabsveterinär (Veterinary) Oberstabsrichter (Judicial) Heerespfarrer (Chaplain) [18]	Major Senior Staff Surgeon Senior Staff Veterinarian Senior Staff Lawyer Army Chaplain	Major	Blue: Transport/ Technical support troops
Oberstleutnant Oberfeldarzt (Medical) Oberfeldveterinär (Veterinary) Oberrichter (Judicial) Heeresoberpfarrer (Chaplain) [18]	Lieutenant Colonel (lit. "lieutenant seniormost") Senior Field Surgeon Senior Field Veterinarian Senior Lawyer Army Senior Chaplain	Lieutenant Colonel	Rosa-pink: Armored corps
Oberst Oberstarzt (Medical) Oberstveterinär (Veterinary) Oberstrichter (Judicial) Wehrmachtsdekan (Chaplain) [18]	Colonel (lit. "seniormost") Seniormost Surgeon Seniormost Veterinarian Seniormost Lawyer Defence Force Dean	Colonel	Meadow-green: Panzergrenadier

General officers and marshals (Generäle)

In addition to their alt-Larisch collar tabs and braided gold epaulettes, general officers' uniforms were distinguished by gold rather than silver cap badges, cap cords, breast eagles, belt buckles and buttons, a pair of 40mm Hochrot (scarlet) stripes down the outside of each trouser-leg, overcoat lapels faced in scarlet, and dress uniforms piped in Hochrot rather than Waffenfarbe.

From May 1944 generals in the various staff corps (medical, legal, TSD etc.) were supposed to replace Hochrot with the appropriate Waffenfarben of their branches of service; in practice this directive was imperfectly heeded and a subsequent order extended the wear-out date for scarlet insignia indefinitely.

Rank	Translation	US/UK equivalent rank	Shoulder Insignia
Generalmajor Generalarzt (Medical) Generalveterinär (Veterinary) Generalrichter (Judicial) Feldbischof (Chaplain) [18][19]	Major General General Surgeon General Veterinarian General Lawyer Field Bishop	Brigadier General/Brigadier
Generalleutnant Generalstabsarzt (Medical) Generalstabsveterinär (Veterinary) Generalstabsrichter (Judicial)	Lieutenant General General Staff Surgeon General Staff Veterinarian General Staff Lawyer	Major General
General ... — der Infanterie — der Artillerie — der Kavallerie — der Panzertruppe (from 1935) — der Pioniere (from 1938) — der Gebirgstruppe (from 1940) — der Nachrichtentruppe (from 1940) Generaloberstabsarzt (Medical) Generaloberstabsveterinär (Veterinary) Generaloberstabsrichter (Judicial)	General — of Infantry — of Artillery — of Cavalry — of Armoured Troops — of Engineers — of Mountain Troops — of Signals Troops General Senior Staff Surgeon General Senior Staff Veterinarian General Senior Staff Lawyer	Lieutenant General
Generaloberst	Senior General/Colonel General	General
Generalfeldmarschall (before 1942) Generalfeldmarschall (after 1942)	General Field Marshal	General of the Army/Field Marshal

Smock/parka rank insignia

On camouflage smocks, camouflage and winter parkas, mountain windbreakers and paratroop jump smocks, epaulettes were not worn. Officers and NCOs instead wore sleeve rank insignia made up of bars and oak leaves.

Ranks at the Private/Senior Private levels

Branch
Infantry Motorized Infantry (to 7/43)	Schütze (Rifleman) (to 10/42) [20] Grenadier (from 10/42) [20] Füsilier (Fusilier) [21] Musketier (Musketeer) [21]	Oberschütze Obergrenadier Oberfüsilier Obermusketier
Mechanized Infantry (to 7/43)	Panzerschütze (Armored Rifleman) [20]	Panzeroberschütze
Motorized Infantry Mechanized Infantry (from 7/43)	Panzergrenadier (Armored Grenadier) [20]	Panzerobergrenadier
Light and Mountain Infantry	Jäger (Ranger, Hunter)	Oberschütze [22]
Cavalry Reconnaissance	Reiter (Trooper)	Oberreiter (Senior Trooper)
Artillery	Kanonier (Gunner) Panzerkanonier (Armored Gunner) [23]	Oberkanonier Panzeroberkanonier
Engineers	Pionier (Sapper) Baupionier (Construction Sapper) (from 1943)	Oberpionier Bauoberpionier
Construction troops	Bausoldat (to 1943)	Bauobersoldat
Signals	Funker (Radioman) Fernsprecher (Telephonist)	Oberfunker Oberfernsprecher
Armor	Panzerschütze (Armor Rifleman)	Oberpanzerschütze
Armored Engineers	Panzerpionier	Oberpanzerpionier
Armored Signals	Panzerfunker	Oberpanzerfunker
Anti-tank	Panzerjäger (Tank hunter)	Oberpanzerjäger
Motorcycle troops	Kradschütze (Motorcycle Rifleman)	Kradoberschütze
Military Police	Feldgendarm (Field Gendarme)	Feldobergendarm
Transport and Logistics	Fahrer (Driver, horse) Kraftfahrer (Driver, motor vehicles)	Oberfahrer Oberkraftfahrer
Medical	Sanitätssoldat	Sanitätsobersoldat
Bandsmen	Musiker (to 1936) Musikschütze (Rifleman Musician) (from 1936) Trompeterreiter (Trumpet Rider) (Cavalry)	Musikoberschütze Trompeteroberreiter

