The German navy rank system during World War II was very different from the rank system of the army and air force, not only adding warrant officer to the rank of non-commissioned officer, increasing the rank of brigadier general to the rank of general, but also adding content to the recognition of rank symbols, especially the addition of rank cuffs at the cuffs of officers' regular clothes and dresses.
German naval uniforms and rank insignia are more complex than other services, with different types of uniforms with different styles of ranks. Naval uniforms are divided into summer clothes, winter clothes, combat clothes, dresses, in addition to trench coat series, leather jacket series, jacket series, sweater series and so on;
In short, the German Navy uniforms in World War II are very diverse, varied, and varied, and even if they are veteran military fans, they are almost impossible to identify.
The person wearing the white hat is the supreme commander on the ship (ship).
The naval cap is divided into black and white: although each officer is given a black and a white hat. However, during the voyage of the ship, only the highest-ranking officer on the ship will wear a white military hat, and other officers and men on the ship will never wear a white military hat during the voyage of the ship in order to show respect.
The strange thing is that the uniforms of the German naval units in World War II, whether they are generals, colonels, lieutenants or non-commissioned officers or soldiers, whether they are dressed, regular clothes, combat uniforms, do not have a collar badge, which is completely different from the army and air force of the same Wehrmacht, and it is also unique and ingenious!
(Note: With the exception of shore forces, such as naval shore artillery units, naval mountain combat units, and naval infantry combat units, the uniforms of the navy have a collar badge on them.) ）
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The rank of warrant officer in the German Navy was created for senior technical sergeant majors, who were ranked higher than master sergeant majors and lower than second lieutenants, and were not part of the officer establishment system. In the German naval rank system, warrant officers are considered the highest rank of sergeant major.
Warrant Officer Epaulettes
Warrant Officer Epaulettes: At first glance, the silver line straight strip has two stars embellished on the bottom plate, making it easy to mistake it for a captain.
Note: Warrant Officer's Epaulettes are narrow epaulettes with slender strips, which are very different from officers' broad epaulettes.
Pictured here is a warrant officer practicing on the Navy's sail training ship "Goech Fokker"
Look at the epaulettes: the narrow straight plate epaulettes are embellished with two stars, which is the rank mark of warrant officer.
Warrant Officer
Look at the large brim hat worn by the warrant officer: the brim is pure black and has no decoration, while the brim of the officers of the general, colonel, and lieutenant has gold oak leaves on the brim as decoration.
Warrant Officer's cuff rank logo
The cuff-print rank logo of the dress and regular dress: a golden five-pointed star is embellished on the outside of the coat, which is the rank of warrant officer.
Key Points: Warrant officers in Germany in World War II were not officers.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > lieutenant</h1>
Large brimmed hats of German naval colonels and lieutenant officers in World War II
A ring of golden oak leaves on the brim of the hat is used as a decoration, which is the large brim hat of the naval colonel and lieutenant officer.
Second Lieutenant Officer
Second Lieutenant's Epaulettes: Blue background, silver straight epaulettes without stars, this is the rank of second lieutenant.
Key point: The epaulettes of the German Navy in World War II are still the same as those of the Army and Air Force - there will always be one less star!
Regardless of the general, the colonel, the lieutenant, no star on the epaulette is "less", one star on the epaulette is "medium", and the two stars on the epaulette are "up", to identify the German rank during World War II, we must keep this in mind!
Second Lieutenant Epaulettes
The lieutenant epaulettes have a dark blue background, and there is no star on the silver line straight epaulettes.
Second Lieutenant cuff rank logo
A thick gold bar wraps around the cuffs, and a golden five-pointed star is on the thick bar, which is the rank mark of the navy lieutenant.
These are the epaulettes and sleeve prints of a naval coastal artillery lieutenant
The epaulettes and sleeve stripes of second lieutenants in the German Navy in World War II are mostly embellished with class symbols.
The class symbol embellished on the second lieutenant's epaulette in the picture is the Coastal Artillery.
The second lieutenant's cuff logo in the picture is a thin gold bar around the sleeve, and the class symbol embellished on the gold bar replaces the five-pointed star.
Naval class symbols
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">中尉</h1>
Two Navy lieutenant officers
Look closely at the left shoulders of the two officers: the epaulettes are dark blue on the substrate, and the silver straight epaulettes are embellished with a star. Indicates that both officers were lieutenants in the Navy.
Lieutenant Epaulettes
Lieutenant epaulettes on a dark blue background, silver straight strip embellished with a star.
