World War II German Army ranks and insignia The German Army of the Nazi era inherited its uniforms and rank structure from the " Reichsheer " of the Weimar republic ( 1921 – 1935 ) , many of whose traditions went back to the Imperial Army of the German Empire and earlier . The Reichsheer was renamed Wehrmacht Heer in May 1935 . There were few alterations and adjustments made as the Army grew from a limited peacetime defense force of 100 , 000 men to a war - fighting force of several million men . These ranks and insignia were peculiar to the Heer and in special cases to senior Wehrmacht officers in the independent services ; the SS , Luftwaffe and Navy uniforms and rank system were different . The Nazi Party also had its own series of paramilitary uniforms and insignia . Insignia . National Emblem ( breast eagle ) : " Hoheitszeichen " or " Wehrmachtsadler " . The " Reichswehr ' s " visual acknowledgement of the new National Socialist reality came on 17 February 1934 , when the Defense Ministry ordered the Nazi Party eagle - and - swastika , now Germany ' s National Emblem , to be worn on uniform blouses and headgear effective 1 May . The design adopted , in silver for the " Reichsheer " ( Army ) and in gold for the " Reichsmarine " ( Navy ) , was a stylized eagle with outstretched , beveled wings clutching a wreathed mobile " Hakenkreuz " , later to be called the " Wehrmachtsadler " ( " Armed Forces eagle " ) . On tunics this took the form of a cloth patch about 9 cm ( 3⅝ " ) wide worn on the right breast , above the pocket . For enlisted uniforms it was jacquard - woven ( " BeVo " ) or sometimes machine - embroidered in silver - grey rayon , for officers machine - or hand - embroidered in white silk or bright aluminum wire , and for generals hand - embroidered in gold bullion . The backing was " badge - cloth " ( " Abzeichentuch " ) , a close - woven velvetish fabric ; this was originally " Reichsheer " grey , but in late 1935 the renamed " Wehrmacht Heer " changed its " Abzeichentuch " color to a dark blue - green called " flaschengrün " ( bottle - green ) . The war brought several variations to the breast eagle , although it should be kept in mind that none of them was replaced or de - authorized , and all were being worn side - by - side at war ' s end . When hostilities began in 1939 , on the enlisted " Feldbluse " or field blouse the eagle was changed from silver - white to matte grey for reduced visibility ; and in 1940 backings began to be produced in field - grey ( " feldgrau " ) . Another version appeared with the advent of the Model 1944 Field Blouse , which used a triangular backing for speed and simplicity of manufacture . Very late in the war some " Hoheitszeichen " were simply printed on thin fabric . There were also versions for other uniforms : both white and grey variants on black for the Panzer uniform , and in dull grey - blue on tan backing for the tropical ( " Afrikakorps " ) uniform . A stamped metal pin - on breast eagle was worn with the officers ' white summer tunic . Collar patches ( Kragenpatten ) . " Litzen " . In 19th century German armies , Guard and other elite regiments wore lengths of double braid ( " Doppellitze " ) encircling all or most of the collar as a mark of distinction . By the middle of World War I these ornate collars had been reduced to an embroidered representation of short lengths of braid joined at the ends , sewn to patches worn at the front of the collar . When the " Reichsheer " was established in 1921 as Germany ' s first national army " Litzen " were prescribed as the universal collar device for all personnel other than generals , and the Third Reich continued the practice . On the dress tunic ( " Waffenrock " ) and the later " ornamented " uniform , the " Litzen " were embroidered in fine aluminum thread on a patch of " Abzeichentuch " in the wearer ' s " Waffenfarbe , " or branch color ; the backing also showed through in the space between the two " Litzen " , the " Mittelstreife " . On field and service uniforms , beginning in late 1935 , the patch ( " Patten " ) was dark bottle - green to match the collar ; the " Waffenfarbe " " showed through " ( in fact colored cord was sewn into ) the center strip of each braid , the " Litzenspiegel . " For enlisted men service " Litzen " were machine - woven in silver - grey rayon ; officers ' were embroidered more elaborately in white silk or aluminum thread , and were somewhat larger to match their higher collars . Non - commissioned officers ( " Unteroffiziere " ) wore standard enlisted collar patches but were distinguished by a strip of 9mm silver - grey diamond - woven rayon braid ( " Tresse " ) sewn around the collar ' s front and lower edges , except on the dress " Waffenrock " where the " Tresse " was bright aluminum and encircled the collar ' s upper edge . By 1938 the fast - growing " Heer " had found that it was