Mannschaften (Enlisted personnel or Non-commissioned member)
| Rank | Approx. US/UK equivalent | Insignia | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldat | Recruit Private (or equivalent British Army ranks) |  | Soldat was the generic term; for actual ranks see below. Could be advanced directly to Gefreiter. | |
| Fahnenjunker | Officer candidate 2nd class |  | See below | |
| Obersoldat[8] (from 1936) | Private |  | Obersoldat was the generic term; for actual ranks see below. Automatic after 12 (later 6) months if not yet advanced to Gefreiter. | |
| Gefreiter | Private First Class |  | ||
| Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter | Officer Candidate 1st class | | See below | |
| Obergefreiter | Lance Corporal |   | 2d sleeve insignia indicates 6 years' service.[9] | |
| Stabsgefreiter[8] (from 1942) | Senior Lance Corporal |  | Promotions to this rank were suspended in 1934, although existing Stabsgefreiter retained it; promotions resumed in 1942. Automatic after 5 years' service and 2 years as anObergefreiter if not yet an NCO.[9] | |
| Unteroffizier-Anwärter (to 11/43) Unteroffizier-Bewerber (from 11/43) | NCO candidate |  | Soldier selected for or attending Unteroffizierschule (NCO school); could be of any rank from Soldat through Stabsgefreiter |
Non-commissioned officers (Unteroffiziere)
| Rank | Approx. US equivalent | Insignia | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior NCO's, Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee [10] | ||||
| Unteroffizier Oberjäger (Light and mountain infantry) | Corporal Lance Sergeant [11] |  | Originally only upon completion of NCO school; later also an automatic promotion for acting squad leaders with 4 months' combat experience. Could be advanced directly to Feldwebel/Wachtmeister. | |
| Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier | Officer candidate Sergeant |  | See below | |
| Unterfeldwebel[8] Unterwachtmeister[8] (Cavalry, artillery and transport) | Sergeant |  | Called Sergeant to 1921. Automatic after 6 years' service and 3 years as an Unteroffizier if not yet advanced to Feldwebel/Wachtmeister. | |
| Senior NCO's, Unteroffiziere mit Portepee [10] | ||||
| Feldwebel Wachtmeister (Cavalry, artillery and transport) | Staff Sergeant |  | From mid-war an automatic promotion for acting platoon leaders with 4 months' combat experience. | |
| Fähnrich | Officer candidate |  | See below | |
| Oberfeldwebel Oberwachtmeister (Cavalry, artillery and transport) | Master Sergeant/Quartermaster Sergeant |  | ||
| Stabsfeldwebel Stabswachtmeister (Cavalry, artillery and transport) | Sergeant Major |  | Restricted to career volunteers; automatic after 12 years' service. | |
| Oberfähnrich | Student Officer/Third Lieutenant | (worn with officers' uniform) | See below | |
Senior non-commissioned specialist officers
In two specialist career paths it was possible to attain rank above Stabsfeldwebel: fortifications engineers (Festungspioniere) and farriers (Hufbeschlagschmieder).[13] They were actual NCO's with command authority, not Heeresbeamten (uniformed Army civil servants). There is no real Anglosphere equivalent; perhaps the closest would be the US non-commissioned Warrant Officer (WO1).
| Rank | Insignia | |
|---|---|---|
| Festungswerkmeister Hufbeschlaglehrmeister |   | |
| Festungsoberwerkmeister Oberhufbeschlaglehrmeister |   |
Officer candidates (Fähnriche)
| To 1940 | 1940–1941 | 1942–1945 | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fahnenjunker | Schütze (Offizier-Bewerber) | Schütze (Offizier-Bewerber) | Officer candidate in basic training | |
| Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter | Gefreiter (Offizier-Bewerber) | Gefreiter (Offizier-Bewerber) | Officer candidate in advanced training with the Field Army | |
| Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier Fahnenjunker-Oberjäger | Unteroffizier (Offizier-Anwärter) Oberjäger (Offizier-Anwärter) | Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier Fahnenjunker-Oberjäger | Cadet beginning Officer Candidate School or specialist academy | |
| Fähnrich | Feldwebel (Offizier-Anwärter) Wachtmeister (Offizier-Anwärter) | Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Fahnenjunker-Wachtmeister | Cadet completing Officer Candidate School or specialist academy | |
| Oberfähnrich Unterarzt (Medical) Unterveterinär (Veterinary) Oberfähnrich im Ing. Korps (Engineering) Feuerwerker m. b. Offiziersprüfung (Ordnance) | Oberfähnrich Unterarzt Unterveterinär Feldingenieur Oberfähnrich (Waffen) | Oberfähnrich Unterarzt Unterveterinär Feldingenieur Oberfähnrich (Waffen) | Graduate serving as acting lieutenant, ensign or 3rd Lieutenant prior to commissioning as an officer. |
Officers (Offiziere)
.jpg){kind=small}
| Rank | US/UK equivalent | Shoulder Insignia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leutnante | |||
| Leutnant Assistenzarzt (Medical) Veterinär (Veterinary) | 2nd Lieutenant/Sublieutenant |  White: Infantry | |
| Oberleutnant Oberarzt (Medical) Oberveterinär (Veterinary) | 1st Lieutenant/Lieutenant |  Gold-yellow: Cavalry | |
| Hauptleute | |||
| Hauptmann Rittmeister (Cavalry and horse transport) Stabsarzt (Medical) Stabsveterinär (Veterinary) Stabsrichter (Judicial) Heereshilfspfarrer (Chaplain)[17] | Captain |  Orange: Ordnance | |
| Stabsoffiziere (Field officer) | |||
| Major Hauptfach(Panzer units) Oberstabsarzt (Medical) Oberstabsveterinär (Veterinary) Oberstabsrichter (Judicial) Heerespfarrer (Chaplain) [17] | Major |  Rose-pink: Armor | |
| Oberstleutnant Oberfeldarzt (Medical) Oberfeldveterinär (Veterinary) Oberrichter (Judicial) Heeresoberpfarrer (Chaplain)[17] | Lieutenant Colonel |  Red: Artillery | |
| Oberst Oberstarzt (Medical) Oberstveterinär (Veterinary) Oberstrichter (Judicial) Wehrmachtsdekan (Chaplain)[17] | Colonel |  Meadow-green:Panzergrenadiere | |
General Officers and Marshals (Generäle)
| Rank | US/UK equivalent rank | Shoulder Insignia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generalmajor Generalarzt (Medical) Generalrichter (Judicial) Feldbischof (Chaplain) [17][18] | Brigadier General/Brigadier |  | |
| Generalveterinär | Brigadier General/Brigadier |  | |
| Generalleutnant Generalstabsarzt (Medical) Generalstabsveterinär (Veterinary) Generalstabsrichter (Judicial) | Major General |  | |
| General der Infanterie — der Artillerie — der Kavallerie — der Panzertruppen (from 1935) — der Pioniere (from 1938) — der Gebirgstruppen (from 1940) — der Nachrichtentruppen (from 1940) Generaloberstabsveterinär (Veterinary) Generaloberstabsrichter (Judicial) | Lieutenant General |  | |
| Generaloberstabsarzt | Lieutenant General |  | |
| Generaloberst | General |  | |
| Generalfeldmarschall | General of the Army/Field Marshal |  |
