| Standartenführer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Service branch |  Schutzstaffel Sturmabteilung National Socialist Motor Corps National Socialist Flyers Corps |
| Abbreviation | Staf. |
| NATOrank code | OF-5 |
| Formation | 1925 |
| Abolished | 1945 |
| Next higher rank | Oberführer |
| Next lower rank | Obersturmbannführer |
| Equivalent ranks | Oberst (Colonel) Kapitän zur See |
Standartenführer (short:Staf,[ʃtanˈdaʁtn̩fyːʁɐ],lit. 'standard leader') was aNazi Party (NSDAP) paramilitary rank that was used in several NSDAP organizations, such as theSA,SS,NSKK and theNSFK.[1][2] First founded as a title in 1925, in 1928 it became one of the first commissioned NSDAP ranks and was bestowed upon those SA and SS officers who commanded a unit known as aStandarte (pluralStandarten), a unit equivalent to an armybattalion and comprising 300–500 personnel.[1]
In 1929 the rank ofStandartenführer was divided into two separate ranks known asStandartenführer (I) andStandartenführer (II). This concept was abandoned in 1930 when both the SA and SS expanded their rank systems to allow for more officer positions and thus the need for only a singleStandartenführer rank. In 1933, whenAdolf Hitler came to national power inGermany, the rank ofStandartenführer had been established as the highestfield officer rank, lower than that ofOberführer of the SS and SA. By the start ofWorld War II,Standartenführer was widely spread as both anSS rank and arank of the SA. In theWaffen-SS, the rank was considered the equivalent of anOberst, a full colonel.[3]
The insignia forStandartenführer consisted of a single oak leaf displayed on both collars.[4]Standartenführer was the first of the SS and SA ranks to display rank insignia on both collars, without the display ofunit insignia.[4] From 1938,newer SS uniforms featured the shoulder boards of aGerman ArmyOberst (colonel) in addition to the oak leaf collar patches.[5]
Various Waffen-SS units composed of foreign recruits were considered distinct from the German SS, and thus they were not permitted to wearSS runes on their collar tabs but had their unit symbol instead. Their ranks was also prepended with "Waffen" instead of "SS", as in, Waffen-Standartenführer.[6]
| Schutzstaffel (SS) |  Sturmabteilung (SA) | NS Motor Corps (NSKK) | NS Flyers Corps (NSFK) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Waffen-SS |
| collar insignia | ||||
| Junior Rank Obersturmbannführer | SS rank andSA rank Standartenführer | Senior Rank Oberführer |