Junker ( SS rank ) SS - Junker or Standartenjunker 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 " ( " 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 " ( SD ) . 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 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 .