''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a
paramilitary
A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
rank
Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as:
Level or position in a hierarchical organization
* Academic rank
* Diplomatic rank
* Hierarchy
* ...
of the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
(NSDAP) that was used between the years of 1932 to 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an
SS rank. As an
SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as ''
Untergruppenführer
''Untergruppenführer'' (junior group leader) was a rare and short lived rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' which existed in the SA for a few months in late 1929 and 1930. The rank was created as an intermediary position between the ranks of SA-''O ...
'' in late 1929 and 1930.
The rank was first created due to an expansion of the
SS and assigned to those officers in command of ''SS-Brigaden''. In 1933, the ''SS-Brigaden'' were changed in name to ''SS-Abschnitte''; however, the rank of ''Brigadeführer'' remained the same.
Originally, ''Brigadeführer'' was considered the second general officer rank of the SS and ranked between ''
Oberführer
__NOTOC__
''Oberführer'' (short: ''Oberf'', , ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) dating back to 1921. An ''Oberführer'' was typically a NSDAP member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographic ...
'' and ''
Gruppenführer''. This changed with the rise of the
Waffen-SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
and the ''
Ordnungspolizei
The ''Ordnungspolizei'' (), abbreviated ''Orpo'', meaning "Order Police", were the uniformed police force in Nazi Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo organisation was absorbed into the Nazi monopoly on power after regional police jurisdiction w ...
''. In both of those organizations, ''Brigadeführer'' was the equivalent to a ''
Generalmajor
is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries.
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...
'' and ranked above an ''
Oberst
''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...
'' in the
German Army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
or police. The rank of ''Generalmajor'' was the equivalent of
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
, a one-star general in the US Army.
The insignia for ''Brigadeführer'' was at first two oak leaves and a silver pip, however was changed in April 1942 to a three oak leaf design after the creation of the rank ''
SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer
''SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer'' () was (from 1942 to 1945) the highest commissioned rank in the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS), with the exception of '' Reichsführer-SS'', which became a commissioned rank when held by SS commander Heinrich Himmler. Th ...
''.
''Brigadeführer'' in the Waffen-SS or police also wore the shoulder insignia of a ''Generalmajor'' and were referred to as such after their SS rank (e.g. ''SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS und Polizei'').
Insignia
SS-Brigadefuehrer collar pre 1942.jpg, Gorget patch
Gorget patches (collar tabs, collar patches) are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform ( gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign the military rank (group o ...
until April 1942
(Allgemeine SS
The ''Allgemeine SS'' (; "General SS") was a major branch of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany; it was managed by the SS Main Office (''SS-Hauptamt''). The ''Allgemeine SS'' was officially established in the autum ...
and Waffen-SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
)
HH-SS-Brigadefuhrer-Collar.png, Gorget patches
1942–1945
(Allgemeine SS and Waffen-SS)
SS-Brigadeführer.svg, Shoulder board
A shoulder mark, also called rank slide, or slip-on, is a flat cloth sleeve worn on the shoulder strap of a uniform. It may bear Military rank, rank or other insignia. A shoulder mark should not be confused with a ''shoulder board'' (which is a ...
(Waffen-SS)
NSFK-Brigadeführer.svg, NSFK gorget patch
NSKK-Brigadeführer.svg, NSKK gorget patch
See also
*
Corps colours (Waffen-SS) Corps colours, or Troop-function colours (German language, German: ''Waffenfarben'') were worn in the Waffen-SS from 1938 until 1945 in order to distinguish between various Military branch, branches of service, units, and functions. The corps colour ...
*
List SS-Brigadeführer
*
Table of ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS
__NOTOC__
This table contains the final ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS, which were in use from April 1942 to May 1945, in comparison to the Wehrmacht. The highest ranks of the combined SS (german: Gesamt-SS) was that of and ; however, the ...
Notes
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brigadefuhrer
SS ranks
Nazi paramilitary ranks
German words and phrases
One-star officers of Nazi Germany
Lists of generals