Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank which was used by both the SA and the SS. The title was first created as an SA rank in 1932 after an expansion of the SA created the need for an additional officer rank rating in the field grade level above the rank of Sturmbannführer. Obersturmbannführer also became an SS rank at that same time.
Translated as “Senior Storm Unit Leader” the rank of Obersturmbannführer was established as junior to Standartenführer and was the equivalent to an Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) in the German Army.
One of the most famous (and notorious) holders of the rank of Obersturmbannführer was Adolf Eichmann who was promoted to the rank in 1940 and listed as an Obersturmbannführer on the minutes of the Wannsee Conference. In 1962, on trial in Israel for war crimes, Eichmann’s rank of Obersturmbannführer gained recognition after Eichmann denied all knowledge of war crimes claiming that he was a simple clerk who was following orders. In response to this, Gideon Hausner asked Eichmann: “Were you an Obersturmbannführer or an office girl?” The intent being to demonstrate that Obersturmbannführer was a high ranking position of significant responsibility.
The insignia for Obersturmbannführer was four silver pips and a stripe, centered on the left collar of an SS/SA uniform. The rank also displayed the shoulder boards of a Wehrmacht Lieutenant Colonel and was the highest SS/SA rank to display unit insignia on the opposite collar.
