Ranks and insignia of the German Army (1935–1945)

In addition to the insignia presented here, many others were used in the army, but this section contains the most important of them.

Memorial signs

They were supposed to remind the military units of the traditions of the old Prussian army, which ceased to exist in 1918. Such signs were awarded to the newly formed military units of the Reichswehr (from April 1922). and later - parts of the Wehrmacht. These signs were on caps, they were worn below the insignia (eagle with swastika). The presence of other signs is proven by photographs of that time. They were worn according to the regulations on field caps.

In memory of the former famous Prussian regiments of Life Hussars No. 1 and 2. In the Reichswehr, this honorary badge was awarded to the 1st and 2nd squadrons of the 5th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment. According to the order of the OG on February 25, 1938, the traditions and powers of this sign were transferred to the headquarters with the trumpet corps and the 1st division of the 5th cavalry regiment. According to the requirements of modern warfare, with the outbreak of hostilities, this cavalry regiment was first disbanded, and then a reconnaissance unit of the infantry division was formed on its basis. Not to be confused with the cavalry regiments of the 1st Cavalry Division, which still survives. So from the 5th Cavalry Regiment the 12th and 32nd reconnaissance battalions, as well as parts of the 175th reconnaissance battalion, were formed. The servicemen of this unit continued to wear the “Death's Head” sign further.

According to the order of June 3, 1944, the cavalry regiment “North”, formed a year earlier, was renamed cavalry regiment No. 5. The regiment’s employees were secretly allowed to wear the traditional “Death’s Head” badge again, but without official approval. After a short time, they again received official permission to wear their former insignia.

Interpretation of the concept "Wehrmacht"

This is the “defense force” in 1935-1945. In other words, the Wehrmacht (photo below) is nothing more than the armed forces of Nazi Germany. It is headed by the Supreme Command of the country's armed forces, which subordinates the ground forces, the Navy and Air Force , and the SS troops. They were led by the main commands (OKL, OKH, OKM) and the commanders-in-chief of various types of armed forces (since 1940, also the SS troops). The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht is Reich Chancellor A. Hitler. A photo of Wehrmacht soldiers is shown below.

According to historical data, the word in question in German-speaking countries denoted the armed forces of any country. It acquired its usual meaning when the NSDAP came to power.

On the eve of World War II, the Wehrmacht numbered approximately three million people, and its maximum strength was 11 million people (as of December 1943).

Large order block

She was worn on a ceremonial uniform and uniform jacket, but only on orders. This insignia was sewn onto the fabric of the uniform in the form of a block of zinc tin 4 cm wide. It was strengthened so that the block covered the patch.

Small medal block

On this medal block, which was worn on all other types of uniforms. there were only medal ribbons. They were located next to each other on a block 12-18 mm wide. It was made of aluminum sheet or plastic, sometimes even leather. Along with the traditional method of attaching order ribbons, the Bavarian method was also used, when the ribbons were laid in twos and placed one after another, due to which the entire block gave the appearance of a wider one.

Types of military signs

These include:

• buttonholes :
• shoulder straps :
• epaulets :
• sleeve and breastplates ( chevrons , stripes );
• signs on buttonholes, shoulder straps, epaulettes, headdresses (emblems, cockades , stars);
• stripes and piping.

Uniforms and insignia of the Wehrmacht

The German army had several types of uniforms and clothing. Each soldier had to independently monitor the condition of his weapons and uniform. They were replaced in accordance with the established procedure or in case of serious damage during the training process. Military uniforms lost color very quickly due to washing and daily brushing.

shoes were thoroughly inspected (at all times, bad boots were a serious problem).

Since the formation of the Reichswehr (German armed forces in the period 1919-1935), the military uniform has become unified for all existing German states. Its color is “feldgrau” (translated as “field grey”) - a wormwood shade with a predominant green pigment.

A new uniform ( the uniform of the Wehrmacht - the armed forces of Nazi Germany in the period 1935-1945) was introduced along with a new model of the steel helmet . The ammunition, uniforms and helmets did not differ in appearance from their predecessors (existing in the Kaiser's era).

At the whim of the Fuhrer, the attire of the military personnel was emphasized by a large number of various elements of heraldry (emblems, signs, stripes, piping, badges, etc.). Devotion to National Socialism was expressed by applying the black, white and red imperial cockade and the tricolor shield the helmet The appearance of the imperial tricolor dates back to mid-March 1933. In October 1935, the uniform was supplemented by an imperial eagle holding a swastika in its claws. At this time, the Reichswehr was renamed the Wehrmacht (photo was shown earlier).

This topic will be considered in relation to the Ground Forces and SS troops.

Dragoon Eagle

In memory of the glorious victory of the 2nd Brandenburg Dragoon Regiment in the Battle of Schwedt on the Oder in 1764, the “Swedt Dragoon” badge was established; later the name was changed to “Schwedt Eagle”.

In the Reichswehr, the "Swedt Dragoon" badge was first awarded to the 4th Squadron of the 6th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment. By 1930, the 2nd squadron also received this memorial sign. Meanwhile, during the Weimar Republic, the eagle lost its crown and ribbon with the motto: “With God for the Kaiser and the Fatherland.” With Hitler's rise to power in 1933, all this was returned. In the Wehrmacht, this badge was awarded to the headquarters. 2nd and 4th squadrons of the 6th cavalry regiment. On October 1, 1937, the 3rd Battalion of Motorcycle Riflemen received the “Swedish Eagle” badge. When the 6th Cavalry Regiment was disbanded in August 1939, the 33rd, 34th and 36th reconnaissance battalions, as well as units of the 179th reconnaissance battalion, began to wear the “Schwedt Eagle” sign.

At the end of 1944, this badge was awarded to the 3rd Cavalry Brigade; previously, only the “Center” cavalry regiment was awarded it.

Insignia of the Wehrmacht and specifically the SS troops

To begin with, we should clarify some points. Firstly, the SS troops and the SS organization itself are not identical concepts. The latter is the combat component of the Nazi Party, formed by members of a public organization who conduct their core activities parallel to the SS (worker, shopkeeper, civil servant, etc.). They were allowed to wear a black uniform, which since 1938 was replaced by a light gray uniform with two Wehrmacht-type shoulder straps. The latter reflected general SS ranks.

