Rank Comparison Table
Rank Comparison
In the table below the ranks of the German Army, Air Force, Navy, and the Waffen-SS and their groupings are shown as they compared during the Second World War.
Because military ranks in different countries were not standardized during the Second World War it is not possible to make a completely accurate rank conversion table. Some ranks did not have equivilants in other armies, or might not exist any longer. An approximate comparison to the current NATO and the Second World War US rank scales have been used for comparison. The rank of Reichführer-SS has been omitted, as it was not a military rank, but rather an administrative rank created when the SS was still a paramilitary organization.
Medical (Arzt), veterinary (Veterinär), and music officers had separate rank paths that were aligned with the regular ranks. For simplicity, the ranks of the different rank paths have been combined for each rank class below.
Heer | Luftwaffe | Kriegsmarine | Waffen-SS | NATO | US Army |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Generals | |||||
Reichmarschall | |||||
Generalfeldmarschall | Generalfeldmarschall | Großadmiral | OF-10 | General of the Army | |
Generaloberst | Generaloberst | Generaladmiral | Oberstgruppenführer | OF-9 | General |
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Admiral | Obergruppenführer | OF-8 | Lieutenant General |
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|
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Gruppenführer | OF-7 | Major General |
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|
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Brigadeführer | OF-6 | Brigadier General |
Staff officers | |||||
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|
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Oberführer | OF-5 | Colonel |
Standartenführer | |||||
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Obersturmbannführer | OF-4 | Lieutenant Colonel |
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Sturmbannführer | OF-3 | Major |
Captains and cavalry captains | |||||
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Hauptsturmführer | OF-2 | Captain |
Lieutenants | |||||
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Obersturmführer | OF-1 | First Lieutenant |
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Untersturmführer | Second Lieutenant | |
Music inspectors and bandmasters | |||||
Obermusikinspizient | |||||
Musikinspizient | |||||
Stabsmusikmeister | |||||
Obermusikmeister | |||||
Musikmeister | |||||
Fortress masters and farrier instructors | |||||
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Non-commissioned officers with portfolio | |||||
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Stabsfeldwebel1Generic ranks followed those of the Army while specialist Air Force ranks had their own paths. | Stabsoberfeldwebel2Additional Navy-specific ranks existed. | Sturmscharführer | OR-8 | Master Sergeant |
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Oberfähnrich zur See2Additional Navy-specific ranks existed.3Only in peacetime. | Hauptscharführer | OR-7 | Technical Sergeant |
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Oberfeldwebel1Generic ranks followed those of the Army while specialist Air Force ranks had their own paths. |
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OR-7 | Technical Sergeant |
Stabsfeldwebel | |||||
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Feldwebel1Generic ranks followed those of the Army while specialist Air Force ranks had their own paths. |
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Oberscharführer | OR-6 | Staff Sergeant |
Non-commissioned officers without portfolio | |||||
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Fähnrich1Generic ranks followed those of the Army while specialist Air Force ranks had their own paths.3Only in peacetime. | Fähnrich zur See2Additional Navy-specific ranks existed.3Only in peacetime. | |||
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Unterfeldwebel | Oberbootsmannsmaat2Additional Navy-specific ranks existed. | Scharführer | OR-5 | Sergeant |
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Unteroffizier | Bootsmannsmaat2Additional Navy-specific ranks existed. | Unterscharführer | OR-4 | Corporal |
Enlisted | |||||
Stabsgefreiter | Stabsgefreiter | Oberstabsgefreiter | |||
Matrosenstabsgefreiter | |||||
Hauptgefreiter | Matrosenhauptgefreiter | ||||
Obergefreiter | Obergefreiter | Matrosenobergefreiter | Rottenführer | OR-3 | Private First Class |
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Gefreiter | Matrosengefreiter | Sturmmann | OR-2 | Private |
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Oberschütze | OR-1 | |||
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Flieger5Additional Air Force-specific ranks existed. | Matrose |
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Rank Authority Structure
The German 1940 field manual on ranks described which ranks held authority over others:3
Common superiority regulation
Both in and outside service, officers of all brances, music inspectors, and bandmasters of the armed forces have superioriority over non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel of the armed forces.
Both in and outside service, officers of higher rank classes have superiority over all officers, music inspectors, and bandmasters of lower ranks.
Between officers of the same rank class, music inspectors, and bandmasters, a higher service position or seniority (rank seniority) does not generally convey any superiority, however, all officers with lower seniority and all music inspectors and bandmasters are to salute officers with seniority. In no case can a music inspector or bandmaster have superiority over an officer.
Both in and outside service, non-commissioned officers of the armed forces have superiority over all enlisted personnel of the armed forces.
There is no general superiority between the individual rank classes of the non-commissioned officers of the armed forces. However, those of a lower rank must salute those of a higher rank. Both in and outside of service, fortress masters and farrier instructors (rank class B III 1) and non-commissioned officers with portfolio (rank class B III 2) have superiority over ensigns and non-commissioned officers with in their own unit.
There is no general superiority between the individual ranks of the enlisted personnel.
Superiority due to specific positions
Soldiers who have command over other soldiers due to general service regulations or by specific circumstances have superiority for the duration of the position, even when they have a lower class than those whom they are commanding, however only within the scope of the position.
The following superiority constellations are not to be created:
- Music inspectors, bandmasters, non-commissioned officers, or enlisted personnel over officers;
- Non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel over music inspectors and bandmasters;
- Enlisted personnel over non-commissioned officers.
Notes
- Generic ranks followed those of the Army while specialist Air Force ranks had their own paths. Back
- Additional Navy-specific ranks existed. Back
- Only in peacetime. Back
- Only in wartime. Back
- Additional Air Force-specific ranks existed. Back
References
- Führererlaß über die bewaffneten Teile der SS. Wehrkreiskommando VII, 1939. Back
- Führererlaß über die bewaffneten Teile der SS. Wehrkreiskommando VII, 1939. Back
- Bestimmungen über Rang- und Vorgesetztenverhältnis der Soldaten des Heeres (R. u. V.). AHA, 1940. Back
Sources
- Führererlaß über die bewaffneten Teile der SS. Wehrkreiskommando VII, 1939. 23 p. BArch RS 1/1.
- Bestimmungen über Rang- und Vorgesetztenverhältnis der Soldaten des Heeres (R. u. V.). Berlin : AHA, 1940. 9 p. H Dv 82/9. NARA T78 R875.
- KEITEL, Wilhelm. Wehrmacht-Gebührnisse; Einsatzgebührnisse - Amtlische Texte. Berlin : Führer-Hauptquartier, 1945. 10 p.
- SCHULLZE, Erich. Gesetz zur Befreiung von Nationalsozialismus und Militarismus. Munich : Biederstein Verlag, 1947. 372 p.
- THOMAS, Nigel & ANDREW, Stephen. Men-At-Arms 311 - The German Army 1939-45 (I) : Blitzkrieg. Oxford : Osprey Publishing, 1997. 56 p. ISBN 1-85532-639-6.