Ranks and insignia of the Ordnungspolizei

The wreathed Polizeiadler (police eagle) was worn as a cap badge and on the left sleeve by all uniformed police

The ranks and insignia of the Ordnungspolizei were developed in 1936 after the nationalization of Germany's regular police forces.

Ordnungspolizei rank titles

Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) ranks were based on local police titles and were considered a separate system from the ranks of the SS. It was also possible for Orpo members to hold dual status in both the Orpo and the SS, meaning that two ranks could be held simultaneously. In the case of Orpo generals, equivalent SS rank was always held in which case the Orpo general would be addressed by their SS rank first, followed by their police titles (for example: SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei). In 1944, all Orpo generals also gained equivalent Waffen-SS rank so that, in the event of capture by the Allies, the Orpo general would hold status as a military officer instead of a police official.

Orpo personnel who were also members of the Allgemeine-SS were authorized to wear an embroidered SS Sigrunen patch on the breast pocket.

Ordnungspolizei rank insignia

In addition to collar and shoulder insignia, Ordnungspolizei also wore the wreathed police eagle on the upper left sleeve. The collar patch and shoulderboards were backed, and the sleeve eagle (below the rank of Leutnant) embroidered, in truppenfarbe, a color-code which indicated the branch of police: green for Schutzpolizei (protection police) and police general officers, wine-red for Gemeindepolizei (municipal protection police), orange for rural Gendarmerie, carmine-red for fire brigades, gold for maritime police, light grey for administrative police.^[1]

Orpo general rank	SS equivalent	Shoulder insignia	Collar insignia 1936-42	Collar insignia 1942-45
Chef der Deutschen Polizei	Reichsführer-SS
Generaloberst der Polizei	Oberstgruppenführer
General der Polizei	Obergruppenführer
Generalleutnant der Polizei	Gruppenführer
Generalmajor der Polizei	Brigadeführer

Note: Since most police generals, increasingly as time went on, were also SS generals, they typically wore an SS uniform except at police-specific functions.

Orpo officer rank	SS equivalent	Shoulder insignia	Collar insignia
Oberst der Polizei	Standartenführer
Oberstleutnant der Polizei	Obersturmbannführer
Major der Polizei	Sturmbannführer
Hauptmann der Polizei	Hauptsturmführer
Oberleutnant der Polizei	Obersturmführer
Leutnant der Polizei	Untersturmführer

Orpo enlisted rank	Translation	SS equivalent	Shoulder insignia	Collar insignia
Meister	Master	Sturmscharführer
Hauptwachtmeister	Chief watch master	Hauptscharführer
Revier-oberwachtmeister (Schupo) Bezirks-oberwachtmeister (Gendarmerie) Zugwachtmeister (Kasernierte Polizei)	Precinct senior watch master District senior watch master Platoon watch master	Oberscharführer
Oberwachtmeister	Senior watch master	Scharführer
Wachtmeister	Watch master	Unterscharführer
Rottmeister	Team master	Rottenführer
Unterwachtmeister	Junior watch master	Sturmmann
Anwärter	Candidate	Mann

Source:^[2]

Rank and Pay

Pay Grade ^[3]	Annual Pay Reichsmark (RM) (basic pay without allowances)^[3]	Mannschaften (Enlisted) Unterführer (NCO) Revieroffiziere	Offiziere (Officers)	Corresponding rank in the SS (Wehrmacht) ^[4]
-	..	Anwärter		SS-Anwärter (Schütze)
-	..	Anwärter with more than 6 months service		SS-Mann (Oberschütze)
-	..	Unterwachtmeister		SS-Sturmmann (Gefreiter)
A8c5	1 536	Rottwachtmeister		SS-Rottenführer (Obergefreiter)
A8c4	1 920	Wachtmeister		SS-Unterscharführer (Unteroffizier)
A8c3	2 040	Oberwachtmeister		SS-Scharführer (Unterfeldwebel)
A8c2	2 340	Revieroberwachtmeister		SS-Oberscharführer (Feldwebel)
A8c1	2 370	Hauptwachtmeister with less than 12 years service		SS-Hauptscharführer (Oberfeldwebel)
A8a	2 100 - 2 800	Hauptwachtmeister with more than 12 years service		SS-Hauptscharführer (Oberfeldwebel)
A7c	2 000 - 3 000	Hauptwachtmeister appointed before April 12, 1943		SS-Hauptscharführer (Oberfeldwebel)
A7a	2 350-3 500	Meister		SS-Sturmscharführer (Stabsfeldwebel)
A5b	2 300-4 200	Obermeister Revierleutnant		SS-Untersturmführer (Leutnant)
A4e	2 800-4 600		Leutnant	SS-Untersturmführer (Leutnant)
A4e	2 800-4 600		Oberleutnant	SS-Obersturmführer (Oberleutnant)
A4c2	2 800-5000	Inspektor Revieroberleutnant		SS-Obersturmführer (Oberleutnant)
A4c1	2 800-5 300	Revierhauptmann		SS-Hauptsturmführer (Hauptmann)
A3b	4 800-6 900		Hauptmann	SS-Hauptsturmführer (Hauptmann)
A2c2	8 400		Major	SS-Sturmbannführer (Major)
A2b	9 700		Oberstleutnant	SS-Obersturmbannführer (Oberstleutnant)
A1a	12 600		Oberst	SS-Standartenführer (Oberst)
B7a	16 000		Generalmajor	SS-Brigadeführer (Generalmajor)
B4	19 000		Generalleutnant	SS-Gruppenführer (Generalleutnant)
B3a	24 000		General	SS-Obergruppenführer (General)