impractical , for the enlisted field uniform , to manufacture and stock a multitude of collar patches in assorted " Waffenfarben " which also had to be sewn on and frequently changed by unit tailors . Accordingly , new universal " Litzen " were introduced with the " Litzenspiegel " and " Mittlestreife " woven in dark green to match the backing patch , and which could be applied at the factory ; " Waffenfarbe " was now displayed on the shoulder - straps , which simply buttoned on and were easily switched . With the wartime change to lower - visibility insignia enlisted " Litzen " were woven in matte " mouse - grey " with field - grey stripes , which were at first sewn to green collar patches as before but increasingly directly to the collar , which beginning in 1940 was made in " feldgrau " like the uniform ; grey " Patten " were never produced . The troops however preferred the green patches ( and collars ) if they had or could get them , especially on " clean " uniforms for walking - out ; and long - service veterans took particular pride in pre - 38 " Litzen " with colored stripes . In contrast , officers ' service uniform collar patches never changed . While most officers in the front lines wore the enlisted field uniform as per wartime regulations , many opted to have their green - and - silver " Kragenpatten " added instead of ( or on top of ) the factory " Litzen . " On olive tropical uniforms the collar patches were tan with dull grey - blue " Litzen " for all personnel ; officers again sometimes added their green " Kragenpatten " . Tropical NCO " Tresse " was copper - brown , or sometimes olive drab . Armored vehicle uniforms . A major exception to the wearing of collar " Litzen " was the " panzer wrap " , the double - breasted jacket worn by crews of tanks and other armored vehicles . When the " Panzertruppe " were established in 1935 they were issued a distinctive black uniform and as a badge the " Totenkopf " or Death ' s - head , versions of which had formerly been worn by the Imperial tank corps and . These skulls took the form of white - metal pins attached to black " Kragenpatten " which were edged in " Waffenfarbe " piping . In mid - 1940 crews of assault guns ( " Sturmgeschütz en " ) received a uniform of their own , identical in cut to the " Panzerjacke " but in standard field - grey , which they wore with red artillery piping . Over the course of the war a bewildering and changing series of regulations governed the uniforms and insignia for assault guns , tank destroyers , armored cars and self - propelled guns ( SPG ) . Depending on the unit and the date either the black or grey wrap or the standard " Feldbluse " might be authorized , and on the grey " assault gun " jacket the regulation collar patches could be black with skulls , or grey with skulls , " Litzen " , or no device at all . The result in practice was chaos ; wartime photos show a mix of uniforms and insignia worn not only in the same battalion , but even in the same vehicle . Officially both colors of panzer wrap were working and field uniforms to be worn only in or around the vehicle ; this regulation was universally ignored . " Panzertruppen " were issued standard uniforms for service - dress and walking out but rarely wore them , much preferring their unique jackets . In North Africa , AFV crews wore the same tropical uniform as the other branches , including collar " Litzen " ; many tankers however pinned their " Totenkopf " badges to their lapels . Infanterie Regiment " Großdeutschland " . In June 1939 , the Wehrmacht Heer wanted to renew its ties with the Old Army tradition by introducing a new uniform for its most prestigious unit : " Wachregiment " Berlin " " which was renamed Infantry Regiment " Großdeutschland " . The new Waffenrock for I . R . " Großdeutschland " had an elongated Litzen . Although shown to the press , this new uniform was not provided to the unit due to the outbreak of WWII . Instead , it was placed in depot storage . General Staff Corps Officers . " Generalstaboffiziere " were officers carefully selected and trained to represent the German General Staff Corps in both command and staff functions . They ranked from " Hauptmann im Generalstab " ( captain ) through " Oberst i . G . " ( colonel ) . All were before 1939 graduates of the Military Academy , the " Kriegsakademie " . On division staffs they held the position of Ia ( operational chief of staff ) or Ib ( chief of the rear echelon ) . In the higher echelons , the intelligence and training staff sections were most of the time in the personal charge of General Staff Corps officers . The General Staff Officers had their own distinctive Litzen called " alt - Preußische " ( old Prussian ) , or " Kolbenstickerei " ( " lobe - embroidery " ) . These were the same whether on carmine dress " Kragenpatten " or green service patches ; colored " Litzenspiegel " were