Standartenführer & Oberführer

[jkw1]

What was the difference in responsibilities/commands between these two ranks ? I know one is equivalent to a colonel and one a senior colonel.

[Georges JEROME]

SS-Standartenführer was the usual senior officer rank level for a regiment in the Waffen-SS, a high rank for kommandeur der SIPO SD
SS-Oberführer was last step before generalrank level. As well in Waffen-SS and Police rank holder could be Befehlshaber der SIPO SD, Divisional Commander in last time of war or senior position in SS army commands...

Georges

[genstab]

Oberführer was kind of an inconvenient rank, corresponding to nothing in the Wehrmacht and being in between an Army Oberst (Colonel) and Generalmajor. However, its Allied equivalents would be British Brigadier (or Navy Commodore or RAF Air Commodore) and US Brigadier General (Navy Commodore). An Oberführer wasn't considered an SS-General as the British Brigadier and US Navy Commodore weren't considerecd a general or admiral respectively- though a US Navy Commodore was considered a flag officer if you can follow that) but a US Army Brigadier General certainly was. During the Reagan administration there was an attempt to fool with the US Navy's hallowed rank system by changing the title to Commodore Admiral but it didn't take- it was probably considered silly and nobody wanted such a long rank title- and now a one-star Admiral is simply called a Rear Admiral like a two star Admiral. As the peacetime US Navy didn't use the Commodore rank, a Navy Captain formerly was promoted to Rear Admiral and wore two stars from the start though he would be considered a Rear Admiral (of the lower half) and not paid what a Rear Admiral (upper half) made. Now with wearing one star everything is solved but for using the same rank name as the two-star Admiral. It'll take another century to figure out but tradition will fight like crazy to keep things the same.

Best regards,
Bill in Cleveland