Oberstgruppenführer
Encyclopedia
Oberst-Gruppenführer was (from 1942 to 1945) the highest commissioned SS rank with the exception of Reichsführer-SS
, which was a special rank held by Heinrich Himmler
. Correctly the rank was spelled Oberst-Gruppenführer to avoid confusion with the Obergruppenführer
rank junior to it.
Oberst-Gruppenführer was considered the equivalent of a Colonel General
(Generaloberst) in the Wehrmacht
, which, in turn, is generally seen as the equivalent of Four-star rank or Army general
in other armed forces.
First created in 1942, the Oberst-Gruppenführer rank was held by four men during the three years of its existence, of which only two held Waffen-SS
field commands. The rank of Oberst-Gruppenführer was conceived originally as a Waffen-SS rank, with the intent being to appoint its holders to be the SS commanders of certain Panzer Armies. However, appointments were delayed by the General Staff of the Wehrmacht, who did not want an SS General to hold that much power. In the spring of 1942, the first two appointments were at last issued on Adolf Hitler
's personal authority. Both were political SS appointments with the second one being a dual promotion within the Ordnungspolizei
, making Kurt Daluege
a Generaloberst der Polizei at the same time. Daluege's rank was the only police promotion to this rank; the other promotion was for Party Treasurer and RZM
chief Franz Xaver Schwarz
.
The last two of the four Oberst-Gruppenführer promotions were made in 1944, this time to Waffen-SS Generals. The Oberst-Gruppenführer rank was only ever worn on the field-grey Waffen-SS tunic or the grey SS service tunic (or, in Daluege's case, police uniform), and there are no photographic records of the insignia ever being worn on the black ceremonial uniform, which had largely fallen into disuse by the time the rank was created.
In all, the following individuals held this highest of SS ranks:
In 1944, Heinrich Himmler offered to appoint Albert Speer
to the honorary rank of Oberst-Gruppenführer. Speer declined, not wishing to formally be subordinate to Himmler. Hermann Göring
was also offered the rank in 1945, but refused to accept the position due to his dislike of Himmler. The successor to Himmler, Karl Hanke
never held the rank of Oberst-Gruppenführer, but was appointed Reichsführer-SS
from the lower grade of Obergruppenführer
.
Those obtaining the rank of Oberst-Guppenführer were also typically granted equivalent police or Waffen-SS General rank. Franz Xaver Schwarz
, who held Ehrenführer (honorary) rank, was the only holder of the rank who was not granted equivalent police or Waffen-SS rank.
The rank Oberst-Guppenführer has also appeared in fiction, and was depicted in Robert Harris
's novel Fatherland
, set in the 1960s in a parallel history where Germany had won the Second World War. In the novel, Arthur Nebe
makes an appearance as an SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer while serving as commander of the Kriminalpolizei
. The insignia for Oberst-Gruppenführer is also worn by Ian McKellen
as the dictator-king Richard III
in the film adaptation of the play, set in 1930s Great Britain.
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
, which was a special rank held by Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
. Correctly the rank was spelled Oberst-Gruppenführer to avoid confusion with the Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
rank junior to it.
Oberst-Gruppenführer was considered the equivalent of a Colonel General
Colonel General
Colonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
(Generaloberst) in the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, which, in turn, is generally seen as the equivalent of Four-star rank or Army general
Army General
For the army rank of General, as opposed to the specific rank of Army General, see General officer.Army General is a title used in many countries to denote the rank of General nominally commanding an army in the field...
in other armed forces.
First created in 1942, the Oberst-Gruppenführer rank was held by four men during the three years of its existence, of which only two held 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...
field commands. The rank of Oberst-Gruppenführer was conceived originally as a Waffen-SS rank, with the intent being to appoint its holders to be the SS commanders of certain Panzer Armies. However, appointments were delayed by the General Staff of the Wehrmacht, who did not want an SS General to hold that much power. In the spring of 1942, the first two appointments were at last issued on Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's personal authority. Both were political SS appointments with the second one being a dual promotion within the Ordnungspolizei
Ordnungspolizei
The Ordnungspolizei or Orpo were the uniformed regular police force in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei...
, making Kurt Daluege
Kurt Daluege
Kurt Daluege was a German Nazi SS-Oberstgruppenführer and Generaloberst der Polizei as chief of the Ordnungspolizei and ruled the Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia as Deputy Protector after Reinhard Heydrich's assassination.-Early life and career:Kurt Daluege, a son of a Prussian state official,...
a Generaloberst der Polizei at the same time. Daluege's rank was the only police promotion to this rank; the other promotion was for Party Treasurer and RZM
Reichszeugmeisterei
The Reichszeugmeisterei , formally located in Munich, was the first and eventually the primary Zeugmeisterei , as well as the national material control office of Nazi Germany...
chief Franz Xaver Schwarz
Franz Xaver Schwarz
Franz Xaver Schwarz was a German politician who served as Reichsschatzmeister of the Nazi Party during most of the Party's existence.-Early life:...
.