As for the SS troops, we can say that these are a kind of security detachments (“reserve troops” - “Totenkopf formations” - Hitler’s own troops), into which only SS members were accepted. They were considered equal to Wehrmacht soldiers.

The difference in the ranks of members of the SS organization based on buttonholes existed until 1938. On the black uniform there was a single shoulder strap (on the right shoulder), by which only the category of a particular SS member could be determined ( private or non-commissioned officer, junior or senior officer, or general). And after the light gray uniform was introduced (1938), another distinctive feature was added - shoulder straps .

insignia of both military personnel and members of the organization are the same. However, the former still wear a field uniform, which is an analogue of the Wehrmacht. It has two shoulder straps that are similar in appearance to those of the Wehrmacht, and their military rank insignia

The rank system, and therefore the insignia , was subject to changes many times, the last of which occurred in May 1942 (they were not transformed until May 1945).

Military ranks of the Wehrmacht were designated by buttonholes, shoulder straps, braid and chevrons on the collar, and the last two insignia on the sleeves, as well as special sleeve patches mainly on camouflage military clothing, various stripes (gaps in a contrasting color) on trousers, and the design of hats.

It was the SS field uniform that was finally established around 1938. If we consider cut , then we can say that the Wehrmacht (ground forces) uniform uniform were no different. The color of the second one was a little grayer and lighter, the green tint was practically not visible.

Also, if we describe the insignia of the SS (specifically the patch), we can highlight the following points: the imperial eagle was slightly above the middle of the segment from the shoulder to the elbow of the left sleeve, its design differed in the shape of the wings (there were often cases when the Wehrmacht eagle was sewn onto the SS field uniform ).

Also a distinctive feature, for example, on the SS tank uniform, was that the buttonholes , just like those of the Wehrmacht tankers, were surrounded by a pink border. insignia in this case is represented by the presence of a “dead head” in both buttonholes. SS tankmen could have rank insignia the left buttonhole, and either a “dead head” or SS runes in the right buttonhole (in some cases there might not have been any insignia or, for example, in a number of divisions the tank crew emblem was placed there - skull with crossed bones). buttonholes on the collar , the size of which was 45x45 mm.

Also, insignia included the way battalion or company numbers were embossed on the buttons of the uniform, which was not done in the case of the SS military uniform.

The emblem of the shoulder straps , although identical to those of the Wehrmacht, was quite rare (the exception was the first tank division, where the monogram was regularly worn on the shoulder straps).

Another difference in the system accumulating insignia is how soldiers who were candidates for the rank of SS navigator wore a cord at the bottom of the shoulder strap of the same color as its piping. This rank is the equivalent of a gefreiter in the Wehrmacht. And candidates for SS Unterscharführer also wore a braid (braid embroidered with silver) nine millimeters wide at the bottom of their shoulder straps. This rank is equivalent to a non-commissioned officer in the Wehrmacht.

As for the ranks of the rank and file, the difference was in the buttonholes and sleeve stripes, which were located above the elbow, but below the imperial eagle in the center of the left sleeve.

If we consider camouflage clothing (where there are no buttonholes or shoulder straps ), we can say that the SS men never had rank insignia on it, but they preferred to wear collars with their own buttonholes over this camouflage clothing.

In general, the discipline of wearing a uniform in the Wehrmacht was much higher than in the SS troops, whose soldiers allowed themselves a large number of liberties regarding this issue, and their generals and officers did not strive to stop this type of violation, on the contrary, they often committed similar ones. And this is only a small part of the distinctive features of the uniforms of the Wehrmacht and SS troops.

If we summarize all of the above, we can conclude that insignia is much more sophisticated not only than the SS, but also the Soviet ones.

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Wehrmacht rank insignia (Die Wehrmacht) 1935-1945.
The uniform of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces was established in 1935. Soldiers and gefraiters on their uniforms had shoulder straps 10-11 cm long and 4-4.5 cm wide. The same shoulder straps with appropriate additions were worn by all military personnel and military officials of the Ground Forces.

The epaulets of the 1935 model on feldgrau-colored uniforms had a dark green field (in the color of the uniform collar) and a colored edging according to the type of military service or service. On black uniforms, the shoulder strap was black with colored edging according to the type of military service or service. The lower end of the shoulder strap was sewn into the shoulder seam, and the upper end had a slot for a button, which was sewn to the uniform. The second version of the shoulder strap had a strap sewn to the lower edge of the shoulder strap, which was threaded through a fabric loop on the uniform and fastened with a button sewn to the uniform. The upper end of this shoulder strap was also fastened to the same button.

In the picture from left to right: 1- shoulder strap of a soldier of the training infantry regiment (5th company), 2- shoulder strap of a soldier of the “Great Germany” infantry regiment, 3- shoulder strap of a soldier of the 5th company of the third anti-tank battalion.

The button had a diameter of about 1.8 cm. The color of the button was aluminum-gray with a grained surface. The button had a raised number on it, indicating the number of the company or battalion to which the soldier belonged. On the shoulder strap in the middle there were metal signs indicating:

*White border: Letter V - cartographic and topographic parts; The letter W and the number below are in Gothic numerals; -recruitment service for military districts; Letter G and below number in regular numbers; - army group headquarters; Number in Roman numerals; - army headquarters; Letter D and below number in regular numbers; - headquarters of infantry divisions; Number in regular numbers; - infantry regiments; Monogram of intertwined Gothic letters G and D - regiment “Greater Germany”; The usual letter W is the garrison battalions of the city of Vienna; Regular letter M+ number in regular numbers - infantry machine gun battalions; Regular letter K+ number in regular numbers - infantry motorcycle units; Regular letters GW - infantry mortar units; Regular letters FI - infantry air defense units; The usual letters WB are military authorities; Regular letter L - training infantry regiment; Military district number in Roman numerals - infantry initial training schools; Letter S in Gothic font - infantry schools; Letters US + first letter of the city name in Gothic font - non-commissioned infantry schools; Letters KS+ the first letter of the city name in Gothic font - officer infantry school; Letters SS in Gothic font - army sports schools.