unnecessary . General Staff officers assigned to the supreme headquarters ( the " Reichskriegsministerium " , later the OKH and the OKW ) , the Kriegsakademie , and military attaches were further distinguished by having their Litzen in gold rather than silver . These Generalstaboffiziere were called " des Generalstabs " , Oberst d . G . , etc . The special golden Litzen were abolished in November 1942 . Only Military attaches kept their Litzen as long as they were in their present position . The Führer wanted a closer union between the front and the OKW and OKH . In addition to their collar patches , General Staff Officers wore trouser - stripes , of the same design as generals ' but in carmine rather than scarlet . Generals . From 1900 Prussian generals had worn ornate collar patches embroidered in a style called " alt - Larisch " , which had first been worn in the 18th century by the 26th ( älterer von Larisch ) Infantry Regiment ; the " Reichsheer " and the " Wehrmacht " continued the tradition . These devices , sometimes called " Arabesken " ( arabesques ) , were embroidered in gold bullion or golden synthetic " Celleon " on " Hochrot " ( scarlet ) backing . Field Marshals wore the same " Arabesken " as generals until April 1941 , when they were authorized a longer variant with three rather than two iterations of the repeating pattern , for a total of six " prongs . " In some cases GFM did not bother to replace their generals ' tabs , or did so only on their dress uniforms . General officers of the Special Troop Service ( " Truppensonderdienst " — TDS ) and of the specialist careers ( medical , veterinary , ordnance , and motor park ) wore the same insignia until April 1944 , when they were ordered to exchange their scarlet " Kragenpatten " for " alt - Larisch " tabs backed in their respective " Waffenfarbe : " In October 1944 , the wear - out period of the scarlet backing color for Generals of the specialist careers was extended for an undetermined period . Chef . In the Wehrmacht Heer , upon retirement , certain senior German generals were awarded the honorary post of " Chef " of a regiment , much like the Honorary Colonel in the British Army . It was a German custom dating from the late 18th Century . These generals were authorized to wear the tunic and insignia of an officer of the regiment , including ordinary officers ’ " Litzen . " Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt , Chef of the 18th Infanterie Regiment , wore a big 18 on his shoulderboards , and for everyday wear favored the ornamented tunic of an infantry officer with white piping rather than a general ' s uniform . Hitler appointed first Generaloberst Hans von Seeckt , ancient " Chef der Heeresleitung " , to be Chef of the 67th Infanterie Regiment on his 70th birthday in April 1936 , a few months before he died . Only seven German generals were appointed Chefs : in addition to Seeckt and Rundstedt they were General der Infanterie Ritter von Epp Chef of the 61st Infanterie Regiment in Munich ; Generalfeldmarschall von Mackensen Chef of the 5th Kavallerie Regiment in Stolp , Generaloberst von Fritsch Chef of the 12th Artillerie Regiment in Schwerin , and Generalfeldmarschall von Böhm - Ermolli Chef of the 28th Infanterie Regiment in Troppau . Generalfeldmarschall von Blomberg was appointed Chef of I . R . 73 and wore a big 73 superimposed over the crossed batons of his shoulder board , but on 4 February 1938 he was dismissed and his name was deleted from the seniority list . Shoulder - straps ( " Schulterklappen " ) and shoulderboards ( " Schulterstücke " ) . Enlisted men . The " Reichsheer ' s " shoulder - straps were very similar to those of World War I , made of " feldgrau " uniform cloth with pointed or " gable " button ends . In December 1934 the material was changed to grey badge - cloth ( " Abzeichentuch " ) and in September 1935 changed again to dark bottle - green ( " flaschengrün " ) . These " first pattern " shoulder - straps were not edged in " Waffenfarbe " piping . In 1938 , simultaneous with the removal of " Waffenfarbe " from field - uniform collar patches , new shoulder - straps were issued . These " second pattern " straps had round rather than pointed ends , and were edged on three sides with wool ( later rayon ) piping in " Waffenfarbe . " This pattern would be used through the end of the war , although in 1940 manufacture reverted to field - grey uniform cloth , and as usual alternate versions were made to go with the Panzer uniform ( black ) , tropical uniform ( olive cotton ) and HBT summer uniform ( reed - green twill ) . " Schulterklappen " were not worn with the fatigue uniform , nor with camouflage smocks and parkas which used an alternate system of rank insignia . For junior enlisted men ( " Mannschaften " ) , rank insignia if any was worn on the left sleeve . However the epaulettes did indicate the wearer ' s unit ( usually regiment or independent battalion ) together with his sub - branch if any , machine - embroidered in branch - color . For example , a " Schulterklappe " with rose - pink piping and number " 4 " would indicate the 4th Panzer Regiment ; but if it carried a pink number " 4 " and letter " A " it would indicate the 4th Armored Reconnaissance ( " Aufklärungs " ) Battalion . The German Army used a very large assortment of Latin initials , Gothic initials , script ciphers , Arabic numerals , Roman numerals and symbols to designate all its various service branches and installations . Before the war , shoulder - buttons were embossed with the number of the wearer ' s company as well , this practice was discontinued " for the duration . " Beginning in January 1940 , shoulder - straps with unit insignia were ( supposed to be ) phased out as a security measure , and removable fabric loops with devices were issued instead . In May 1944 the embroidery was changed from " waffenfarbe " to light gray . Non - commissioned officers wore their rank insignia on their shoulder - straps , consisting of braid and pips ( pyramidal " stars " ) . An " Unteroffizier ' s " ( corporal ' s ) epaulette was edged with " Tresse " on three sides and an " Unterfeldwebel ' s " ( sergeant ' s ) on all four . Senior NCO ' s ( " Unteroffiziere mit Portepee " ) added one to three pips ; in addition , their unit identifiers took the form of white - metal pins rather than embroidery . Shoulder - straps were made in both a standard width ( 4 . 5 cm , 1¾ " ) and a wider one for three - digit unit numbers ( 5 . 3cm , 2 " ) , and in three lengths depending on the size of the man . There was in addition an extra - large size for the overcoat ( " Mantel " ) . Officers . Officers ' shoulderboards were constructed from " Russia " braid , an aluminum - thread double piping . Company - grade officers ( " Leutnant " through " Hauptmann / Rittmeister " ) wore epaulettes constructed by wrapping two side - by - side lengths of braid around the buttonhole and back , giving the appearance of eight parallel cords ; the whole was sewn to an underlay ( " Unterlagen " ) of " Waffenfarbe " badge - cloth . Until 1938 the underlay was of the same outer dimensions as the braid , and only visible edge - on ; in that year the underlay was made wider , so as to create the impression of edge piping like the enlisted shoulder - strap . Rank was indicated by zero to two gilt - metal pips ; unit designators were also of gilt metal . Field - grade officer ( " Stabsoffizier " ) shoulderboards were made by plaiting together double widths of Russia braid and looping them to form a buttonhole , sewn to a " Waffenfarbe " underlay ; rank again was displayed by zero to two gilt pips . Once the war began , dull grey aluminum braid appeared , but bright aluminum continued in use . Generals . Generals ' shoulderboards were constructed similarly to those of field - grade officers , but comprised a length of silver Russia braid between two braided cords of gold bullion or " Celleon . " Since the resulting combination was wider , generals ' boards were plaited in four ' loops ' rather than five . Their buttons were gilt , and rank was indicated by zero to three silver pips , or crossed batons in the case of field marshals . The underlay was scarlet , except ( from 1944 ) for generals of staff corps , who were instructed to wear " Waffenfarbe " instead . In April 1941 , " Generalfeldmarschall " epaulettes were changed to incorporate a central gold cord instead of silver . Colonels - in - chief wearing that uniform wore gold generals ' shoulderboards underlaid with the " Waffenfarbe " of the regiment rather than scarlet ; GFM von Rundstedt sometimes simply pinned his crossed batons to an infantry colonel ' s epaulettes . Retired Personnel . By order of Marshal Hindenburg in March 1932 , soldiers who retired after 15 years of service received the right to wear the uniform of the unit they left . The shoulderboards and shoulder straps of retired soldiers had a bridle 1 . 5 cm wide attached under the middle . Headgear . Caps and helmets bore two common insignia elements , in various forms : the National Emblem ( eagle and swastika ) and the national colors . World War I caps had carried dual cockades or roundels , one in Imperial black - white - red and one in the colors of the particular State within the Empire . The " Reichsheer " changed this to a single cockade in the Weimar Republic ' s black , red and gold ; almost as soon as Hitler took power he restored the , and ordered the Army to return to black - white - red . Steel helmet ( " Stahlhelm " ) . " See also Stahlhelm " Belt Buckles ( " Koppelschlösser " ) . Belt buckles for enlisted men were of box type , made of aluminum or stamped steel with a pebbled surface , and bearing a circular device with a version of the " Hoheitszeichen " called