The last two of the four Oberst-Gruppenführer promotions were made in 1944, this time to Waffen-SS Generals. The Oberst-Gruppenführer rank was only ever worn on the field-grey Waffen-SS tunic or the grey SS service tunic (or, in Daluege's case, police uniform), and there are no photographic records of the insignia ever being worn on the black ceremonial uniform, which had largely fallen into disuse by the time the rank was created.
In all, the following individuals held this highest of SS ranks:
- Kurt DaluegeKurt DaluegeKurt Daluege was a German Nazi SS-Oberstgruppenführer and Generaloberst der Polizei as chief of the Ordnungspolizei and ruled the Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia as Deputy Protector after Reinhard Heydrich's assassination.-Early life and career:Kurt Daluege, a son of a Prussian state official,...
, 20 April 1942 (und Generaloberst der Polizei) - Franz Xaver SchwarzFranz Xaver SchwarzFranz Xaver Schwarz was a German politician who served as Reichsschatzmeister of the Nazi Party during most of the Party's existence.-Early life:...
, 20 April 1942 (Ehrenführer, honorary leader) - Sepp DietrichSepp DietrichJosef "Sepp" Dietrich was a German SS General. He was one of Nazi Germany's most decorated soldiers and commanded formations up to Army level during World War II. Prior to 1929 he was Adolf Hitler's chauffeur and bodyguard but received rapid promotion after his participation in the murder of...
, 1 August 1944 (und Panzer-Generaloberst der Waffen-SS) - Paul HausserPaul HausserPaul "Papa" Hausser was an officer in the German Army, achieving the high rank of lieutenant-general in the inter-war Reichswehr. After retirement from the regular Army he became the "father" of the Waffen-SS and one of its most eminent leaders...
, 1 August 1944 (und Generaloberst der Waffen-SS)
In 1944, Heinrich Himmler offered to appoint Albert Speer
Albert Speer
Albert Speer, born Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer, was a German architect who was, for a part of World War II, Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich. Speer was Adolf Hitler's chief architect before assuming ministerial office...
to the honorary rank of Oberst-Gruppenführer. Speer declined, not wishing to formally be subordinate to Himmler. Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
was also offered the rank in 1945, but refused to accept the position due to his dislike of Himmler. The successor to Himmler, Karl Hanke
Karl Hanke
Karl August Hanke was an official of the National Socialist German Workers Party . He served as governor of Lower Silesia from 1941 to 1945 and as the final Reichsführer-SS for a few days in 1945.- Early life :Hanke was born in Lauban in Silesia, on 24 August 1903, the son of a locomotive...
never held the rank of Oberst-Gruppenführer, but was appointed Reichsführer-SS
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
from the lower grade of Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
.
Those obtaining the rank of Oberst-Guppenführer were also typically granted equivalent police or Waffen-SS General rank. Franz Xaver Schwarz
Franz Xaver Schwarz
Franz Xaver Schwarz was a German politician who served as Reichsschatzmeister of the Nazi Party during most of the Party's existence.-Early life:...
, who held Ehrenführer (honorary) rank, was the only holder of the rank who was not granted equivalent police or Waffen-SS rank.
The rank Oberst-Guppenführer has also appeared in fiction, and was depicted in Robert Harris
Robert Harris (novelist)
Robert Dennis Harris is an English novelist. He is a former journalist and BBC television reporter.-Early life:Born in Nottingham, Harris spent his childhood in a small rented house on a Nottingham council estate. His ambition to become a writer arose at an early age, from visits to the local...
's novel Fatherland
Fatherland (novel)
Fatherland is a bestselling 1992 thriller by the English writer and journalist Robert Harris. It takes the form of a high concept alternative history set in a world in which Nazi Germany won World War II.The novel was an immediate bestseller in Britain...
, set in the 1960s in a parallel history where Germany had won the Second World War. In the novel, Arthur Nebe
Arthur Nebe
SS-Gruppenführer Arthur Nebe was a member of the NSDAP party with card number 574,307. In July 1931, he joined the SS and his membership number was 280,152. His early career included the Berlin position of Police Commissioner in the 1920s...
makes an appearance as an SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer while serving as commander of the Kriminalpolizei
Kriminalpolizei
is the standard term for the criminal investigation agency within the police forces of Germany, Austria and the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland. In Nazi Germany during 1936, the Kripo became the Criminal Police Department for the entire Reich...
. The insignia for Oberst-Gruppenführer is also worn by Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
as the dictator-king Richard III
Richard III (1995 film)
Richard III is a 1995 drama film adapted from William Shakespeare's play of the same name, starring Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, John Wood and Dominic West....
in the film adaptation of the play, set in 1930s Great Britain.
Additional reading
- "Loyalty is my Honor": Personal Accounts from the Waffen-SS
- SS-service records of Kurt Daluege, Paul Hausser, and Sepp Dietrich: National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland
| Junior Rank Obergruppenführer Obergruppenführer Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS... |
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.... Oberst-Gruppenführer |
Senior Rank Reichsführer-SS Reichsführer-SS was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:... |