WAFFEN-SS RANKS
Below you will find a table of ranks used by the Waffen-SS and our Historical Research Group.
To determine the rank of a soldier in the SS, one can look for several clues. It was standard practice for men to wear the SS runes on their right collar, and their rank on their left. The shoulder boards worn by the soldier could also assist in determining rank, although all the ranks below Non-commissioned officers used the same shoulder boards. Senior enlisted personnel could also be identified by a single chevron worn under the eagle on the left sleeve.
The SS-Totenkopfdivision, along with the SS-Totenkopfverbande, used the same rank structure as the rest of the Waffen-SS. The men of SS-Division"Totenkopf" did not wear the SS bolts on their right collar, instead they wore the Death's head symbol of the SS-Totenkopfverbande.
From 1939 - 1942, the men of the SS-Division "Totenkopf" wore the death's head on both collars as a divisional regulation. This proved to cause issues with shoulder board or sleeve rank being covered by camouflauge smocks, and the practice of "mirrored" collar tabs was discontinued in 1942, in favor of the standard SS method of wearing the rank on the left collar.
The SS-Totenkopfdivision, along with the SS-Totenkopfverbande, used the same rank structure as the rest of the Waffen-SS. The men of SS-Division"Totenkopf" did not wear the SS bolts on their right collar, instead they wore the Death's head symbol of the SS-Totenkopfverbande.
From 1939 - 1942, the men of the SS-Division "Totenkopf" wore the death's head on both collars as a divisional regulation. This proved to cause issues with shoulder board or sleeve rank being covered by camouflauge smocks, and the practice of "mirrored" collar tabs was discontinued in 1942, in favor of the standard SS method of wearing the rank on the left collar.
waffen-ss ranksOfficers
SS-Obersturmbannführer SS-Sturmbannführer SS-Hauptsturmführer SS-Obersturmführer SS-Untersturmführer Noncommissioned Officers SS-Sturmscharführer SS-Hauptscharführer SS-Oberscharführer SS-Scharführer SS-Unterscharführer Enlisted Men SS-Rottenführer SS-Sturmmann SS-Oberschütze SS-Schütze |
u.s. army ranksOfficers
Lieutenant Colonel Major Captain First Lieutenant Second Lieutenant Noncommissioned Officers Sergeant Major Master Sergeant Technical Sergeant Staff Sergeant Sergeant Enlisted Men Corporal Lance Corporal Private First Class Private |
