Mann (military rank) - Definition and Overview

Mann, which is a German word meaning "person" or "man", was also a paramilitary rank used by several Nazi Party paramilitary organizations between 1925 and 1945. Apart from its usage in modern day German vocabulary, the word Mann is most often associated with the S.S., and also as a rank of the SA where Mann was the lowest enlisted rank and was the equivalent of a Private.

In 1938, with the rise of the SS-Verfügungstruppe (later called the Waffen-SS), the SS changed the rank of Mann to Schütze, although still retained the original SS rank of Mann for the Allgemeine-SS (General SS). The rank of Mann was junior to SS-Obermann.

In most Nazi Party organizations, the rank of Mann held no distinctive insignia. Some groups, however, granted a minor form of rank insignia such as a blank collar patch or bare shoulder board to denote the rank of Mann.

An even lower rank, known as Anwärter, was established in the mid-1930s as a recruit or candidate position, held by an individual seeking an appointment as a Mann in a Nazi Party paramilitary organization.