*Pink border: Number in Roman numerals; - headquarters of tank armies; Letter D and below number in regular numbers; - headquarters of tank divisions; Number in regular numbers; -tank units; The usual letter P, below the number in regular numbers - anti-tank units; The usual letter K, below the number in regular numbers - motorcycle units; Regular letter J - mechanized parts; Regular letter L - training tank units; Letter S in Gothic font - tank schools; Letters MS School of Motorization; Letters KS+ The first letter of the city name in Gothic font is an officer tank school.

*Scarlet border: Number in regular numbers - artillery units; The letter R and the number in regular numbers below are reconnaissance artillery units; Letter B and number in regular numbers below - observation artillery units; Gothic letter S - artillery schools; Letters US + first letter of the city name in Gothic font - non-commissioned artillery schools; Letter L - training artillery regiments; Letters BL - training observation artillery regiments; . Letters FS and below letters I or II are artillery technical schools; Letters VH or VK - artillery ranges in Hilleleben and Kummersdorf.

*Black border: Number in regular numbers - engineer battalions; The letters FP and below the number in ordinary numbers are fortress sapper battalions; Letter E and below the number in ordinary numbers - railway sapper battalions; Letter L and below letters I or II - engineering training battalions; The letters US and the first letter of the city name in Gothic font are non-commissioned engineering schools; Gothic letter S and number - engineering schools; White Gothic letter S and number - railway engineering schools; The letter L is black with a white center - railway engineering training organizations.

*Golden yellow border: Number in regular numbers - cavalry units; Letter A and below the number in ordinary numbers - reconnaissance units; The letter R and the number below in regular numbers are motorcycle parts; Letters RS - army cavalry schools; Gothic letter S - cavalry schools; Number in Roman numerals - district cavalry schools; Letter D and the number below in ordinary numbers is the headquarters of the cavalry division.

*Copper-yellow edging: Letter A and below the number in regular numbers - reconnaissance motorized units); Number in regular numbers - motorcycle parts.

*Orange border: Emblem; -Military Engineering Academy (higher education institution for engineering officers in Karlhorst); Number in Roman numerals—recruitment service; Letters NA - field gendarmerie.

*Light green border: Letter D and number in regular numbers below - mountain division headquarters; Number in regular numbers - mountainous parts; Gothic letter S - mountain military schools.

*Blue border: Number in regular numbers - automobile transport part; Letter L - training vehicle part; Gothic letter S - automobile school.

*Lemon yellow border: Number in regular numbers - part of the connection; The letter Fp and the number below in ordinary numbers is the fortress part of the connection; Letter L - training part of communication; Gothic letter S-school of communication; The letters US and the first letter of the city name in Gothic font are non-commissioned communications schools; Gothic letter S and lower letter HB - schools for training carrier pigeons and dogs.

*Grass-green border: Number in regular numbers - motorized infantry and motorcycle units

*Carmine (crimson) edging: Letters NA - employees in the General Staff of the Wehrmacht and the main headquarters of the ground forces; Letters KA - Academy of the General Staff; Number in regular numbers - veterinary units and units; Number in Roman numerals - veterinary inspections of military districts; Gothic letter A - army veterinary school; Gothic letter L - veterinary training units and veterinary laboratories.

*Burgundy edging: Number in regular numbers - chemical, smoke parts; Letter L - educational chemical, smoke part; Gothic letter S - chemical, smoke schools; Letters GS and below letters I or II - army chemical defense schools; Sword - organs of military justice.

In general, the colors of the dark green edgings of the shoulder straps indicated the type of military service:

-white - infantry and border guards; -light green - rangers, mountain rifle units; -grass green—motorized infantry, motorcyclists; -scarlet - field artillery, horse artillery, self-propelled artillery (except anti-tank); -pink - anti-tank self-propelled artillery; -black - sapper units, fortress units, railway units; - orange - field gendarmerie; -gray-blue—military administration; -blue—automotive parts; - cornflower blue - medical service; -burgundy - chemical protection service, chemical mortar crews; -lemon yellow - signalmen; -golden yellow - reconnaissance, cavalry, cyclists.

Black shoulder strap edging colors:

- pink - tankers; - golden yellow - reconnaissance of tank units; - striped black and white - sappers of tank units; - lemon yellow - signalmen of tank units; - cornflower blue - tank unit medics; -grass green - motorcyclists of tank units.

With the outbreak of World War II, the process of simplifying and reducing the cost of uniforms began. buttons began to be produced without numbers stamped on them. Therefore, since the beginning of 1940, buttons without numbers have become increasingly common on uniforms. The letters disappear from the shoulder straps.

In 1943, a significant simplification of the soldier's uniform took place. The collar of the uniform receives a color that is the same as the color of the uniform itself. The field of shoulder straps also turns greenish-gray. On a black tank uniform, the color of the shoulder straps does not change.

The picture shows the shoulder straps of a Signal Corps soldier, model 1943.

By mid-1944, Germany's material resources had been largely exhausted and this year the uniform was simplified again. Its color becomes an indefinite brownish-grayish, as well as other colors. The stocks of material that the Wehrmacht received as trophies were used (including French grayish-blue, English khaki and drab, and even Soviet dark green and dirty yellow). There are a variety of buttons, including Soviet ones with a star. Since the summer of 1944, shoulder straps have been sewn from the same material as the uniform itself; the colored edgings of the shoulder straps are lost. However, colored piping was not officially abolished and shoulder straps without piping were sewn in the absence of appropriate colored instrument fabrics. This was also facilitated by the fact that the Wehrmacht, now giving applications for sewing a certain number of uniforms, no longer stipulated how many shoulder straps and what colors of edges to sew, and manufacturing companies saw this as an opportunity to reduce the cost of the uniform. The picture on the right shows one of the shoulder straps of the 1944 model.

In addition to the letters mentioned above, soldiers and gefreiters of some services could have emblems on their shoulder straps. Thus, soldiers of the medical service could have on their shoulder straps a cornflower-blue medical service emblem, metallic or embroidered with silk threads. Band soldiers - lyre. In the picture on the left is the shoulder strap of a 1943 model medical service soldier.

The figure on the right shows the running emblems of some services. From left to right and top to bottom: 1-pigeon mail, 2-artillery supply service, 3-fortress construction units, 4-fortress engineering units, 5-supply service, 6-chemical service, 7-communications repair service, 8-saddlery service, 9-technical equipment supply service, 10-saddlery service (second sign), 11-treasury service, 12-serf specialists, 13-art warehouses, 14,15,16-blacksmiths, 17-veterinary service, 18-repair -weapon service, radio engineering. There are over a hundred such emblems in total.

