Brigadeführer

Hermann Prieß here as SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS

SS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945.[1] Brigadeführer was also an SA rank.[2]

The rank was first created due to an expansion of the SS and assigned to those officers in command of SS-Brigaden. In 1933, the SS-Brigaden were changed in name to SS-Abschnitte; however, the rank of Brigadeführer remained the same.

Originally, Brigadeführer was considered the second general officer rank of the SS and ranked between Oberführer and Gruppenführer.[3] This changed with the rise of the Waffen-SS and the Ordnungspolizei. In both of those organizations, Brigadeführer was the equivalent to a Generalmajor and ranked above an Oberst in the German Wehrmacht or police. Note that the rank of Generalmajor was the equivalent of brigadier general, a one-star general in the US Army.[4]

The insignia for Brigadeführer was at first two oak leaves and a silver pip, however was changed in April 1942 to a three oak leaf design after the creation of the rank SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer.[4]

Brigadeführer in the Waffen-SS or police also wore the shoulder insignia of a Generalmajor and were referred to as such after their SS rank (e.g. SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS und Polizei).

Junior Rank
Oberführer		 SS rank and SA rank
Brigadeführer		 Senior Rank
Gruppenführer

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ McNab 2009, pp. 29, 30.
  2. ↑ McNab (II) 2009, p. 15.
  3. ↑ McNab 2009, p. 29.
  4. 1 2 Flaherty 2004, p. 148.

Bibliography

  • Flaherty, T. H. (2004) [1988]. The Third Reich: The SS. Time-Life Books, Inc. ISBN 1 84447 073 3. 
  • McNab, Chris (2009). The SS: 1923–1945. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-906626-49-5. 
  • McNab (II), Chris (2009). The Third Reich. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-906626-51-8. 
  • Yerger, Mark C. (1997). Allgemeine-SS: The Commands, Units and Leaders of the General SS. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7643-0145-4. 
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, February 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.