Lieutenant cuff print
Two thick gold bars wrap around the cuffs, and on top of the thick bars is a golden five-pointed star, which is the rank logo of the lieutenant.
Lieutenant Officer in the Navy
On the right arm of the hat, a golden five-pointed star is above the two thick bars that surround the sleeves, which is a navy lieutenant.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">上尉</h1>
Captain Officer
The silver line was straight with two stars, and the captain's identity was clear at a glance.
Captain Epaulettes
Captain Epaulettes on a dark blue background, silver straight strip embellished with two stars.
Captain cuffs markings rank logo
Two thick golden bars are sandwiched between a thin golden bar, and on the gold bar is a golden five-pointed star, which is the rank logo of the captain of the navy.
The famous "Red Devil" - Captain Erich Top, captain of the U-552 submarine
On Captain Erich Top's silver straight epaulettes, the two star emblems are clearly visible.
Erich Top joined the Navy in 1934 and was soon recommended to study at the Noncommissioned Officer School, earning the rank of Warrant Officer after graduation, and then attending the Mirvik Naval Officer School for further study, where he was awarded the rank of second lieutenant on 29 June 1936.
Erich Top graduated from the Mirvik Naval Officer School in June 1938 and was assigned back to the Naval Noncommissioned Officer School where he had studied as a faculty member, and a year later he was transferred to the 7th Submarine Detachment as a submarine mate, promoted to lieutenant.
On 5 June 1940, Erich Top became the captain of U-57 submarines, and as the new captain, Erich Top led his unit to sink three Allied ships, including the Swedish merchant ship Brodin, The Atos, and the British tanker Manipur.
During the battle from August 24 to 25, 1940, as a member of the "wolf pack", the U-57 again achieved the record of injuring 1 ship and sinking 3 ships in the attack on the British OB-202 and HX-65B fleets.
U-552 submarine, the submarine emblem is "Red Devil". The man in the white hat on the watchtower is Captain Erich Top
On 4 December 1940, Lieutenant Erich Top was transferred to captain of the U-552 submarine, and was promoted to captain on 1 September of the following year.
On 30 October 1941, U-552 set sail again, this time with Captain Erich Top leading U-552 and four other submarines against the British convoy of HX-156 merchant ships escorted by five destroyers (one of which was an American warship, although the United States had not yet entered the war). ）
Captain Erich Top's large brimmed hat with the "Red Devil" emblem embroidered on the wall
At 8:34 a.m. on October 31, the Red Devil U-552 took the lead in attacking, with two torpedoes hitting the American destroyer Reuben James (DD-245), one hitting the mid-starboard ammunition depot causing ammunition to explode, and the other hitting the stern steering gear, and the American destroyer immediately broke in two and quickly sank to the bottom of the sea.
Only 45 of the 160 officers and men on the destroyer survived, and 115 U.S. troops, including the captain, became the first batch of U.S. troops to die in World War II.
By the time of Germany's surrender in May 1945, Captain Erich Top had been promoted to lieutenant colonel, sinking a total of 36 ships of all types and sinking a total of 197,460 tons, including an American destroyer, Reuben James (DD-245).
In recognition of Captain Erich Top's outstanding contribution, the German government issued a special stamp for him in 1944.
Captain Erich Top was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Oak Leaf with Two Swords for his superb submarine warfare skills, making him one of the ace captains of the German Navy in World War II.
Captain's cuff print rank logo: Under a golden five-gold star, there is a thin golden bar sandwiched between two thick golden bars.
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Naval Major Epaulettes
The epaulettes in the picture have no stars, which is the rank of major. The Epaulettes of the German Naval Academy in World War II are on a dark blue substrate and woven from silver thread into a coiled pattern, no longer the silver straight epaulettes of the lieutenants.
Navy major cuff markings
On top of the three thick golden bars is a golden five-pointed star, which is the rank of major in the navy.
The commander of the submarine, Major Kaosfeld
With three thick gold bars on his sleeves, the naval officer wearing the Model Boat Medal of the First Class and the Knight's Cross of the Silver Oak Leaves was one of the ace captains of German submarines in World War II, Major Kaosfeld.
Rear Admiral's sleeve stripes and epaulettes
Left: There are three thick bars under a five-pointed star on the sleeve of the hand.
Right: Silver thread plate flower epaulettes, no star on it, this is the rank of major in the navy.
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Lieutenant Colonel Epaulettes
The lieutenant colonel's epaulettes have a dark blue background, and a silver coin woven disc flower is embellished with a star.