Although the soldiers' shoulder straps did not have insignia of military rank like the shoulder straps of the Red Army, there were signs indicating that the soldier was a candidate for the next military rank. Thus, soldiers and chief soldiers who were candidates for the rank of gefreiter wore a cord across the lower part of both shoulder straps of the same color as the edging of the shoulder strap. In the photo on the left, at the bottom of the shoulder strap, the lace of a soldier candidate for the rank of “Gefreiter” is clearly visible. This one never became a gefrite. Killed in the fall of 1943. west of Belgorod.

Gefreiter candidates for the rank of “non-commissioned officer” at this place wore a gray stripe made of aluminum braid. The same patch, but with the letters “KC” placed higher on the shoulder strap and plus the first letter of the name of the city of the school’s location, was worn by servicemen who had the rank of “fahnejunker” (first-year students at the officer school).

In the picture, a gefreiter is a candidate for the rank of non-commissioned officer. The patch on the shoulder strap is clearly visible. He never became unterofified. But he was lucky. The photo was taken in the winter of 1946 in a prisoner of war camp.

In the Wehrmacht, the shoulder straps for the everyday uniform, field uniform, dress uniform, overcoat, and rubberized raincoat were absolutely identical and were not divided, as in the Red Army, into ceremonial, everyday and field. Shoulder straps were not worn on camouflage clothing, work overalls, or winter insulated double-sided jackets

Addition - 2003.

From the author.

The information and illustrations in this article are taken mainly from the official Bundeswehr websites. However, this information is not complete and exhaustive. The author will be grateful to everyone who takes the time to carefully study the article and make corrections and comments, and point out errors. I only ask that you provide links to primary sources, or at least to credible secondary sources. Many thanks to Eduard Schwab, thanks to whom it became possible to compile this article

Let's look at the main type of uniform of the Bundeswehr Ground Forces, namely the service uniform (Dienstanzug) and the insignia on it. It is a single-breasted open gray jacket and dark trousers. The color of the jacket is pure gray, a pleasant shade, which has nothing in common with the greenish-gray color of the Wehrmacht uniform.

The colored beret is now widely used as a headdress, which in some cases is worn not only with the service uniform, but also with the field uniform (Feldanzug). The color of the beret is determined by the branch of the military or service of the unit in which the serviceman is serving. On the left side of the beret, closer to the forehead, an emblem is attached, also indicating the type of military service or service of the unit in which the serviceman is serving. However, in some cases, the emblem does not indicate the branch of troops or services, but a specific military unit.

These beret emblems are shown below. The background of the emblems indicates the color of the beret that may be worn with that emblem.

From the author.

The translation of the names of the emblems from German is not entirely accurate. It rather indicates an approximate correspondence to the Russian military branches. For example "Panzergrenadiertruppe". Exact translation: “Armored grenadier unit (unit).” A more free translation is “Tank Grenadier Unit”. However, back in the days of the Wehrmacht, this was the name given to mechanized infantry in tank divisions traveling in cars or armored personnel carriers. So a fairly free translation as “Motorized rifle units” is quite appropriate, although in Russian-language literature the translation “Mechanized units” is more often used in relation to the Bundeswehr. However, it is generally difficult to translate from German, although it is closer to Russian than English. Well, for example, we always translate Panzertruppe as Tank units, although the exact translation should sound like this - Armored units, and the word panzer as “tank”, although it would be more correct as “armor”, especially since the German language now has the word tank . Well, in general, we will translate it as it is clearer.

The photograph shows an artillery lieutenant in his service uniform. Here we see the placement of insignia. Red beret with artillery emblem, "coils" (Kolben) on the flaps in red (Kragenspiegel). One star on the shoulder strap is gray with red artillery edging and a sleeve insignia indicating belonging to the Bundeswehr Ground Forces..

The buttonholes on the tunic are traditional for the German army and differ from the Wehrmacht buttonholes in that they are not beveled, but rectangular. The buttonholes indicate membership in the Ground Forces, and the color indicates membership in the branch of the military. However, the color of the buttonholes and the color of the beret do not always match. In addition, all generals have scarlet buttonholes with the traditional general's insignia (Alt-Larisch) attached to them, and the type of "coils" (Kolben) of General Staff officers differs from the coils worn by all other military personnel.

The type of buttonholes is shown here. 1- buttonholes of generals of the Ground Forces; 2 buttonholes of officers of the General Staff; 3. buttonholes of the Ground Forces military personnel.

The valve colors are as follows:

*scarlet - generals; *raspberry - General Staff; *red - artillery; *green - mechanized infantry; *dark pink - tank troops; *dark yellow—reconnaissance; *lemon yellow - signalmen; *dark red—air defense units; *black - engineering parts; *burgundy—radiation parts. chemical and biological protection; *grayish blue - army aviation; *blue - technical services; *cornflower blue - medical service; *grayish-white—military musical units; *brick red—field mail.

The edging of the shoulder straps also has the same colors.

From the author.

In general, the colors of the buttonholes and piping are traditional. They were still in the Wehrmacht. The changes are minor. Of course, the colors became smaller. The traditional white infantry color has disappeared; there is no field gendarmerie orange and some others. The grayish blue, which was used to designate motorists in the Wehrmacht, now belongs to the army aviation. In fact, yellow is traditional for aviation, but it remains in the modern German Air Force, but since the Wehrmacht did not have army aviation, considering it unnecessary to allocate motorists to a special branch of the military, the Bundeswehr transferred this color to army aviation.

The only means of recognizing ranks on service uniforms in the Bundeswehr is currently shoulder straps. The sleeve patches of corporals that once existed in the Wehrmacht, and then in the Bundeswehr, are a thing of the past. The shoulder straps of all categories of military personnel are identical in appearance and are rectangles with a rounded upper edge, made of the same fabric as the jacket. At the top of the shoulder strap there is a gray button with a grainy surface without any images (for generals the button is golden).. The shoulder strap on all sides except the bottom has an edging in the color of the branch of service (the same color as the field of the buttonholes). Gefreiters have rectangular metal rank insignia on their shoulder straps. Non-commissioned officers' shoulder straps are sheathed on all sides except the bottom, or on all sides with 9mm. golden galloon. Figured insignia of ranks are placed on the shoulder strap field. The shoulder straps of officers, in addition to the edging of the branch of service, have a second internal edging in the form of a silver cord. Ranks differ in the number of stars and silver wreaths. The shoulder straps of all generals have a scarlet edging and an internal golden edging in the form of a rope. A golden wreath is placed at the bottom of the shoulder strap. Ranks vary according to the number of golden stars

In the picture: 1- shoulder strap of a soldier of the medical service, 2a-non-commissioned officer of artillery, 2b-staff-sunter officer of military aviation, 3-staffshauptmann of artillery, 4-brigade general.

