| Oberführer | |
|---|---|
SS Gorget patch
| |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Service branch |  Schutzstaffel Sturmabteilung National Socialist Motor Corps National Socialist Flyers Corps |
| Abbreviation | Oberf |
| NATO rank code | OF-5 |
| Formation | 1921 |
| Abolished | 1945 |
| Next higher rank | Brigadeführer |
| Next lower rank | Standartenführer |
| Equivalent ranks | Oberst |
Oberführer (short: Oberf, [ˈoːbɐfyːʁɐ], lit. 'senior leader') was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) dating back to 1921. An Oberführer was typically an NSDAP member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographical region.[1] From 1921 to 1925, the phrase Oberführer was used as a title in the Sturmabteilung (SA), but became an actual SA rank after 1926.
Oberführer was also a rank of the Schutzstaffel (SS, at that time a branch of the SA), established in 1925 as Gauführer, a rank for SS officers in charge of SS personnel in the several Gaue throughout Germany; in 1928 the rank was renamed Oberführer, and used of the commanders of the three regional SS-Oberführerbereiche. In 1930, the SS was reorganized into SS-Gruppen and Brigaden, at which time Oberführer became subordinate to the higher rank of Brigadeführer. By 1932, Oberführer was an established rank of the SA, SS and NSKK.[1][2]
Oberführer wore two oak leaves on the uniform collar rank patch, along with the shoulder boards and lapels of a general officer.[3] In 1938, the status of SS-Oberführer began to change with the rise of the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT), which would later become the Waffen-SS. Since Brigadeführer was rated equal to a Generalmajor, and Standartenführer to an Oberst, Oberführer had no military equivalent and quickly became regarded as a senior colonel rank.[4] This distinction continues in historical circles with most texts referring to Oberführer as a senior colonel rank[4][5] while some others state it was a military equivalent to a British Army brigadier.[6]
| Oberführer SS, SA, NSKK, and NSFK | ||||||
|
Schutzstaffel (SS) |
Sturmabteilung (SA) |
NS Motor Corps (NSKK) |
NS Flyers Corps (NSFK) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
| Waffen-SS |
|
collar insignia | ||||
| Junior Rank Standartenführer |
SS rank and SA rank Oberführer |
Senior Rank Brigadeführer |
|
| |
|---|---|
| Combat ranks |
|
| Combat ranks Volkssturm |
|
| Non-combat ranks |
|
| Nazi Party ranks (NSDAP) |
|
| Admin position (NSDAP) |
|
| Reichsluftschutzbund (RLB) |
|
| Organizations |
|
