The ranks and insignia of the Ordnungspolizei were developed in 1936 after the nationalisation of Germany's regular police forces.
The ranks and insignia of the Ordnungspolizei were developed in 1936 after the nationalisation of Germany's regular police forces.
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 ranks 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 authorised to wear an embroidered SS Sigrunen patch on the breast pocket.
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 colour-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, and light grey for administrative police. [1]
| Shoulder insignia | Collar insignia(1936–42) | Collar insignia(1942–45) | Orpo general rank | Equivalent SS rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | Chef der Deutschen Polizei | Reichsführer-SS | |
 |  |  | Generaloberst der Polizei | Oberst-gruppenführer |
 |  | 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.
| Shoulder insignia | Collar insignia | Orpo general rank | Equivalent SS rank |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | Oberst der Polizei | Standartenführer |
 | Oberstleutnant der Polizei | Obersturmbannführer | |
 | Major der Polizei | Sturmbannführer | |
 | Hauptmann der Polizei | Hauptsturmführer | |
 | Oberleutnant der Polizei | Obersturmführer | |
 | Leutnant der Polizei | Untersturmführer |
| Shoulder insignia | Collar insignia | Orpo general rank | Translation | Equivalent SS rank | Equivalent U.S. Army rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Meister | Master | None [3] | (Warrant officer) | |
 | Hauptwachtmeister | Chief watch master | Hauptscharführer | (Master sergeant) | |
 | Revier-oberwachtmeister (Schupo)Bezirks-oberwachtmeister (Gendarmerie)Zugwachtmeister (Kasernierte Polizei) | Precinct senior watch masterDistrict senior watch masterPlatoon watch master | Oberscharführer | (Technical sergeant) | |
 | Oberwachtmeister | Senior watch master | Scharführer | (Staff sergeant) | |
 | Wachtmeister | Watch master | Unterscharführer | (Sergeant) | |
 | Rottmeister | Team master | Rottenführer | (Corporal) | |
 | Unterwachtmeister | Junior watch master | Sturmmann | Constable (Private first class) | |
| No insignia | Anwärter | Candidate | Mann | Constable cadet (Private) |
| Pay grade [5] | Annual Pay Reichsmark (RM) (basic pay without allowances) [5] | Mannschaften (Enlisted) Unterführer (NCO) Revieroffiziere | Offiziere (Officers) |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | .. | Anwärter | |
| - | .. | Anwärterwith more than 6 months service | |
| - | .. | Unterwachtmeister | |
| A8c5 | 1,536 | Rottwachtmeister | |
| A8c4 | 1,920 | Wachtmeister | |
| A8c3 | 2,040 | Oberwachtmeister | |
| A8c2 | 2,340 | Revieroberwachtmeister | |
| A8c1 | 2,370 | Hauptwachtmeister with less than 12 years service | |
| A8a | 2,100–2,800 | Hauptwachtmeister with more than 12 years service | |
| A7c | 2,000–3,000 | Hauptwachtmeister appointed before April 12, 1943 | |
| A7a | 2,350–3,500 | Meister | |
| A5b | 2,300–4,200 | Obermeister Revierleutnant | |
| A4e | 2,800–4,600 | Leutnant | |
| A4e | 2,800–4,600 | Oberleutnant | |
| A4c2 | 2,800–5,000 | Inspektor Revieroberleutnant | |
| A4c1 | 2,800–5,300 | Revierhauptmann | |
| A3b | 4,800–6,900 | Hauptmann | |
| A2c2 | 8,400 | Major | |
| A2b | 9,700 | Oberstleutnant | |
| A1a | 12,600 | Oberst | |
| B7a | 16,000 | Generalmajor | |
| B4 | 19,000 | Generalleutnant | |
| B3a | 24,000 | General |
Mean annual pay for an industrial worker was 1,459 Reichsmarks in 1939, and for a privately employed white-collar worker 2,772 Reichsmarks. [6]
Gruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA. Since then, the term Gruppenführer is also used for leaders of groups/teams of the police, fire departments, military and several other organizations.
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The Ordnungspolizei, abbreviated Orpo, meaning "Order Police", were the uniformed police force in Nazi Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo organisation was absorbed into the Nazi monopoly on power after regional police jurisdiction was removed in favour of the central Nazi government. The Orpo was controlled nominally by the Interior Ministry, but its executive functions rested with the leadership of the SS until the end of World War II. Owing to their green uniforms, Orpo were also referred to as Grüne Polizei. The force was first established as a centralised organisation uniting the municipal, city, and rural uniformed police that had been organised on a state-by-state basis.
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United States Army commissioned officers rank insignia in use today.
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Schutzstaffel (SS) | |||||||
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| Leaders | |||||||
| Main departments |
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| Ideological institutions | |||||||
| Police and security services | |||||||
| Führer protection | |||||||
| Waffen-SS units |
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| SS-controlled enterprises | |||||||