From the author.

The insignia of ranks in the Bundeswehr is radically different from the Wehrmacht, traditional German ones. The soutache cords, thick weaves of them, numbers, letters, and emblems disappeared from the officer's shoulder straps. And most importantly, the Germans abandoned their tradition of denoting the lowest rank in each category with a blank shoulder strap and not having more than two or three marks on the shoulder straps. The non-commissioned officers lost their stars on their shoulder straps.

The category of privates (Mannschaften) in the Bundeswehr is developed like in no other army in Europe. There are six ranks in it (for comparison, there are only two in the Russian Army). Moreover, there is no single lower rank for all military branches and specialties, as is usually customary, in the Bundeswehr. The word Soldat is rather a collective concept, used more often for all military personnel of this category, more broadly for all military personnel of the Bundeswehr. The ordinary soldier is named by specialty, approximately as was customary in the Wehrmacht (Shuetze (Schuetze), Jaeger (Jager), Panzershuetze (Pantsershutze), Panzrezug-Shuetze (Panzerzug-Shuetze), Kanoier (Gunner), Pionier (Pioneer), Funker (Funker), ……). And several dozen more titles. Actually, with the reduction of military service to 10 months, the soldier wears these shoulder straps for about three months while he undergoes training in the training unit (Grundasbildung), after which he receives the rank of Gefreiter. Until 1995, a soldier received this rank after 6 months of service, and the next - Obergefreiter (Obergefreiter) upon transfer to the reserve. Hauptgefreiter - assigned to those who enlisted for long-term service, but were over 25 years old and no longer had the opportunity, due to their age, to receive a non-commissioned officer rank. The ranks of Hauptgefreiter-Oberstabsgefreiter, therefore, are for long-term soldiers.

The insignia for enlisted personnel are metal strips. attached to shoulder straps:

1-Soldat (private soldiers of all types), 2-Gefreiter (Gefreiter), 3-Obergefreiter (Obergefreiter), 4-Hauptgefreite (Hauptgefreiter), 5-Stabsgefreiter (Stabsgefreiter), 6-Oberstabsgefreiter (Oberstabsgefreiter), 7-Gefreiter Unteroffizieranwaerter (Gefreiter -Unterofficiranwerter), 8-Gefreiter-Offizieranwaerter (Gefreiter-Offizieranwerter).

What ranks are indicated by numbers 7 and 8? The first designates a gefreiter who is studying at a non-commissioned officer school and is a candidate for the rank of non-commissioned officer. It has an additional horizontal bar. The second denotes a gefreiter who is studying at an officer's school and is a candidate for an officer rank. It has a silver cord on the shoulder strap that runs below the bar. If the lace is not silver. and yellow, then this is a Gefreiter candidate for the rank of sergeant major and he is called Gefreiter-Feldwebelanwaerter (Gefreiter-Feldwebelanwerter).

Soldiers with other ranks cannot wear these signs, because a clean shoulder strap is worn during the period of initial training, and two or more stripes are worn either by those who retire to the reserve, or by those who will never be able to become an officer or non-commissioned officer. Actually, the title Officieranwaerter (Officieranverter) corresponds to the Russian rank of “cadet”. But if we have the same rank of cadet for all years of study, then in the Bundeswehr the rank of officer is for junior students.

Also, the scale of non-commissioned officer ranks is extremely developed (seven versus five in the Wehrmacht and four in the Russian Army). The shoulder straps of non-commissioned officers differ from those of soldiers in that they are lined with 9 mm. golden braid, and ranks differ according to the number of metal signs:

1-Unteroffizier, 2-Stabsunteroffizier, 3-Feldwebel, 4-Oberfeldwebel, 5-Hauptfeldwebel, 6-Stabsfeldwebel, 7-Oberstabsfeldwebel ), 1a -Fahnenjunker (Fahnenjunker), 3a -Faenrich (Fenrich), 8-Oberfaenrich (Oberfenrich).

The last three shoulder straps indicate: 1a. Fahnenjunker (Fahnenjunker) - the title of a senior student at an officer's school. The official and legal status of this cadet is equivalent to the rank of non-commissioned officer. However, you need to know that in the combat unit the non-commissioned officer is, as it were, taller than the fanenjunker, and outside it, it’s kind of the opposite. If a non-commissioned officer or staff sergeant has a yellow lace on his shoulder straps, and not a silver one. then this is a candidate for the rank of sergeant major and is called Feldwebelanwaerter (Feldwebelanwerter).

3a.Faenrich (Fenrich is the rank of a final year cadet at an officer school. The legal position of this cadet is equal to the rank of sergeant major, but in all cases, Faenrich is, as it were, higher than sergeant major.

8.Oberfaenrich (Oberfenrich). This is a graduate of an officer's school, already performing officer duties. He wears officer's shoulder straps, but with the insignia of a Hauptfeldwebel. Those. his legal status is equivalent to that of a Hauptfeldwebel. The fact is that in Germany the officer rank is awarded not in the school, as in our country, but in the unit where the graduate arrives to serve. The regiment command decides whether the graduate is worthy of the officer rank or not. And for this you need to serve a little in the rank of Oberfenrich.

From the author.

. I would like to note that in the Wehrmacht there were also Gaputfeldwebels, but there it was not a rank, but a position. Gaputfeldwebel was called either Oberfeldwebel or Staffsfeldwebel, performing the position of company or battalion foreman. Please don't be confused!