Lieutenant Colonel's cuff markings
Under a golden five-pointed star, 4 gold bars are arranged, in order of "thick, thin, thick, thick", which is the rank logo of the lieutenant colonel's sleeve.
Commander of U-617, Lieutenant Colonel Albert Brandi
The most prominent representative of the officers with the rank of lieutenant colonel in the German Navy in World War II was undoubtedly Lieutenant Colonel Albert Brandi.
Throughout World War II, only 27 germans of all branches of the armed forces were awarded the Knight of the Order of the Diamond Oak Blade, and only two in the Navy were awarded the medal, one of them Lieutenant Colonel Albert Brandi.
Lieutenant Colonel Brandi has served as the captain of the U-380, U-617 and U-967 boats, with a record of shooting down 2 aircraft and sinking 21 merchant ships, with a total tonnage of more than 118,000 tons. But these achievements are not worth mentioning in his eyes...
Lieutenant Colonel Brandi is most proud that during his tenure as captain, he commanded a single boat to sink a total of 2 light cruisers, 1 heavy cruiser, and 12 destroyers of various types. Such a combat record cannot be surpassed by the submarine forces of the participating countries in World War II!
Particularly commendable is that Lieutenant Colonel Brandi is a chivalrous commander!
Lieutenant Colonel Brandi never shot allied officers and men floating on the surface of the sea after he had been sunk, and did his best to help, leaving food and fresh water before withdrawing, and he never attacked rescue ships and medical ships.
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Admiral Epaulettes
The Colonel's epaulettes have a dark blue background, and the plate flowers woven with silver coins are embellished with two stars.
Captain's cuff-print rank logo
Above the four thick golden bars, a golden five-pointed star is embellished with the cuff rank of the admiral.
Captain Theodore Detemmers, captain of the auxiliary cruiser Cormorant
The photo is not very clear, but the two star emblems highlighted on the epaulettes can still be seen.
Theodor Detemers has 4 thick bars on his right arm, revealing his status as a colonel.
The auxiliary cruiser Cormorant was only a humble small role in the German Navy ships, it was converted from the passenger ship Styria, was one of the nine "camouflage attack ships" modified by the German Navy in World War II, with a displacement of 19,900 tons, mainly performing the tasks of attacking Allied transport merchant ships, laying tunnel mines, resupplying U boats, and so on.
On 19 November 1941, Colonel Theodore Detemmers' auxiliary cruiser Cormorant encountered a real cruiser off the coast of Australia, the Australian Navy cruiser HMS Sydney.
The firepower and power of the total of 8 main and secondary guns on the "Cormorant" are far from the opponents of the 12 152 mm main guns and 8 100 mm secondary guns on the Australian Navy "Sydney"...
Theodore Detemmers then ordered cormorant to approach and fire, and the first wave of fire destroyed the twin-mounted front gun in front of the Sydney bridge.
Pictured is the Twin 152 mm front gun of the Sydney
Colonel Theodore Detemers also commanded the anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns of the Cormorant to block the side deck of the Sydney, making the side gun position of the Sydney unable to fire properly for a long time.
HMS Sydney 100 mm secondary gun group
The Sydney sub-gun group was exposed and had no turret protection.
The battle began at 17:30 and ended at 18:00, with the 9th salvo of cormorants, the "Sydney" ignited a raging fire, but the Cormorant was also severely damaged, incapacitated, floated on the sea and became a live target of the "Sydney"...
In the end, the two ships were destroyed and sank one after another. The Cormorant thus set a record in the history of naval warfare in the world – an auxiliary cruiser converted from a passenger ship sank a real cruiser!
Captain of the Australian Navy cruiser HMS Sydney, Colonel Joseph Burnett
The most bizarre part of the naval battle was that of the 399 crew members on the Cormorant, 317 men, including Colonel Theodor Detemers, were eventually rescued by the Australian fleet that came to support them, and although they entered the prisoner-of-war camp, they retained their sexual names.
The cruiser "Sydney", on the other hand, ignited the oil slick on the surface of the sea because of the fire, and none of the 645 officers and men on board, including the captain, Colonel Joseph Burnett, survived.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">准将</h1>
Left: Commodore's epaulettes and sleeve prints. Right: Admiral's epaulettes and sleeve prints.
Emphasis - The German Commodore's epaulettes are exactly the same as the Admiral's epaulettes, exactly the same, both are dark blue substrates, and the silver coin woven discs are embellished with two stars, except for the sleeve prints.
