Talk:Nazi Germany paramilitary ranks

Comparing Ranks
Were the ranks of the SA, SS, and Waffen SS essentially the same? There should be a page comparing all ranks of Nazi Germany, both military and paramilitary.

Those Wacky Nazis...
One can (and should) say many bad things about the Nazis, but boy could those guys invent ranks and distinctions - and both in a very orderly, repetitive and logical fasion.


 * I found this sentiment highly interesting: Nazi Germany had by this account a rank such as Dai-Gensui to the Japanese or Dae Wonsu to the North Koreans: (a God-rank in the military): Hoheren Sinnestrager as per this source - ...The terminology is quite suggestive. To call God a Hoheren Sinnestrager meant linguistically to give him some place in the military hierarchy, since the Nazis had changed the military... the 'God-believers' (don't call them 'Christians'!, "God" is a teutonic rooted word, etc, etc) had a rank for God in Nazi Germany it appears? (I wonder where this term is actually used however) 65.102.40.8 (talk) 06:38, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Wehrmacht doesn't fit in here
The Wehrmacht was the German armed forces - not quite a PARAmilitary but a very military institution indeed. Boeing720 (talk) 21:51, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

Supreme commander of the Wehrmacht (all armed frorces)
Was before december 1941 Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch, and after the defeat outside of Moscow Adolf Hitler himself. Commander of OKW was Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel. I do not see how Hermann Göring fits in here. However Heinrich Himmler was the only RFSS, Reichsführer der SS, and ought to stand at top level under SS. And all SS-officers should move up one step. Oberstgruppenfüher came second (after Himmler) then Obergruppenführer (both ranks were Field Marshals, Generalfeldmarschall, and Gruppenfüher eaqualed General. The Wehrmacht ranks were not invented by NSDAP by the way Boeing720 (talk) 22:07, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
 * In the book by historian, Chris McNab, The SS: 1923-1945 he states that after 1934, Reichsführer-SS became the highest rank of the SS and was considered on paper the equivalent of a Generalfeldmarschall in the German Army. However as Himmler's position and authority grew in Nazi Germany, so did his rank in a "de facto" sense to the equivalent of Reichsmarshall. McNab, pp. 9, 17, 26-27, 30, 46-47. But with that said, Himmler's rank on paper was still equivalent to a Field Marshal in the German Army. Again, Himmler (from 1942 I would say and other's point to 1943) carried more weight but that was due to the fact he was Reichsführer-SS, Chief of the German Police and from 1943 forward, Minister of the Interior. But this chart is going by the SS rank on paper, so to speak. Kierzek (talk) 23:15, 1 May 2013 (UTC)


 * You're absolutly true about Himmler's growing power. What I ment was that his SS-title "RFSS, Reichsführer der SS" was a rank that only one person had. But "Generalfeldmarschall" or Field Marshal was a title that was held by rather many. I do not doubt the sources You mention, but reguardless of "on paper"-conciderations (so to speak), I still think that it wouldn't be wrong to put him at highest possible rank (excluding only "der Führer"). But that's only my subjective opinion. Boeing720 (talk) 02:52, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

HJ Children Ranks
Putting the HJ children ranks into the hierarchy actually skews the table pretty badly. For instance, a Bannfuhrer was more like a lieutenant or captain - certainly not a colonel and the HJ children ranks were not equatable to senior NCOs in the German Army. Rather the opposite, even the highest HJ child rank would have been outranked by a German Corporal or even Private. I've never heard of a single case where HJ minors commanded active duty German soldiers. I believe the table should be changed. -OberRanks (talk) 12:56, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
 * I agree. Kierzek (talk) 13:09, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
 * I added a disputed tag as the problem persists even three years later. -O.R.Comms 14:19, 21 July 2018 (UTC)
 * I agreed back in 2015, and still do today with your points. If there is no object posted, you should go ahead and remove them after a week or so. Kierzek (talk) 15:35, 21 July 2018 (UTC)