By the way, I like the system of assigning ranks in the Bundeswehr. The commander of a battalion or brigade decides whether to nominate yesterday’s cadet for the rank of lieutenant or let him remain a non-commissioned officer. Otherwise, even in the Soviet Army, sometimes we came across such lieutenants that the rest of the officers felt ashamed of such a brother. With the Germans, when he enters the school, he first serves as a soldier and the battalion decides whether to let him go to study for the next course or not, then he will serve as a squad commander, then as a platoon commander. And every time the battalion decides whether he is suitable for the next course or not. So, their lieutenant is really a lieutenant, and not something in officer’s uniform.

Let us remind you that officer shoulder straps differ from the shoulder straps of soldiers and non-commissioned officers by a second edging in the form of a silver flagellum, running along the shoulder strap next to the colored edging. All generals have a scarlet edging and a golden flagellum. ranks differ in the number of silver (golden for generals) stars. Among senior officers, in addition. at the bottom of the shoulder strap there is a silver wreath. The generals have it golden. also, the buttons on the shoulder straps of the generals are not silver, but golden.

The star view is shown on the left. It's still the same star. that was on the shoulder straps of the Wehrmacht.

The shoulder straps and insignia of officers and generals are as follows:

1-Leutnant, 2-Oberleutnant, 3-Hauptmann, 4-Stabshauptmann, 5-Major, 6-Oberstleutnant, 7-Oberst, 8 -Brigadegeneral (Brigadegeneral), 9-Generalmajor (Major General), 10-Generalleutnant (Generalleutnant), 11-General (General).

In general, in all Bundeswehr Ground Forces, the ranks and insignia of all branches and services are the same with the exception of officers and generals of the medical, dental, pharmaceutical and veterinary services. The soldiers and non-commissioned officers of these services have the usual ranks of the Ground Forces, shoulder straps and insignia. The color of the piping and buttonholes is cornflower blue. Officers and generals of these services wear the following emblems above the stars:

1-medical service; 2-dental service; 3-pharmaceutical service; 4-veterinary service.

Generals have golden emblems. officers have silver ones.

The placement of emblems on the shoulder straps of junior officers, senior officers and generals, respectively, is shown here.

The ranks in these services are named according to the shoulder straps shown above as follows (in the medical and dental services the ranks are the same): 1.-Assistentartz, Assistentapoteker, Assistentveterinaer. 2 -Oberartz (Oberartz), Oberapoteker (Oberapoteker), Oberaveterinaer (Oberveteriner). 3-Stabsartz (Stabsartz), Stabsapoteker (Stabsapoteker), Stabsveterinaer (Stabsveteriner). 4-ranks similar to Stabshauptmann do not exist in these services. 5-Oberstabsartz (Oberstabsartz), Oberstabsapoteker (Oberstabsapoteker), Oberstabsveterinaer (Oberstabsveteriner). 6-Oberfeldartz (Oberfeldartz), Oberfeldapoteker (Oberfeldapoteker), Oberfeldveterinaer (Oberfeldveteriner). 7-Oberstartz (Oberstartz), Oberstapoteker (Oberstapoteker), Oberstveterinaer (Oberstveteriner). 8-Generalartz (Generalartz), Generalapoteker (Generalapoteker), Generalveterinaer (General veterinarian). 9-Generalstabsartz (Generalstabsartz), Generalstabsapoteker (Generalstabsapoteker), Generalstabsveterinaer (Generalstabsveteriner). 10-Generaloberstabsartz (Generaloberstabsartz), no, Generaloberstabsveterinaer (Generaloberstabsveteriner).

To indicate the ranks of female military personnel, the ending in is added to the end of each word (for example, Oberstabsartzin (Oberstabsartzin)).

On the right side of the chest above the pocket, a serviceman may wear a badge indicating the type of duties he performs, his specialty, and the nature of his service. Some of these signs are shown below.

1. Command personnel (Fuehrungsdienstpersonal), 2-Aviation doctor (Fliegerarzt), 3- Chemical service specialist (ABC-/se- Personal), 4- Aircraft crew member (Luftfahrzeugbesatzungsangehoeriger), 5- Company sergeant major and his equal superiors (Kompaniefeldwebel und ihm die gleichen Vorgesetzten), 6-Military Aircraft Commander (Militaerluftfahrzeugfuehrer), 7-Communication Unit - Operational Information (Fernmeldetruppe Operative Information), 8-Flight Safety Control Personnel (Flugsicherungskontrollpersonal), 9-Military Topographical Service Personnel (Militaergeografisches Personal), 10-Technical personnel (Technisches Personal, 11-Rocket and aviation specialists (Raketen- und Flugkörperpersonal). 12-Military musicians (Militaermusikpersonal), 13-Medical personnel (Sanitaetspersonal), 14-Support personnel (Personal der Sicherungstruppe ), 15-Supply Service Personnel (Versorgungs-/ Nachschubpersonal), 16-General Badge of Ground Forces Personnel (Personal im allgemeinen Heeresdienst), 17-Field Mail (Feldjäger), 18-Ordnance Service Personnel (Rohrwaffenpersonal), 19-Driver (Kraftfahrpersonal ), 20-Diver (Taucher), 21-Diving doctor (Taucherarzt).

Army ranks

They were presented as follows:

• privates;
• non-commissioned officers without belts (a braided or belt sling for carrying a tashka, bladed weapons, and later firearms);
• non-commissioned officers with sword belts;
• lieutenants;
• captains;
• staff officers;
• generals.

Combat ranks also extended to military officials of various departments and departments. The military administration was divided into categories from the most junior non-commissioned officers to the noble generals.

Military colors of the Wehrmacht ground forces

In Germany, branches of the military were traditionally designated by the corresponding colors of edgings and buttonholes, hats and uniforms, and so on. They changed quite often. At the beginning of World War II, the following color division was in effect:

1. White - infantry and border guards , financiers and treasurers.
2. Scarlet - field, horse and self-propelled artillery, as well as general's piping, buttonholes and stripes.
3. Raspberry or carmine red - non-commissioned officers of the veterinary service, as well as buttonholes , stripes and shoulder straps of the Headquarters and General Staff of the High Command of the Wehrmacht and ground forces.
4. Pink – anti-tank self-propelled artillery; edging of details of tank uniforms; gaps and selection of buttonholes of service jackets of officers, gray-green jackets of non-commissioned officers and soldiers.
5. Golden yellow - cavalry, reconnaissance units of tank units and scooters.
6. Lemon yellow – signal troops.
7. Burgundy – military chemists and courts; smoke curtains and multi-barrel rocket-propelled “chemical” mortars.
8. Cherny - engineering troops (sapper, railway, training units), technical service. Tank unit sappers have black and white edging.
9. Cornflower blue - medical and sanitary personnel (except generals).
10. Light blue – edgings of motor transport parts.
11. Light green – military pharmacists, rangers and mountain units.
12. Grass Green – motorized infantry regiment, motorcycle units.
13. Gray - army propagandists and officers of the Landwehr and reserve (edging on shoulder straps in military colors).
14. Gray-blue - registration service, officials of the American administration, specialist officers.
15. Orange - military police and officers of the engineering academy, recruiting service (edging color).
16. Purple – military priests
17. Dark green – military officials.
18. Light red – quartermasters.
19. Blue - military lawyers.
20. Yellow - horse reserve service.
21. Lemonny – feldpost.
22. Light brown - recruit training service.