The brigadier general's cuff logo is a wide gold strip under a gold star, while the colonel's cuff logo is four thick golden bars under a venus.
Starting from the commodore until the marshal, the decoration on the brim of the german admiral's large-brimmed hat changed from one ring of golden oak leaves to two circles of golden oak leaves.
A commodore is reviewing the troops
The officer in the picture who is reviewing the troops, with a star and a wide strip, is a commodore.
Admiral-class officer with a large brimmed hat
Notice the brim: the general's brim has two rings of golden oak leaves on the brim.
The picture below shows the large brimmed hat of a naval lieutenant officer
Captain-in-chief officer with a large brimmed hat
Officers of the rank of lieutenant had only a ring of golden oak leaves on the brim of their hats. The two are compared, and the difference is clear at a glance.
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Top: Rear Admiral Epaulettes; Bottom: Rear Admiral's cuff logo
Epaulettes: A disc flower with a dark blue background, woven from silver thread of money, without a star on it, this is the major general.
Sleeve print logo: a gold wide strip, a gold thick bar, a five-pointed star, this is the rank of rear admiral in the armband.
Right: Rear Admiral Lütjens
Rear Admiral Lütjens' sleeve print logo: a wide stripe, a thick bar, and a five-pointed star, this is a photograph taken in 1937 when Lütjens was just transferred to the head of the personnel bureau of the naval headquarters and promoted to rear admiral.
Lütjens lived through World War I, rising from a coastal patrol captain to a legendary hero of the German Navy in World War II.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">中将</h1>
Top: Admiral epaulettes; Bottom: Vice Admiral's sleeve print logo
Admiral Epaulettes: Dark blue background, a disc flower woven from silver thread of gold with a star embellished on it.
Admiral's sleeve logo: a wide gold stripe, two thick gold bars, and a five-pointed star.
In 1940, Lütjens was promoted to commander of the High Seas Fleet and promoted to vice admiral.
On 4 June 1940, Vice Admiral Lütjens, commanding two battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, as well as the heavy cruiser Hipper, encountered the British fleet after sinking a British oil tanker and a troop carrier during the battle while on their way to Norway in support of the Army.
During the gun battle, Lütjens commanded 3 German ships to sink the British aircraft carrier HMS Glory and 2 Accompanying British destroyers.
In this battle, Lieutenant General Lütjens created the only example in the history of naval warfare: the sinking of a ship's aircraft carrier with naval guns!
Vice Admiral Lütjens
Lütjens became famous through this battle and added a "Knight's Cross" to his resume.
In the picture, Lutjens is wearing a dress coat and a silver sword around his waist, and the ceremony is about to begin. A raised general star can be faintly seen on the epaulettes of the coat, which is the rank of lieutenant general.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">上将</h1>
Top: Admiral epaulettes; Bottom: Admiral's cuff logo
Admiral Epaulettes: Dark blue background, plated flowers woven from silver thread of gold embellished with two stars.
Admiral's cuff logo: a wide gold stripe, three thick gold bars, and a five-pointed star.
In September 1940, Lütjens was promoted to admiral
On the sleeves of Admiral Lütjens: a wide strip, three thick bars, and a five-pointed star are clearly visible.
On 22 January 1941, Lütjens again commanded the fleet to cruise, waiting for an opportunity to attack the Allied sea lines of transport. When the fleet found the British HX-106 convoy south of Greenland escorted by several battleships, Lütjens led the fleet to a rapid detour to the west, then turned north and hid in the Davis Strait for 10 days. After sinking 5 merchant ships from the rear when moving south again, it quickly sailed to Africa, then turned back to the northwest again, sank 16 merchant ships in succession and took the southeast, quickly returning to Brest, France, without any losses.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">大将（一级上将）</h1>
Top: Admiral epaulettes; Bottom: Admiral's cuff logo
Admiral (Admiral I) Epaulettes: Dark blue background, three stars embellished on a disc flower woven from silver thread of gold.
Admiral (Admiral) cuff logo: There is no difference between the admiral's sleeve stripe and the admiral's cuff stripe, which is also a gold wide stripe, three golden thick bars, and a five-pointed star.
In May 1941, Admiral Lütjens (Admiral I) took a group photo with officers and men on the battleship Bismarck before setting sail
On 18 May 1941, Lütjens, who had been promoted to admiral (admiral of the first class), led his fleet for the last time, and this voyage became the last battle of his life.
On this voyage, he commanded the most powerful elite of the German Navy in World War II, the battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.
