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__NOTOC__ ''Gruppenführer'' (, ) was an early paramilitary rank of the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
(NSDAP), first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA. Since then, the term ''Gruppenführer'' is also used for leaders of groups/teams of the police, fire departments, military and several other organizations.


History

In 1930, ''Gruppenführer'' became an SS rank and was originally bestowed upon those officers who commanded '' SS-Gruppen'' and also upon senior officers of the SS command staff. In 1932, the SS was reorganized and the ''SS-Gruppen'' were reformed into '' SS-Abschnitte''. A ''Gruppenführer'' commanded an ''SS-Abschnitt'' while a new rank, that of ''
Obergruppenführer ' (, "senior group leader") was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissio ...
'', oversaw the '' SS-Oberabschnitte'' which were the largest SS units in Germany. Initially in the SA, NSKK, and SS, the rank of ''Gruppenführer'' was considered equivalent to a full
general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...
, but became regarded as equivalent to '' Generalleutnant'' after 1934. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, when 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 volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands. The grew from th ...
began using the rank, an ''SS-Gruppenführer'' was considered equal to a ''Generalleutnant'' in the ''
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...
'' and was referred to as ''SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS''. ''Waffen-SS Gruppenführer'' also displayed the shoulder boards of a ''Wehrmacht Generalleutnant''. The insignia for SS-''Gruppenführer'' consisted of three oak leaves centred on both collars of an
SS uniform The uniforms and insignia of the ''Schutzstaffel'' served to distinguish the Nazi Germany paramilitary ranks, Nazi paramilitary ranks of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) between 1925 and 1945 from the ranks of the ''Wehrmacht'' (the regular German arme ...
. From 1930 to 1942, the SS insignia was the same as the SA badge of rank; however the SS modified the ''Gruppenführer'' insignia slightly to include a collar pip (stern, a star), upon the creation of the rank '' SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer'' in April 1942. In the SA, a ''Gruppenführer'' was typically in charge of a number of regiments (known as ''Standarten'') which were formed into ''SA-Gruppen''. The rank of ''Gruppenführer'' was also used in several other Nazi paramilitary groups, among them the National Socialist Motor Corps (NSKK) and the National Socialist Flyers Corps (NSFK). In October 1944, the rank of ''Gruppenführer'' was adopted by the '' Volkssturm'' as a low level
non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
position in charge of squad sized formations (''Gruppe'') of ''Volkssturm'' soldiers. The term is also a generic term for the function of a leader of a squad of
infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...
(9 or 10 men – ''Gruppe'') in the German Army (''Heer''), Waffen-SS, or
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...
ground troops. File:Wilhelm Brückner (1884-1954, Adolf Hitler's chief adjutant) Portrait SS-Gruppenführer uniform late 1930s (?) National Archives NARA (US seized WW2 enemy property) 242-HF-0037 001 Unrestricted No known copyright.jpg, Hitler's Chief Adjutant Wilhelm Brückner wearing his
Sturmabteilung The (; SA; literally "Storm Detachment (military), Detachment") was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing pro ...
uniform with SA collar tab rank insignia as ''SA-Gruppenführer'' 1933–1934.
Photo:
NARA The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...
File:Heinz Reinefarth.jpg, ''SS-Gruppenführer'' Heinz Reinefarth wearing the post-April 1942 SS rank insignia.


Insignia

File:SA-Gruppenführer Collar tab.svg, Gorget patch/collar tab
(
Sturmabteilung The (; SA; literally "Storm Detachment (military), Detachment") was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing pro ...
) File:Grufpre1942.png, Gorget patch
until April 1942
( Allgemeine SS 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 volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands. The grew from th ...
) File:HH-SS-Gruppenfuhrer-Collar.png, Gorget patches
1942–1945
(Allgemeine SS and Waffen-SS) File:SS-Gruppenführer.svg, Shoulder board
(Waffen-SS) File:NSFK-Gruppenführer.svg,
NSFK The National Socialist Flyers Corps (german: Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps; NSFK) was a paramilitary aviation organization of the Nazi Party. History NSFK was founded 15 April 1937 as a successor to the German Air Sports Association; the ...
Gorget patch File:NSKK-Gruppenführer.svg, NSKK Gorget patch


See also

* List of SS-Gruppenführer * Comparative ranks of Nazi Germany * Uniforms and insignia of the Sturmabteilung * Uniforms and insignia of the Schutzstaffel *
Corps colours (Waffen-SS) Corps colours, or Troop-function colours (German: ''Waffenfarben'') were worn in the Waffen-SS from 1938 until 1945 in order to distinguish between various branches of service, units, and functions. The corps colours were part of the pipings, gorg ...
* Table of ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS


References

Notes Bibliography * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gruppenfuhrer SS ranks Nazi paramilitary ranks German words and phrases Two-star officers of Nazi Germany Lists of generals