Uniforms and insignia of the Schutzstaffel (including concentration camp staffs) were granted Waffen-SS ranks and, in 1944, any "Allgemeine-SS" who served in an area that commanded SS combat troops, was granted a Waffen-SS commission. Another uniform insignia change occurred in April 1942 with the creation of the rank "SS-Oberstgruppenführer". This necessitated an insignia change for SS generals and all SS generals at this time began wearing "Wehrmacht"-style gold shoulder boards; "Oberführers" wore the shoulderboards of an army "Oberst" ("colonel") just as "Standartenführers" did. The sole exception was Heinrich Himmler who continued to wear the silver braided shoulderboard with oak leaves of his rank as "Reichsführer-SS". At
Ranks and insignia of the German Army (1935–1945) the "Beamter's" service: grey with green braid for basic services, silver with green braid for middle and elevated services, and gold on gold for higher services. Officials of the Wehrmacht who worked in Military Supreme Courts wore shoulder straps without the "HV" and had the secondary colour of Bordeaux red ("Bordorot"). "Sonderführer" (short: Sdf; or Sf – in the meaning of specialist leader (literal: "special leader") – introduced to the Wehrmacht in the year 1937, wore the standard military uniform but their collars and cap bands were blue-grey rather than Army green, with unique shoulder and collar insignia. For more