SS Membership Numbers
Adolf Hitler, as the Führer of Germany, was by default the supreme commander of the SS and outranked Heinrich Himmler, who served as "Reich leader" of the entire SS. After 1930 Hitler was the Oberster SA-Führer and supreme commander of the Sturmabteilung stormtroopers. Hitler's supreme SA rank, when the SS was still under the authority of the SA, could be seen as a rank superior to that of Reichsführer-SS. Hitler also was considered SS member #1, Emil Maurice (considered the founder of the SS) was member #2, while Himmler was SS member #168. Based on the seniority system of SS membership number, this made Hitler senior in the SS to all other members even if not by rank.
After the Night of the Long Knives, when the SS became independent from the SA, Hitler was listed on SS officer rolls as member #1 and considered supreme commander of the entire SS by virtue of his position as the Führer of Germany. There is no photographic record of Hitler wearing an SS uniform, and there was no special SS insignia for Hitler above that worn by Himmler.
Read more about this topic: Uniforms And Insignia Of The Schutzstaffel
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