Armed Forces officials and Sonderführer

Armed Forces officials (Wehrmachtbeamte)

Officials in administrative, legal, and technical service positions are a category peculiar to the German Armed Forces. They consist of civil service personnel performing functions within the Armed Forces and are recruited, in part, from former professional non-commissioned officers who became military candidates for civil service (de: Militäranwärter) at the end of their 12-year contractual period of active military service.

Up to 1944, none of these officials were classified as soldiers; in that year certain groups were converted into officers in the Special Troop Service (Truppensonderdienst or TSD). These were the higher administrative officers (Intendanten) in ranks from captain to lieutenant general; the lower administrative officers (Zahlmeister) in the ranks of first and second lieutenant, and the judge advocates (Richter) in ranks from captain to lieutenant general. At this time all personnel of the Field Post Office were made soldiers as well, but formed a corps of their own rather than belonging to the TSD. It was also made possible for qualified reserve technical service officials to become reserve officers of the motor maintenance troops.

The officials had titles, not ranks: Intendant, Direktor, Rat, Vorsteher, Inspektor, Meister, Assistent. This is a complex subject as each branch had its own titles.

Military officials

Shoulderboards

With certain exceptions, military officials (de: Militär-Beamte) wore shoulderboards similar to those of soldiers of equivalent rank, but distinguished by the addition of dark green elements: those equivalent to generals had a central cord in their braided shoulderboards which incorporated green chevrons, and those equivalent to officers wore a narrow green stripe between the rows of braid. WO-equivalent officials wore a complex braided shoulderboard made of green, black and silver cords. In nearly all cases the shoulderboard underlay was a double layer of dark green under Nebenfarbe, and metal pins with the HV (Heeresverwaltung, Heer/ army administration) cipher were worn.

Certain services had insignia of their own: for example the Feldpost (en: Field post office) wore shoulderboards with gold rather than green elements and the initials FP; and musical officials wore silver-and-red shoulderboards with a lyre insignia. Beamten in the employ of a military administration authority in the occupied territories wore MV pins (de: abbreviation to Militärverwaltung) rather than HV ciphers.

Most officials wore in addition to their dark green Waffenfarbe a secondary colour (Nebenfarbe) denoting their branch:

In March 1940 distinct Nebenfarben were abolished and replaced with light grey.

See also

⇒ main article Corps colours of the Heeresverwaltung (HV)

Collar patches

Heeresbeamten wore distinctive collar patches; these tabs indicated not the official's rank or title, but rather the "grade" of the service in which the official was employed. These were classified by the minimum educational requirement, and ranged from Einfacher Dienst (Basic Services), for which a grade-school education was sufficient, through Mitteler (Middle) and Gehobener (Elevated) Dienst, to Höherer Dienst (Higher Services) which required a university degree.

Officials in the Basic Services wore collar patches similar to (but larger than) enlisted soldiers', grey Litzen on dark green Patten, but the patch was piped on three sides in Nebenfarbe; similarly officials in the Middle and Elevated services wore officer-pattern Litzen, again with Nebenfarbe-piped patches. Officials of the Higher Services wore unique Kragenpatten with alt-Preussische Litzen in gold like Offiziere des Generalstabs, but on dark green with, again, Nebenfarbe piping. General officer-equivalents wore green patches with generals' arabesques, similarly bordered.

