Waffen-SS Ranks

SS-Schütze

Private (this was the basic private rank; any speciality would be reflected in the title, e.g. Panzerschütze – tank trooper)

SS-Oberschütze

Senior Private (attained after six months’ service – this may seem strange to have ‘grades’ of Private but in the modern British Army there are no less than 4 Private grades and it can take two years or more to move from Class 4 at the bottom to 1, with soldiers gaining greater qualifications in the process as well as higher pay)

SS-Sturmmann

Lance corporal (first NCO rank)

SS-Rottenführer

Corporal

SS-Unterscharführer

Lance Sergeant (this rank, above full Corporal but below Sergeant, is only used in the British Army in the Brigade of Guards – the Household Cavalry use slightly different rankings)

SS-Junker

Officer candidate (acting rank only, substantive rank of SS-Unterscharführer, non-university graduates hold this rank in the British Army while training at RMA Sandhurst)

SS-Scharführer

Sergeant

SS-Standartenjunker

Officer candidate (acting rank only, substantive rank of SS-Scharführer, this was a step up from SS-Junker)

SS-Oberscharführer

Colour/staff Sergeant

SS-Hauptscharführer

Warrant Officer Class 2

SS-Standartenoberjunker

Officer candidate (acting rank only, substantive rank of SS-Hauptscharführer, yet another step in the process of becoming a fully-fledged officer in the Waffen-SS)

SS-Sturmscharführer

Warrant Officer Class 1 (could only be achieved after fifteen years’ service)

SS-Untersturmführer

Second Lieutenant

SS-Obersturmführer

Lieutenant

SS-Hauptsturmführer

Captain

SS-Sturmbannführer

Major

SS-Obersturmbannführer

Lieutenant-Colonel

SS-Standartenführer

Colonel

SS-Oberführer

Brigadier equivalent

SS-Brigadeführer

Major-General

SS-Gruppenführer

Lieutenant-General

SS-Obergruppenführer

General

SS-Oberstgruppenführer

Colonel-General (only Sepp Dietrich ever attained this rank)