hi all im was wondering what the score was regarding ss uniforms and choosing a rank. im thinking of doing a low ranking officer maybe also what tunic should i get to carry it off m43 or something else thanks johno
Most events organised on this forum will not allow you to wear the uniform or insignia of an officer or NCO, as that confuses people about who is in command during the event - some may allow lance cpls or such, but an officers uniform is only useful for drinking in before/after a game.
ok thanks for that see you all soon.
Er ...not CiA .
You can wear what you want , we only ask not to wear a Schirmutze or Peaked cap as it confuses, although most officers/organisers at our event prefer helmets these days . In fact turning up as an officer often means you get roped into command duties ( ask Che !)
Re officers uniform , my advice is often to badge up to match your age ...ie 19 year old Major unlikely .......55 year old private unlikely. But thats only my advice tis not a rule
oops, my bad.
A guide to rank insignia here http://www.waffen-ss.no/rank.htm
Untersturmfuhrer and above are officer ranks. If you get an M36 or M40 tunic, you're covered for anything.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
right understood and thanks for the advice guys ..
my advice is often to badge up to match your age
Oooh, now that is a good idea. Unfortunately at my age I'm only good for the Home Guard or Volkssturm!
Perhaps I was a Colonel in WW1....
Cheers
Martin
"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" Helmuth von Moltke
Toys: AGM MP40, Cyma M1A1, TM M14/G43/SVT40, TM VSR/K98, SnS No. 4, ASG Sten, Ppsh.
Arnhem3,Gumrak,Campoleone
Unfortunately at my age I'm only good for the Home Guard or Volkssturm!
You could be German artillery? They had a good number of older men.
Plenty of 40+ graves in Normandy cemeteries, some with low rank.
Average age in the German Army was around 10 years above that of the USArmy.
aka Stigroadie
AFRA
better by design
"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
hi all .. thanks for all the ideas im 44 by the way so a bit old for a private .. im hoping to be ready with all my loadout by august at the latest
Tends to look better with the lower ranking stuff anyway given that very few of us are of the right age for most wwii impressions.
In that it adds to the overall look and feel of the event if the spread of ranks is proportional and helps you feel more 'their' then if you've got a section full of sgts and majors 
And as said it does sometimes mean that people who dont know others there might assume you're one of the organisers/section leaders...
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
It looks very silly for a major to take orders from a corporal.
Unless you're actually organising an event or have been assigned a rank by the organisers it makes a lot more sense to come as a private, or as close as possible. I'm 41 myself and have no problems playing a grunt.
I have to say that I leave my junior officer "impersonation" for railway events and the like and only attend as lowest of the low to the Airsoft events. It's much more fun moaning about the officers than being one! At 45 I just consider myself a slow developer or a soldier with an unparralleled talent for misbehaviour such that I keep being busted back to Private.
When I was young I remember researching an Egypt Medal I owned and being slightly disappointed when looking at the muster rolls that the recipient kept being fined a week's pay for being D&D and demoted etc. Now I would consider him quite a character and a man after my own heart. Wish I hadn't sold that pair now as the value has grown steadily although the Khedive's star had been converted to a brooch at some stage and I'm not convonced it went with the medal. Having said that if I recall I swapped it for a WW1 MM so not an awful deal.
But I digress - when battling Other Ranks all the time unless forced to be anything different.
Charlie
I have a small skewer hidden in the collar of my jumping jacket, and a razorblade in my gaiter, as well as my knife.
Private for gaming, officer for drinking/promenading.
It depends on whose game it is. CiA aren't bothered about ranks, AGS prefer you to rank up for the role - a squad with 4 officers in it just looks daft.
Luckily, with the Waffen SS, the ranks of Sturman and Rottenfuhrer were not what we would class as "NCO's", more like senior privates really, which fits in nicely with being a bit older. These ranks allow you a bit of tresse on your rank tabs and a stripe or two on your sleeves and, no game organiser would have a problem with that. These are a good bet if you don't want a "plain" uniform and, can't be confused with more senior ranks. As the war progressed, the Waffen SS weren't so choosy about their recruits, so, older, shorter, less blond men were recruited regularly.
Mind you, with a camo smock over a tunic, all but the collar insignia is covered anyway! If you're wearing officer collar tabs, it's easy to cover them with a scarf for gaming and then, you can still look flash at the piss up - result!
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Luckily, with the Waffen SS, the ranks of Sturman and Rottenfuhrer were not what we would class as "NCO's", more like senior privates really, which fits in nicely with being a bit older.
Similar to the Heer ranks. The Germans had multiple grades of regular private soldier and junior NCOs
[link]http://www.ww2airsoft.org.uk/ranks-of-the-heer/[/link]
hi all yes thanks again for all the ideas and help cheers johno...
Basic, blingless, skiving private all the way!!! 
The classic German 'older lads' rank is Stabsgefreitor (roughly senior staff private), rank for those unwilling to be promoted to NCO rank or considered for some reason or other unsuitable for command but a very good pte.
I think it was phased out as a rank before the end of the war though.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
The classic German 'older lads' rank is Stabsgefreitor (roughly senior staff private), rank for those unwilling to be promoted to NCO rank or considered for some reason or other unsuitable for command but a very good pte.
I think it was phased out as a rank before the end of the war though.
From the WA forum:
In the Reichsheer, Stabsgefreiter was a sort of end-of-the-line paygrade for noncombat specialists (or real sad sacks), who were ineligible for NCO academy and further promotion. In 1934, with the creation of specialist NCO grades, promotions to StGefr. were suspended although existing StGefr kept their rank, at least until they were promoted or discharged.
In 1942, the Heer resurrected the rank, but for a completely different reason: shortages of NCO's, especially since in combat units the most promising NCO candidates were the men they could least spare to send to UOS (NCO school). StGefr was therefore a stopgap, a sort of Acting Corporal paygrade for Mannschaften filling junior NCO billets.
A great deal of confusion arises from the fact that when StGefr was re-instituted, the Heer at that time blanket-promoted all ObGefr who had five or more years service as of that date (temporarily wiping out the "ObGefr +6" paygrade). However, thereafter promotions were made normally, by regimental commanders on the company CO's recommendation.
For re-enactment purposes, the odds of having a StGefr in the unit depends on the date. Before late '42, very unlikely indeed. Afterwards, it depends on whether the unit has been at the front for a while, or whether it's in or just out of a refit period (these men would probably be attending or through Unteroffizier-schule). Late in the war, Normandy onwards, unlikely again since battlefield promotions to UO were becoming the norm