Shoulder straps in German military uniform

They had a dual purpose: as a means of determining rank and as carriers of a unitary function (fastening various types of equipment on the shoulder).

Shoulder straps of the Wehrmacht (rank and file) were made of simple cloth, but with edging, which had a certain color corresponding to the branch of the army. If we take into account the shoulder straps of a non-commissioned officer, we can note the presence of an additional edging consisting of braid (width - nine millimeters).

Until 1938, there was a special army shoulder strap exclusively for field uniforms, which was worn by all ranks below officer. It was entirely dark blue-green with a slightly tapered end towards the button. There was no edging attached to it, corresponding to the color of the branch of service. Wehrmacht soldiers, in order to highlight the color of the military branches, embroidered insignia (numbers, letters, emblems) on them.

The officers (lieutenants, captains) had narrower shoulder straps , which looked like two intertwined strands made of flat silver “Russian braid” (the strand is woven in such a way that thinner threads are visible). All strands were sewn onto the flap in the color of the branch of the military that is the basis of this shoulder strap. A special bend (U-shaped) of the braid in the place of the button helped create the illusion of eight strands of it, when in fact there were only two.

Wehrmacht (staff officers) shoulder straps the button located at the top of it.

The general's shoulder straps had a distinctive feature - “Russian braid”. It was made from two separate gold strands, twisted on both sides with one silver ribbed thread. The weaving method implied the appearance of three knots in the middle and four loops on each side in addition to one loop located around the button at the top of the shoulder strap.

Wehrmacht officials, as a rule, had the same shoulder straps as those of the active army. However, they were still distinguished by the slight introduction of a thread of dark green braid and various kinds of emblems.

It would not be amiss to remind you once again that shoulder straps are insignia of the Wehrmacht.

Coat of arms of the Third Reich (eagle with swastika)

Already a year after Hitler came to power on February 17, 1934, an order appeared to introduce a new insignia for the Reichswehr, primarily on steel helmets, caps, uniforms and jackets. This sign became an eagle with outstretched wings on a swastika.

The first uniform was a cap with an eagle with outstretched short wings and the head turned to the right, in the eagle's claws there was a swastika in a wreath. This insignia had a width of 4.9 cm and a height of 2.8 cm. In March 1935, a new, elegant uniform was introduced, which remained unchanged until the end of the war. The new sign had a width of 6.3 cm and a height of 2.5 cm. Until 1935, this flat sign was stamped from cupronickel, later from light aluminum. First of all, this sign was introduced on the caps of all branches of the military. In November 1942, it was first prescribed that from January 1, 1943, generals would wear this gold-colored badge on their caps (even on field caps and mountain caps ). Other ranks wore the eagle badge made of aluminum until the end of the war.

Individual representatives of the command could afford the sign of an eagle with a swastika on a handmade cap, embroidered with silver or aluminum threads (generals - gold). It was embroidered on a lining that was initially grey, but from 1935 dark blue-green cloth On November 16, 1942, this freedom for military dandies ended and a ban was introduced on wearing a handmade badge. However, despite this, officers continued to sew and wear such badges.

Cap

The so-called “Be-Vo” insignia was worn on this headdress. This name has taken root among modern collectors. It comes from the abbreviated name of the Ewald Forstecher Sewing Factory, the largest manufacturer of such insignia. For non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel, the coat of arms of the 3rd Reich was embroidered from silver or mouse-gray cotton thread, respectively. For officers, this badge was made of aluminum-colored threads and hand-embroidered. The cap was worn with an insignia, which was a smaller copy of the eagle insignia described above.

Generals and officers

For this group of command personnel, the coat of arms of the 3rd Reich was used, which underwent the following changes:

from October 1935 to July 1937: badge made by machine embroidery from aluminum thread on a gray base

from July 1937 to June 1943: a badge made of machine embroidery from aluminum thread on a base of dark blue-green color (for generals from January 1, 1943, a badge made of gold threads)

from June 1943: the badge was machine embroidered in aluminum and gold thread together with the black, white and red Reichswehr cockade, it was made separately on a dark blue-green base in a trapezoidal or T-shape.

Non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel

For this group of military personnel, the coat of arms of the 3rd Reich was used on the cap, which underwent the following changes:

from October 1935 to July 1937: badge made by machine embroidery from white thread on a gray base

July 1937 to June 1940: machine embroidered badge in silver-gray thread on a dark blue-green base

from June 1940 to June 1943: mouse gray insignia on a gray base from June 1943 to 1945: machine embroidery badge made of mouse or light gray thread with a cockade on a gray trapezoidal base or T-shaped (on the cap it is similar to 1942 and on the cap of a military unit).

Uniform jacket and uniform

In accordance with the order of February 17, 1934, the new insignia - the coat of arms of the 3rd Reich - was located horizontally on the right side of the chest at the level of the second button . Various styles of this sign are known: hand and machine embroidery. metal stamped. They were used according to the rank of the serviceman and part of the uniform. Handmade signs were especially notable for their wide variety of designs.

Generals wore gold-colored badges on their jackets and uniforms; for all other officers, the badge was embroidered from silver or aluminum-colored threads (the latter introduced in September 1935).

In March 1935, a badge of hand embroidery made of silver threads on a gray base was established for the ceremonial jacket, which was replaced with a dark blue-green base in June 1937. This innovation was later transferred from the piping to the jacket and uniform of the corresponding branch of the military.

