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The Heer as the German army and part of the Wehrmacht inherited its uniforms and rank structure from the Reichsheer of the Weimar Republic (1921–1935). 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.
The following table shows comparative officer ranks of World War II, with the ranks of Allied powers, the major Axis powers and various other countries and co-belligerents during World War II.
WWII German Ranks and Insignia. German military insignia were intended to establish clear differentiation between ranks and types of service, and at the same time to encourage individual combat efficiency and proficiency in military arts.
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.
During World War II, a total of about 13.6 million soldiers served in the German Army. Army personnel were made up of volunteers and conscripts. Only 17 months after Adolf Hitler announced the German rearmament programme in 1935, the army reached its projected goal of 36 divisions.
Ranks and insignia of the Wehrmacht (1935–1945), the rank systems of the other branches of the Wehrmacht, the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine, were different, as were those of the SS which was a Party organization outside the Wehrmacht.
Rank Comparison. In the table below the ranks of the German Army, Air Force, Navy, and the Waffen-SS and their groupings are shown as they compared during the Second World War. Because military ranks in different countries were not standardized during the Second World War it is not possible to make a completely accurate rank conversion table.
Heer Ranks Command; Schütze: Rifleman: Section Soldat Soldier “ Grenadier Infantryman “ Fusilier Rifleman “ Musketier Rifleman “ Jäger Chasseur “ Reiter Rider “ Kanoier Gunner “ Panzerschütze Tank Solider “ Panzergrenadier Armored Infantryman “
During the Second World War, the Heer, the German army, and part of the Wehrmacht, inherited its uniforms and rank structure from the Reichsheer of the Weimar Republic (1921–1935).
These ranks and insignia were specific to the Heer and in special cases to senior Wehrmacht officers in the independent services; the uniforms and rank systems of the other branches of the Wehrmacht, the Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Kriegsmarine (Navy), were different, as were those of the SS which was a Party organization outside the Wehrmacht.