Mean annual pay for an industrial worker was 1,459 Reichsmark 1939, and for a privately employed white-collar worker 2,772 Reichsmark.^[5]

References

↑ Gordon Williamsson, World War II German Police Units, Osprey Publishing 2006, p. 8.
↑ Schutzpolizei des Reiches Retrieved 2016-01-10.
1 2 Reichsbesoldungsordnung 1943, RGBl I:38
↑ Andrew Mollo, Uniforms of the SS, Vol. 5: "Sicherheitsdienst und Sicherheitspolizei 1931-1945" (London: Windrow & Green, 1992), p. 51
↑ Die Besoldung eines Soldaten der Wehrmacht Retrieved 2013-11-26

Schutzstaffel (SS)

Branches	Allgemeine SS Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV) Waffen-SS

Leadership	Reichsführer-SS SS and Police Leader SS personnel SS commands

Leaders	Julius Schreck Joseph Berchtold Erhard Heiden Heinrich Himmler Karl Hanke

Main departments	Office of the Reichsführer-SS Head Administrative Office Head Operational Office Reich Main Security Office (RSHA) Economics and Administration Office Office of Race and Settlement (RuSHA) Main Office for Ethnic Germans (VOMI) Office of the Reich Commissioner for Germanic Resettlement (RKFDV) Courts Office Personnel Office Education Office

Ideological institutions	Ahnenerbe Das Schwarze Korps SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz Lebensborn

Police and security services	Regular uniform police (Orpo) Criminal police (Kripo) Secret State police (Gestapo) State Security police (SiPo) SS Security Service (SD)

Führer protection	SS-Begleitkommando des Führers Reichssicherheitsdienst

Paramilitary units	Einsatzgruppen Ypatingasis būrys Lithuanian Security Police Rollkommando Hamann Arajs Kommando Ukrainian Auxiliary Police Ukrainian collaboration Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz Trawnikis

Waffen-SS divisions	Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) Leibstandarte (LSSAH) Totenkopf-Division Polizei-Division

Foreign SS units	Germanic-SS Germaansche SS in Nederland Germaansche SS in Vlaanderen Germanske SS Norge Schalburg Corps Britisches Freikorps Europäische Freiwillige S.S. Sturmbrigade R.O.N.A. Finnisches Freiwilligen-Bataillon

SS-controlled enterprises	Ostindustrie Deutsche Wirtschaftsbetriebe Deutsche Ausrüstungswerke DEST Allach porcelain Apollinaris Mattoni Sudetenquell Anton Loibl

SS Awards	Ehrendegen Reichsführer-SS Totenkopfring

Ranks, uniforms and insignia	Uniforms and insignia of the SS Ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS Ranks and insignia of the Orpo Corps colours of the Waffen-SS

Ranks, uniforms and insignia of Nazi Germany

Uniforms	Wehrmacht: Luftwaffe Kriegsmarine Afrika Korps SS SA

Ranks and insignia	Comparative ranks of Nazi Germany Wehrmacht: Luftwaffe Waffen-SS (see also Runic insignia) Paramilitary ranks: NSDAP SA NSFK NSKK Ordnungspolizei Volkssturm Organisation Todt HJ

Corps colour	Waffenfarbe Heer Luftwaffe Waffen-SS SA

Decorations and Medals	List of military decorations of the Third Reich

Flags	Luftwaffe RLB (German) HJ (German)

Explanations: HJ – Hitlerjugend NSDAP – Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei NSFK – Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps NSKK – Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps RLB – Reichsluftschutzbund SA – Sturmabteilung SS – Schutzstaffel

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, January 11, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.