Junker (SS rank)
Encyclopedia
Junker was a paramilitary Nazi
rank that was used by the Schutzstaffel
(SS) between the years of 1933 and 1945. The rank was a special position held by those aspiring for officer commissions in the armed wing of the SS, first known as the SS-Verfügungstruppe
and later as the Waffen-SS
.
The SS rank
of Junker was an appointed position with an SS member required to enlist in the SS for at least six months to a year before consideration could be given for officer training. SS-Junker was also strictly a rank of the Verfügungstruppe and Waffen-SS and was not used by the Allgemeine-SS, or "General" SS.
Typically, a Waffen-SS member reaching the rank of Rottenführer
could choose either to embark on the career path of an SS-non-commissioned officer
or could apply to join the officer corps of the Waffen-SS
. If choosing the latter, an SS member was required to obtain a written recommendation from their commander and undergo a racial and political screening process to determine eligibility for commission as an SS officer. If accepted into the SS officer program, an SS member would be assigned to one of several Junkerschulen and would be appointed to the rank of SS-Junker upon arrival. Situations did exist, however, where SS members would hold their previous enlisted rank while at the Junkerschule and only be appointed to the rank of SS-Junker after a probationary period had passed.
This officer candidate system was to ensure that future SS officers had prior enlisted experience and that there were no “direct appointments” in the Waffen-SS officer corps as was often the case in other SS branches such as the Gestapo
and Sicherheitsdienst
. Ample evidence exists, however, that certain SS members with “connections” could obtain an appointment as an SS-Junker without ever having served in the enlisted ranks or with only a few weeks of basic enlisted training before transferring to a Junkerschule.
Upon reaching the rank of SS-Standartenoberjunker, the SS-Officer Candidate
would be permitted to display the silver chin strap of an SS officer and would be assigned to a field SS unit for final evaluation and field examination. Upon passing this final exam, the Standartenoberjunker would be promoted to the rank of SS-Untersturmführer
usually in an elaborate ceremony.
The entire process for an SS-Junker to become an SS officer usually took between 18 to 24 months to complete. The SS had planned, once World War II
had ended, to establish SS academies which would be four year institutions much like the present day United States service academies. As World War II progressed, however, the manpower needs of the Waffen-SS grew to such a level that SS officer candidates would undergo no more than 6 months training by 1945 and, in some cases, were directly commissioned in the field without ever having attended a Junkerschule.
Junker
as a military rank ceased to exist in the German armed forces in 1945 with the downfall of Nazi Germany
. The rank of Fahnenjunker is used in the Bundeswehr for Officer Candidate
s in the army and navy.
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
rank that was used by the Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
(SS) between the years of 1933 and 1945. The rank was a special position held by those aspiring for officer commissions in the armed wing of the SS, first known as the SS-Verfügungstruppe
SS-Verfügungstruppe
The SS-Verfügungstruppe was formed in 1934 as combat troops for the NSDAP. By 1940 these military SS units had become the nucleus of the Waffen-SS....
and later as the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
.
The SS rank
Ranks and insignia of the Schutzstaffel
The uniforms and insignia of the Schutzstaffel were paramilitary ranks and uniforms used by the SS between 1925 and 1945 to differentiate that organization from the regular German armed forces, the German state, and the Nazi Party....
of Junker was an appointed position with an SS member required to enlist in the SS for at least six months to a year before consideration could be given for officer training. SS-Junker was also strictly a rank of the Verfügungstruppe and Waffen-SS and was not used by the Allgemeine-SS, or "General" SS.
Typically, a Waffen-SS member reaching the rank of Rottenführer
Rottenführer
Rottenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in the year 1932. The rank of Rottenführer was used by several Nazi paramilitary groups, among them the Sturmabteilung , the Schutzstaffel and was senior to the paramilitary rank of Sturmmann.The insignia for Rottenführer...
could choose either to embark on the career path of an SS-non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
or could apply to join the officer corps of the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
. If choosing the latter, an SS member was required to obtain a written recommendation from their commander and undergo a racial and political screening process to determine eligibility for commission as an SS officer. If accepted into the SS officer program, an SS member would be assigned to one of several Junkerschulen and would be appointed to the rank of SS-Junker upon arrival. Situations did exist, however, where SS members would hold their previous enlisted rank while at the Junkerschule and only be appointed to the rank of SS-Junker after a probationary period had passed.
