The SS ranks and their approximate U.S. Army equivalents are as follows:
|
Table 12: SS ranks and their approximate |
|
|
U.S. Army |
SS |
|
Private |
SS Mann |
|
Private First Class |
Sturmmann |
|
Corporal |
Rottenführer |
|
Sergeant |
Unterscharführer |
|
Staff Sergeant |
Scharführer |
|
Technical Sergeant |
Oberscharführer |
|
Master Sergeant |
Hauptscharführer |
|
First Sergeant |
Sturmscharführer |
|
Second Lieutenant |
Untersturmführer |
|
First Lieutenant |
Obersturmführer |
|
Captain |
Hauptsturmführer |
|
Major |
Sturmbannführer |
|
Lieutenant Colonel |
Obersturmbannführer |
|
Colonel |
Standartenführer |
|
Colonel |
Oberführer |
|
Brigadier General |
Brigadeführer |
|
Lieutenant General |
Gruppenführer |
|
General |
Obergruppenführer |
|
General of the Army |
Oberstgruppenführer |
One can exercise a certain amount of choice on this subject. The three grades of Gruppenführer are sometimes equated with Major General, Lieutenant General and General, respectively. An Oberführer is sometimes described as a "Senior Colonel" or a Brigadier General; in the latter case a Brigadeführer is equated with a Major General.
These ranks had their origin in the early days when the SS was something of an offshoot of the SA, which had similar ranks.
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