the Army eagle or " Heeresadler " ( an eagle with downswept wings clutching an unwreathed swastika ) surmounted by the motto " Gott mit uns " , or " God with us . " For field wear these were usually painted field - grey to reduce visibility ; on the other hand dress buckles were silver - washed . Officers ' field and service buckles were of a two - pronged frame type . With dress uniform officers wore a belt of silver braid with a circular silver - washed or - plated aluminum buckle , in the form of an oakleaf wreath surrounding a " Heeresadler . " Generals ' were the same but gilt or gold - plated . With the tropical uniform and its belt of cotton webbing , officers wore a buckle identical to the dress buckle but painted olive - drab . Ranks and rank insignia . Rank tables . Non - commissioned officers ( " Unteroffiziere " ) . Hauptfeldwebel / Hauptwachtmeister : " Hauptfeldwebel " was not a rank but an appointment : the administrative and mustering NCO of a company and the commander ' s logistical assistant . He was therefore roughly analogous to a Company Sergeant - Major or First Sergeant , although his duties did not usually involve combat leadership . " Der Spieß " or " die Kompanie - Mutter " , as he was called , was not necessarily the ranking " Unteroffizier " in the company , especially since typically two of the platoons were commanded by senior NCO ' s rather than officers . A " Hauptfeldwebel " however had to be of " Portepee " grade ; a junior NCO filling the role was a " Hauptfeldwebeldiensttuer , " " one doing " Hauptfeldwebel " duties . " The insignia for a " Hauptfeldwebel " was a pair of NCO " Tressen " encircling each lower sleeve , nicknamed " piston rings ; " he also carried a leather " Meldetasche " or report - case tucked into his tunic front . Senior non - commissioned specialist officers . In two specialist career paths it was possible to attain rank above " Stabsfeldwebel " : fortifications engineers ( " Festungspioniere " ) and farriers ( " Hufbeschlagschmieder " ) . They were actual NCO ' s with command authority , not " Heeresbeamten " ( uniformed Army civil servants ) . There was no direct Anglosphere equivalent ; perhaps the closest examples of the time would be the British Royal Navy ' s and United States Navy ' s ranks of Warrant Officer . These men wore shoulderboards braided in a unique pattern , orange - red and silver on black underlay with Gothic " Fp " for fortress engineers , and gold - yellow and silver on carmine with a horseshoe device for farriers . General Officers and Marshals ( " Generäle " ) . In addition to their " alt - Larisch " collar tabs and braided gold epaulettes , general officers ' uniforms were distinguished by gold rather than silver cap badges , cap cords , breast eagles , belt buckles and buttons , a pair of 40mm " Hochrot " ( scarlet ) stripes down the outside of each trouser - leg , overcoat lapels faced in scarlet , and dress uniforms piped in " Hochrot " rather than " Waffenfarbe " . From May 1944 generals in the various staff corps ( medical , legal , TSD etc . ) were supposed to replace " Hochrot " with the appropriate " Waffenfarbe n " of their branches of service ; in practice this directive was imperfectly heeded and a subsequent order extended the wear - out date for scarlet insignia indefinitely . Smock / parka rank insignia . On camouflage smocks , camouflage and winter parkas , mountain windbreakers and paratroop jump smocks , epaulettes were not worn . Officers and NCOs instead wore sleeve rank insignia made up of bars and oak leaves . Armed Forces Officials and Sonderführer . Armed Forces Officials ( Wehrmachtbeamte ) . Officials in administrative , legal , and technical service positions are a category peculiar to the German Armed Forces . They consist of civil service personnel performing functions within the Armed Forces and are recruited , in part , from former professional non - commissioned officers who became military candidates for civil service ( " Militärarwärter " ) at the end of their 12 - year contractual period of active military service . Up to 1944 , none of these officials were classified as soldiers ; in that year certain groups were converted into officers in the Special Troop Service ( " Truppensonderdienst " or TSD ) . These were the higher administrative officers ( " Intendanten " ) in ranks from captain to lieutenant general ; the lower administrative officers ( " Zahlmeister " ) in the ranks of first and second lieutenant , and the judge advocates ( " Richter " ) in ranks from captain to lieutenant general . At this time all personnel of the Field Post Office were made soldiers as well , but formed a corps of their own rather than belonging to the TSD . It was also made possible for qualified reserve technical service officials to become reserve officers of the motor maintenance troops . The Officials had titles , not