This officer candidate system was to ensure that future SS officers had prior enlisted experience and that there were no “direct appointments” in the Waffen-SS officer corps as was often the case in other SS branches such as the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
. Ample evidence exists, however, that certain SS members with “connections” could obtain an appointment as an SS-Junker without ever having served in the enlisted ranks or with only a few weeks of basic enlisted training before transferring to a Junkerschule.
Levels
The rank of SS-Junker was divided into four levels, those being Junker, Oberjunker, Standartenjunker, and Standartenoberjunker. The insignia for these ranks was identical to the ranks of the SS non-commissioned officer corps and promotion between the Junker ranks was dependent upon passing a variety of written, physical, and field exercise examinations while a student at the Junkerschule.Upon reaching the rank of SS-Standartenoberjunker, the SS-Officer Candidate
Officer Candidate
Officer Candidate is a rank in some militaries of the world that is an appointed position while a person is in training to become an officer. More often than not, an Officer Candidate was a civilian who applied to join the military directly as an officer...
would be permitted to display the silver chin strap of an SS officer and would be assigned to a field SS unit for final evaluation and field examination. Upon passing this final exam, the Standartenoberjunker would be promoted to the rank of SS-Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
usually in an elaborate ceremony.
The entire process for an SS-Junker to become an SS officer usually took between 18 to 24 months to complete. The SS had planned, once World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
had ended, to establish SS academies which would be four year institutions much like the present day United States service academies. As World War II progressed, however, the manpower needs of the Waffen-SS grew to such a level that SS officer candidates would undergo no more than 6 months training by 1945 and, in some cases, were directly commissioned in the field without ever having attended a Junkerschule.
Junker
Junker
A Junker was a member of the landed nobility of Prussia and eastern Germany. These families were mostly part of the German Uradel and carried on the colonization and Christianization of the northeastern European territories during the medieval Ostsiedlung. The abbreviation of Junker is Jkr...
as a military rank ceased to exist in the German armed forces in 1945 with the downfall of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. The rank of Fahnenjunker is used in the Bundeswehr for Officer Candidate
Officer Candidate
Officer Candidate is a rank in some militaries of the world that is an appointed position while a person is in training to become an officer. More often than not, an Officer Candidate was a civilian who applied to join the military directly as an officer...
s in the army and navy.
| SS Officer Candidate Rank | SS Enlisted Equivalent |
| Standartenoberjunker | Hauptscharführer Hauptscharführer Hauptscharführer was a Nazi paramilitary rank which was used by the Schutzstaffel between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank was the highest enlisted rank of the SS, with the exception of the special Waffen-SS rank of Sturmscharführer.... |
| Standartenjunker | Oberscharführer Oberscharführer Oberscharführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between the years of 1932 and 1945. Translated as “Senior Squad Leader”, Oberscharführer was first used as a rank of the Sturmabteilung and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership... |
| Oberjunker | Scharführer Scharführer Scharführer was a Nazi Party title that was used by several paramilitary organizations from 1925 to 1945. Translated as “Squad Leader”, the title of Scharführer can trace its origins to the First World War, where a Scharführer was often a Sergeant or Corporal who commanded special action or shock... |
| Junker | Unterscharführer Unterscharführer Unterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives... |
Source
- "Loyalty is My Honor, Personal accounts from the Waffen-SS"
- SS service record of Joachim PeiperJoachim PeiperJoachim Peiper , more often known as Jochen Peiper, was a field officer in the Waffen-SS during World War II, convicted of war crimes in Belgium and accused of war crimes in Italy. He was Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's personal adjutant . In 1945, he was an SS-Standartenführer, the Waffen-SS's...
(National Archives and Records AdministrationNational Archives and Records AdministrationThe National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
)