Wartime promotions of Allgemeine-NCOs?

[webr55]

Forgive me if this has been asked before: I am curious whether WM NCOs, who held equivalent ranks in the Allgemeine SS (like Unterscharführer) at the outbreak of the war, were still (routinely?) promoted further during the war, while being in the field. Or did they just keep their original peacetime Allgemeine ranks?

Thanks
Chris

[Donald Abenheim]

Forgive me if this has been asked before: I am curious whether WM NCOs, who held equivalent ranks in the Allgemeine SS (like Unterscharf******252;hrer) at the outbreak of the war, were still (routinely?) promoted further during the war, while being in the field. Or did they just keep their original peacetime Allgemeine ranks?

Thanks
Chris

I should think that such men would have been promoted, as the Allgemeine SS continued to operate 'til the end, even with little personnel. This is a question that colleague Lumsden can answer. The SHAEF G-2 volume on the subject is highly informative. Derek Chapman can also speak to this issue, as well. I have seen black uniforms from units raised in 1940, so plainly there must have continued to be promotions, but surely someone here knows better than do I. I suppose that while on military duty, their SS service might have been put on hold, as it were. But others continued to serve, and I can imagine that those with military feats, accomplishments must surely have been so honored at home, as well.

[Bob Hritz]

As more men were needed for field military duty, and administration for Waffen-SS units, many Allgemeine-SS men took to the Waffen-SS. I have also seen several wartime black Allgemeine-SS tunics, from units that were begun in 1940 and 1941.

I would believe that more civilians were incorporated into the administrative duties of the Allgemeine-SS, druing the 1940 to 1945 period.

I have always wondered if the black Allgemeine-SS tunic was worn by the men during the war years. I have not seen any enlisted/NCO ranks tunics in the Allgemeine-SS gray pattern.

Bob Hritz

[Donald Abenheim]

schwarze Uniform im Kriege

On the GDC site of blessed memory did we have a set to on this account. I have seen the black uniform in wear as late as the summer of 1944. That is, with little clumps of SS men in color guards and what not. The black uniform was in evidence well into 1942 at various functions, as well; however, never in such #'s as one sees in the scenes prior to 1939.

[webr55]

Thanks a lot for your replies. What I had in mind were indeed not Waffen-SS members, but rather the usual 'prewar part-time' Allgemeine ranks who were routinely drafted into the Wehrmacht and probably never did any duty in the Allgemeine-SS after 1939. I wonder whether these were still promoted in their SS ranks while being promoted as Wehrmacht NCOs.