ranks : " Intendant , Direktor , Rat , Vorsteher , Inspektor , Meister , Assistent " . This is a complex subject as each branch had its own titles . Wehrmachtbeamten des Heeres . Shoulderboards . With certain exceptions , " Beamten " wore shoulderboards similar to those of soldiers of equivalent rank , but distinguished by the addition of dark green elements : those equivalent to generals had a central cord in their braided shoulderboards which incorporated green chevrons , and those equivalent to officers wore a narrow green stripe between the rows of braid . NCO - equivalent " Beamten " wore a complex braided shoulderboard made of green , black and silver cords . In nearly all cases the shoulderboard underlay was dark green , and metal pins with the HV ( " Heeresverwaltung " , Army Administration ) cipher were worn . Certain services had insignia of their own : for example the " Feldpost " ( Field Post Office ) wore shoulderboards with gold rather than green elements and the initials FP ; and musical officials wore silver - and - red shoulderboards with a lyre insignia . " Beamten " in the employ of a military government in the occupied territories wore eagle - and - swastika pins rather than HV ciphers . Most officials wore in addition to their dark green Waffenfarbe a secondary colour ( " Nebenfarbe " ) denoting their branch : In March 1940 distinct " Nebenfarben " were abolished and replaced with light grey . Collar patches . " Heeresbeamten " wore distinctive collar patches ; these tabs indicated not the official ' s rank or title , but rather the " grade " of the service in which the official was employed . These were classified by the minimum educational requirement , and ranged from " Einfacher Dienst " ( Basic Services ) , for which a grade - school education was sufficient , through " Mitteler " ( Middle ) and " Gehobener " ( Elevated ) " Dienst " , to " Höherer Dienst " ( Higher Services ) which required a university degree . Officials in the Basic Services wore collar patches similar to ( but larger than ) enlisted soldiers ' , grey " Litzen " on dark green " Patten " , but the patch was piped on three sides in " Nebenfarbe " ; similarly officials in the Middle and Elevated services wore officer - pattern " Litzen " , again with " Nebenfarbe " - piped patches . Officials of the Higher Services wore unique " Kragenpatten " with " alt - Preussische Litzen " in gold like " Offiziere des Generalstabs " , but on dark green with , again , " Nebenfarbe " piping . General officer - equivalents wore green patches with generals ' arabesques , similarly bordered . Beamter auf Kriegsdauer . In addition to the career " Beamten " , wartime needs led to the creation of " Officials for the duration of the war , " or " Beamter auf Kriegsdauer " . These men had needed skills but either did not possess all the qualifications to become full - fledged " Beamten , " or were effectively drafted from civilian jobs . The matter was further confused by the fact that Beamter a . K . did the same jobs and held the same titles as career officials . Nonetheless , Beamter a . K . wore entirely distinct collar patches . Military Supreme Court Officials ( Wehrmachtbeamte beim Reichskriegsgericht ) . Officials of the Wehrmacht who worked in Military Supreme Courts wore shoulder straps without the " HV " and had the secondary colour of Bordeaux red ( " Bordorot " ) . Titles of the Military Courts officials : President of court martial ( " Senatspräsident beim Reichskriegsgericht " ) , Senior attorney in the War Office ( " Oberreichskriegsanwalt " ) ( 1 ) Army court martial councillor ( " Reichskriegsgerichtsrat " ) , Attorney in the War Office ( " Reichskriegsanwalt " ) ( 2 ) Oberkriegsgerichtsrat beim Reichskriegsgericht , Bürodirektor beim Reichskriegsgericht ( 3 ) Amtsrat beim Reichskriegsgericht ( 4 ) Reichskriegsgerichts - Oberinspektor ( 5 ) Reichskriegsgerichts - Inspektor , Reichskriegsgerichts - Obersekretär ( 6 ) Reichskriegsgerichts - Sekretär ( 7 ) Oberbotenmeister beim Reichskriegsgericht ( 8 ) Reichskriegsgerichts - Wachtmeister ( 9 ) Sonderführer ( Specialist leaders ) . Certain positions in ranks from major to lieutenant and in all non - commissioned officer ranks ( except sergeant ) could be filled by specialists in foreign languages , propaganda work , medical service , veterinary service and the like who had been trained to fill such positions as " Specialist leaders " ( " Sonderführer " ) . They received the pay applicable to the position they were holding , but only by virtue of their temporary appointment and without the command or disciplinary powers vested in the rank . Sonderführer wore the standard military uniform but with unique rank and collar insignia , the latter resembling but distinct from that worn by " Beamter auf Kriegsdauer " ; in addition their collars and cap bands were blue - grey rather than Army green .