Ranks and insignia of the Ordnungspolizei

The wreathed Polizeiadler (police eagle) was worn as a cap badge and on the left sleeve by all uniformed police.

The ranks and insignia of the Ordnungspolizei were developed in 1936 after the nationalisation of Germany's regular police forces.

## Ordnungspolizei

[edit]

Decals of the Ordnungspolizei used on various helmets

Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) ranks were based on local police titles and were considered a separate system from the ranks of the SS. If a member of the Order Police was already an SS member or - upon application - became an SS member, he was automatically awarded an SS rank according to his police rank. Within the police administration, only the police rank was used. In the SS environment, the equivalent SS title was usually mentioned first, even if the bearer usually had no function in the SS administration. 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.

It was not until the decree of 16.4.1940 that the Order Police were allowed to show their SS affiliation in their uniforms: A small SS rune was sewn on below the left breast pocket.[1]

## Ordnungspolizei rank insignia

[edit]

German police uniforms in 1936: Green service dress with brown collar and cuffs for Schutzpolizei (municipal and state protection police), orange collar and cuffs for Gendarmerie (state rural police), blue maritime police, and white traffic police uniforms; visor caps and German police shakos, the characteristic "bump hat" of the Schutzpolizei German police insignia in 1936: Shoulderboards (Schulterstücke), collar patches (Kragenspiegel), and branch colours (Truppenfarbe)

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.[2]

### General officers

[edit]

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.

### Field and junior officers

[edit]

Shoulder insignia  | Collar insignia  | Orpo general rank  | Equivalent SS rank

|
|
|

|  | Oberst der Schutzpolizei | Standartenführer
| Oberstleutnant der Schutzpolizei | Obersturmbannführer
| Major der Schutzpolizei | Sturmbannführer
| Hauptmann der Schutzpolizei | Hauptsturmführer
| Oberleutnant der Schutzpolizei | Obersturmführer
| Leutnant der Schutzpolizei | Untersturmführer

### Enlisted, NCOs, and senior NCOs[3]

[edit]

Shoulder insignia  | Collar insignia  | Orpo general rank  | Translation  | Equivalent SS rank  | Equivalent U.S. Army rank

|
|
|
|
|

|  | Meister | Master  | None[4] | (Warrant officer)
| Hauptwachtmeister | Chief watch master  | Hauptscharführer | (Master sergeant)
| Revieroberwachtmeister (Schupo)

Bezirksoberwachtmeister (Gendarmerie)

Zugwachtmeister (Kasernierte Polizei)  | Precinct senior watch master

District senior watch master

Platoon 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)

* Source:[5]

## Rank and pay

[edit]

Pay grade [6] | Annual Pay Reichsmark (RM)

(basic pay without allowances)[6]

| Mannschaften (Enlisted)

Unterführer (NCO) Revieroffiziere

| Offiziere (Officers)

|
|
|

- | .. | Anwärter |
- | .. | Anwärter with 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.[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ O.-Kdo P I (1a) Nr. 146/40, RMBliV S. 798.
2. ^ Gordon Williamsson, World War II German Police Units, Osprey Publishing 2006, p. 8.
3. ^ Unteroffiziere mit Portepee (equivalent to warrant officer)
4. ^ Maybe equivalent to the Wehrmacht's Festungswerkmeister ("Fortress Foreman") and Hufbeschlaglehrmeister ("Farrier Instructor").
5. ^ Schutzpolizei des Reiches Retrieved 2016-01-10.
6. ^ a b Reichsbesoldungsordnung 1943, RGBl I:38
7. ^ Die Besoldung eines Soldaten der Wehrmacht  Retrieved 2013-11-26

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