In the same month, a hand-embroidered insignia made of silver or aluminum thread on a gray cloth base was introduced for the uniform jacket and field uniform (since June 1937, it was replaced by a dark blue-green cloth patch). Many officers wore hand-embroidered insignia on their uniforms, although this was prohibited by the regulations.

For the officer's summer white jacket, a raised stamped aluminum alloy insignia was introduced in November 1937, which was gold plated for generals and silver plated for officers. According to the order of July 15, 1938, generals wore hand-embroidered insignia on their tunic, uniform and field jacket; only for the white tunic it was prescribed to wear stamped metal insignia (however, in reality this rule was not always followed).

Non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel

The coat of arms of the 3rd Reich was worn as already described in the “Pilot” section. On certain parts of the uniform this insignia could be hand-embroidered as worn by officers, but this was an exception.

Belt fastener (buckle)

From January 1936, a belt buckle for non-commissioned officers and soldiers was introduced, using the Wehrmacht eagle buckle t.s. an eagle with its head turned to the right, with outstretched wings and a swastika without a wreath. The border included two crossed wreaths of oak leaves and the inscription “God is with us” on top. A short time later, in the same 1936, a sample was presented in which the eagle's head was turned to the left.

The same insignia was also on the buckle of the field belt of officers, which was introduced in July 1937. A special part of the officer’s uniform was the dress uniform, which differed from the everyday uniform and work uniform and was worn by special order. The dress uniform belt had its own characteristics. A 4.5 cm wide braided aluminum thread braid bordered two interwoven stripes of a dark blue-green color. The round clasp buckle - brushed aluminum color for officers and gold color for generals - also featured the Wehrmacht eagle, which was however framed by a wreath of oak leaves. On the reverse side of the field belt there was a lining made of gray fabric.

Coats of arms of the 3rd Reich for jackets and uniforms of generals and officers:

Field uniform

According to the order of November 12, 1934, a special black uniform was introduced for service in tank forces, which consisted of a protective helmet (like a beret), a field jacket and trousers. The embroidered insignia (eagle with swastika) on a black cloth base on the beret and jacket was initially white, then silver-gray cotton thread was used. During the war, mouse gray thread was used. Officers wore an embroidered or handmade insignia of light aluminum color on a black base.

Buttonholes and shoulder straps of generals

As mentioned earlier, Wehrmacht generals wore shoulder straps , which were woven using two thickened gold-metal strands and a silver soutache between them.

They also had removable shoulder straps , which (as in the case of the ground forces) had a lining made of scarlet cloth with a special figured cutout running along the contour of the harnesses (their lower edge). And the bent and sewn-in shoulder straps were distinguished by a straight lining.

Wehrmacht generals wore silver stars on their shoulder straps, but there was some difference: major generals had no stars, lieutenant generals had one, a general of a certain type of troops (infantry, tank troops, cavalry, etc.) had two, oberst general - three (two stars located next to each other at the bottom of the shoulder strap and one slightly above them). Previously, there was such a rank as Colonel General in the position of Field Marshal General, which was not used at the beginning of the war. The shoulder strap of this rank had two stars, which were located in its upper and lower parts. A field marshal could be identified by the crossed silver batons along his shoulder straps.

There were also exceptional moments. So, for example, Gerd von Rundstedt (Field Marshal General, who was removed from command due to the defeat near Rostov, chief of the 18th Infantry Regiment) wore the regiment number on his shoulder straps on top of his field marshal's batons, as well as the white and silver ceremonial buttonholes of an infantry officer troops in return for the richly ornamented gold buttonholes embroidered on a scarlet cloth flap (size 40x90 mm) for generals. Their design was found back in the days of the Kaiser’s army and the Reichswehr; with the formation of the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany, it also appeared among generals.

From the beginning of April 1941, elongated buttonholes , which had three (instead of the previous two) ornamental elements and shoulder straps made of golden thickened cords.

Another sign of the general's dignity is stripes.

The field marshal could also carry in his hand a natural staff, which was made of particularly valuable wood, individually decorated, generously inlaid with silver and gold and decorated with reliefs.

Braunschweig Death's Head Sign

This Death's Head sign dates back to 1809 from the "Black Troop" of Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Brauischweig-Ols. The skull was longer than on the Prussian example and rested with the upper jaw on the crossed bones. The sign was supposed to remind of the glorious military deeds of the former Brunswick military units: Infantry Regiment No. 92 and Hussar Regiment No. 17, which during the 1st World War were part of the 10th Army Corps. This honorary badge was awarded in the Reichswehr to the 1st and 4th companies of the 1st Brunswick Battalion of the 13th Infantry Regiment and the 4th Squadron of the 13th Prussian Cavalry Regiment.

By order of February 25, 1938, this badge was awarded to: headquarters, 1st and 2nd battalions and 13th and 14th companies of the 17th infantry regiment. By the same order, the 2nd division of the 13th cavalry regiment received the right to wear this sign.

The corresponding order of February 10, 1939 was supposed to replace the Braunschweig Death's Head sign with a Prussian model, but this order, like other similar ones, was unlikely to be executed. Most of the military personnel of these units continued to wear the Brunswick pattern.

On the eve of September 1, 1939, the 13th cavalry regiment was disbanded and on its basis the 22nd and 30th were created. 152nd p 158th reconnaissance battalions, whose military personnel continued to wear the previous commemorative insignia.

On May 25, 1944, the cavalry regiment "South", formed in the same year, was renamed the 41st Cavalry Regiment, which retained the tradition of the right to wear the Brunswick "Death's Head" badge. A little later, this right extended to all military personnel of the 4th Cavalry Brigade, which included this regiment. Only the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the same brigade continued to wear the Prussian Death's Head pattern.

Personal identification mark

It looked like an oval aluminum token with three longitudinal slots, which served so that at a certain moment (the hour of death) it could be broken into two halves (the first, with two holes, was left on the body of the deceased, and the second half with one hole was given to headquarters).

Wehrmacht soldiers wore this identification mark, usually on a chain or neck cord. The following was stamped on each token: blood type, badge number, battalion number, regiment number where this badge was issued for the first time. This information was supposed to accompany the soldier throughout his entire service life, if necessary supplemented by similar data from other units and troops.

An image of German military personnel can be seen in the photo “Wehrmacht Soldier” shown above.