Brigadeführer

Brigadeführer (German: [bʁiˈɡaːdəfyːʁɐ], lit. 'brigade leader') was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between 1932 and 1945.[1] It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank,[2] it was used after briefly being known as Untergruppenführer in late 1929 and 1930.

Brigadeführer
Post April 1942 gorget patch
Shoulder and camo insignia
Country Nazi Germany
Service branch Schutzstaffel
Sturmabteilung
National Socialist Motor Corps
National Socialist Flyers Corps
AbbreviationBrif
RankOne-star
NATO rank codeOF-6
Non-NATO rankO-7
Formation1933
Abolished1945
Next higher rankGruppenführer
Next lower rankOberführer
Equivalent ranksGeneralmajor

History

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 and Gruppenführer.[3] This changed with the rise of the Waffen-SS and the Ordnungspolizei. In both of those organizations, Brigadeführer was the equivalent to a Generalmajor and ranked above an Oberst in the German Army or police. The rank of Generalmajor was the equivalent of brigadier general, a one-star general in the US Army.[4]The insignia for Brigadeführer was at first two oak leaves and a silver pip; however, the design was changed to three oak leaves in April 1942 after the creation of the rank SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer. 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).[5]

  • Hermann Prieß as SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS
    Hermann Prieß as SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS

Insignia
Junior Rank
Oberführer		 SS rank and SA rank
Brigadeführer		 Senior Rank
Gruppenführer

See also

Notes
  1. McNab 2009, pp. 29, 30.
  2. McNab 2009b, p. 15.
  3. McNab 2009, p. 29.
  4. Flaherty 2004, p. 148.
  5. Stein 2002, pp. 297, 298 chart, 300 chart.

Bibliography
  • Flaherty, T. H. (2004) [1988]. The Third Reich: The SS. Time-Life Books, Inc. ISBN 1-84447-073-3.
  • McNab, Chris (2009). The SS: 1923–1945. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-906626-49-5.
  • McNab, Chris (2009b). The Third Reich. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-906626-51-8.
  • Stein, George (2002) [1966]. The Waffen-SS: Hitler's Elite Guard at War 1939–1945. Cerberus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1841451008.
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