Beamter auf Kriegsdauer

In addition to the career Beamten, wartime needs led to the creation of "Officials for the duration of the war," or Beamter auf Kriegsdauer. These men had needed skills but either did not possess all the qualifications to become full-fledged Beamten, or were effectively drafted from civilian jobs. The matter was further confused by the fact that Beamter a. K. did the same jobs and held the same titles as career officials. Nonetheless, Beamter a. K. wore entirely distinct collar patches.

Military Supreme Court officials (Wehrmachtbeamte beim Reichskriegsgericht)

Officials of the Wehrmacht who worked in Military Supreme Courts wore shoulder straps without the "HV" and had the secondary colour of Bordeaux red (Bordorot).

Sonderführer (Specialist leaders)

Certain positions in ranks from major to lieutenant and in all non-commissioned officer ranks (except sergeant) could be filled by specialists in foreign languages, propaganda work, medical service, veterinary service and the like who had been trained to fill such positions as "Specialist leaders" (Sonderführer). They received the pay applicable to the position they were holding, but only by virtue of their temporary appointment and without the command or disciplinary powers vested in the rank.

Sonderführer wore the standard military uniform but with unique rank and collar insignia, the latter resembling but distinct from that worn by Beamter auf Kriegsdauer; in addition their collars and cap bands were blue-grey rather than Army green.

• 

  In France. In the center an interpreter (Dolmetscher), Sonderführer (Z).

• 

  The Radio service of the OKW in 1939. On the far right a Sonderführer.

• 

  Rommel and Bayerlein interviewed by a Sonderführer.

See also

• World War II German uniform
• Waffenfarbe
• Glossary of German World War II military terms
• Comparative officer ranks of World War II

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to World War II German Army ranks and insignia.

• German WWII Army & SS Rank & Insignia

Notes

Bibliography

• Angolia, John R. Uniforms & Traditions of the German Army, 1933–1945, Vol. 1, R. James Bender Publishing, (1992), ISBN 0-912138-30-0.
• Hettler, Eberhard. Uniformen der Deutschen Wehrmacht : Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe. Berlin : O. Dietrich, 1939.

Uniforms of The Third Reich, ranks and insignia Uniforms World War II German uniform Afrika Korps Luftwaffe Kriegsmarine Schutzstaffel Sturmabteilung Ranks and insignia Nazi rank structure: Nazi Party, Paramilitary ranks, SA, Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe, Ordnungspolizei & Motor Corps SS-Runic insignia Corps colour Waffenfarbe: - Heer, - Luftwaffe, - Waffen-SS & - SA Decorations and Medals List of military decorations of the Third Reich Other Reichsluftschutzbund Paramilitary ranks Hitler Youth Flags Luftwaffe Flaggen der Hitlerjugend (Flag of the Hitler Youth)

Military ranks and insignia by country Africa Egypt (Army, Navy, Air Force) Morocco South Africa Tanzania Uganda Americas Argentina Bolivia Brazil Canada Colombia Cuba Mexico (Army, Navy) Nicaragua United States (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard) Venezuela Comparative Army (Officers) Air force (Officers) Asia Bangladesh (Army, Navy, Air Force) Burma (Army, Navy) People's Republic of China (Army, Navy, Air Force) Republic of China India (Army, Air Force, Navy) Indonesia Iran (Army, Navy, Air Force) Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Korea Lebanon Malaysia Pakistan (Army, Air Force, Navy) Philippines Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka (Army, Navy, Air Force) Syria Thailand Vietnam Former Imperial Japan (Army, Navy) Mengjiang First Philippine Republic (Army) Comparative Army (Officers) Air force (Officers) Europe Albania Austria Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Denmark (Army, Navy, Air Force) Estonia Finland France (Army, Navy, Gendarmerie, Air Force) Germany (Rank information, Rank insignia) Georgia Greece Hungary Iceland (Land Forces, Coast Guard) Ireland (Army, Naval Service, Air Corps) Italy (Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabineers, Finance Guard) Lithuania Macedonia Monaco Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia (Army, Navy, Air Force) Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain (Army, Navy, Air Force) Sweden Switzerland Turkey (Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Coast Guard) Ukraine United Kingdom (Army, Navy, Air Force) Vatican Former Austria–Hungary East Germany Nazi Germany (Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Militia, SA, SS) Kingdom of Greece (Army, Navy, Air Force) Kingdom of Hungary Russian Empire Soviet Union, 1918-35, 1935–40, 1940–43, 1943-55, and 1955-91 Kingdom of Yugoslavia SFR Yugoslavia FR Yugoslavia Comparative Army (Officers) Air force (Officers) Oceania Australia New Zealand Comparative Air force (Officers)