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
Shoulder mark and affixed to the underside of the board. This effectively hides all the means of attachments, leaving a firm, finished surface. This particular style is what U.S. Air Force personnel call a "shoulder board". The shoulder sleeve is called an epaulette, and the two are never confused. On the United States Army Blue Service Uniform, officers wear embroidered rank insignia "shoulder straps" mounted lengthwise on the outside shoulder seams. These are 1⅝ inches wide by 4 inches/3½ inches (large size/small size) long, and are sewn, snapped, or clipped onto each shoulder. The Boy Scouts of America uses colored shoulder loops