Before the voyage, Lütjens was not optimistic about the mission, and the purpose of the fleet attack was to cut off the British lines of communication in the Atlantic, but it was obviously unrealistic to rely on bismarck and prinz Eugen alone to complete this task.
After receiving this task, Lütjens repeatedly made suggestions to Marshal Raeder, the commander-in-chief of the Navy: I hope that this mission will be postponed until the two battleships "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" are repaired and come out of the dock, and after the launch of the battleship "Tirpitz", 5 ships will be able to complete this mission!
However, Lütjens's proposal was rejected by Raeder, and the German Navy was on the road to ruin!
Battleship Bismarck
On 18 May 1941, Lütjens set sail aboard the flagship Prinz Wigan, Bismarck, and on 24 May was spotted by British maritime reconnaissance aircraft while passing through the Strait of Cartergart and the waters around Bergen, where he was intercepted by the British fleet.
In the fierce battle, the "Bismarck" sank the British Royal Navy flagship "Hood" battlecruiser, "Hood" 1418 officers and men were killed, only 3 people were rescued, but the "Bismarck" was also hit by the British ship "Prince of Wales" in three consecutive rounds of simultaneous fire, suffered heavy damage.
On the night of 24 May, the British Navy mobilized 42 warships to surround bismarck, including 2 aircraft carriers, 3 battlecruisers and 5 battleships.
In order to avoid the doom of the two ships, Lütjens ordered the undeterred Prinz Eugen to continue to the south to carry out the maritime attack mission, but he was willing to be baited, and alone commanded the "Bismarck" to change course and head towards the pursuing British fleet.
In the early morning of 26 May, 15 Swordfish torpedo bombers taking off from the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal attacked Bismarck in turn, and Bismarck was hit by 2 torpedoes, one of which blew up the starboard rudder, and Bismarck lost control and became a lamb to be slaughtered.
At 8:00 a.m. on May 27, the main British forces, including the battleships HMS King George V and HMS Rodney, arrived, and the two sides quickly launched a confrontation at sea.
The battleship Bismarck, which still lies at 4763.185 meters at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean
The Bismarck was unspecified due to the failure of the steering gear, and the return fire was not effective. Eventually, Lütjens ordered itself to sink, and at 10:39 Bismarck finally sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Bismarck's 2,200 officers and men, including Lütjens, all chose to sink with the ship, and only 116 were rescued by the British ships Dorset, Maori, Saxonwald and a submarine.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">元帅</h1>
Top: Admiral epaulettes; Bottom: Admiral's cuff logo
Admiral Epaulettes: Dark blue background, a scepter embellished with a scepter on a plate woven from silver thread of gold.
Admiral's cuff logo: a wide gold bar, four thick gold bars, and a gold five-pointed star.
Marshal Raeder, commander-in-chief of the German Navy for 15 years
Marshal Erich John Albert Raeder —
From October 1928 as Minister of the German Navy to his resignation as Commander-in-Chief in February 1943, Marshal Erich Johann Albert Reddell led the German Navy for 15 years.
After Germany's defeat and surrender in May 1945, Raeder was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Nuremberg Military Tribunal, but was released in 1955 and died in Kiel on 6 November 1960.
Marshal Reddell's Scepter
Marshal Erich John Albert Reddell's Scepter
Marshal Dönitz, the last commander-in-chief of the German Navy in World War II
Admiral Carl Dönitz —
After the departure of The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Marshal Raeder, on 1943, Carl Dönitz was promoted to Admiral on 30 January and immediately took over as Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.
On 30 April 1945, Dönitz became President of the German Empire and Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht.
On 7 May 1945, Dönitz authorized Hans Georg von Fried, Wilhelm Keitel and Hans Jugen Step to sign the Unconditional Instrument of Surrender in Berlin, proclaiming the end of Nazi Germany to the world!
The man with the scepter in his middle hand was Marshal Dönitz, the last commander-in-chief of the German Navy
Before World War II, Germany had only 57 submarines. During World War II, Nazi Germany built 1,131 submarines, and Dönitz commanded a total of 1,188 submarines that sank more than 3,500 Allied ships throughout World War II, killing more than 45,000 people.
Marshal Dönitz's scepter
After Germany surrendered, Dönitz was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Nuremberg Military Tribunal, released on 1 October 1956 and died of a heart attack on 24 December 1980 at the age of 89.
Karl Dönitz was the most outstanding reformer and commander of the German Navy submarine force in World War II, the creator of the famous "Wolf Pack Tactic", and he was also the longest-lived and the last of the 27 German marshals in World War II to die!