SS-Junker

SS-Junker or Standartenjunker was a paramilitary Nazi rank that was used by the Schutzstaffel (SS) between the years of 1933 and 1945. The rank was a special position held by those aspiring for officer commissions in the armed wing of the SS, first known as the SS-Verfügungstruppe and later as the Waffen-SS.

The SS rank of Junker was an appointed position with an SS member required to enlist in the SS for at least six months to a year before consideration could be given for officer training. SS-Junker was also strictly a rank of the Verfügungstruppe and Waffen-SS and was not used by the Allgemeine-SS ("General" SS).

Typically, a Waffen-SS member reaching the rank of Rottenführer could choose either to embark on the career path of an SS non-commissioned officer or could apply to join the officer corps of the Waffen-SS. If choosing the latter, an SS member was required to obtain a written recommendation from their commander and undergo a racial and political screening process to determine eligibility for commission as an SS officer. If accepted into the SS officer program, an SS member would be assigned to one of several Junkerschulen (Junker schools) and would be appointed to the rank of SS-Junker upon arrival. Situations did exist, however, where SS members would hold their previous enlisted rank while at the Junkerschule and only be appointed to the rank of SS-Junker after a probationary period had passed.

This officer candidate system was to ensure that future SS officers had prior enlisted experience and that there were no “direct appointments” in the Waffen-SS officer corps as was often the case in other SS branches such as the Gestapo and Sicherheitsdienst (SD). Ample evidence exists, however, that certain SS members with “connections” could obtain an appointment as an SS-Junker without ever having served in the enlisted ranks or with only a few weeks of basic enlisted training before transferring to a Junkerschule.

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