The rank of the German officer is indicated by the braid and insignia on flat shoulder straps covered with braided cord. The shoulder strap for Field Marshal and for General officers is covered with a plaited knot made up of five loops of sets of three cords, the two outer cords being gold and the central cord being silver interwoven with the imperial colors in silk. The shoulder straps for Field officers (Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels and Majors) are of the same design except that the cords are in sets of two, both of silver interwoven with the silk colors. The shoulder straps of the company officers are covered with parallel rows of silver cord interwoven with the silk colors.
The insignia of rank worn upon the shoulder straps on top of the cord decorations are diamond shaped ornaments of gilt metal, and although they do not have the conventional shape of a star they are called stars in the German service.
These insignias are as follows for the various grades of rank:—
| Field Marshal | Two gold batons crossed. |
| Colonel General | Three stars. |
| General | Two stars. |
| Lieutenant General | One star. |
| Major General | No insignia, the shoulder strap knot being plain. |
| Colonel | Two stars. |
| Lieutenant Colonel | One star. |
| Major | No insignia. |
| Captain | Two stars. |
| First Lieutenant | One star. |
| Second Lieutenant | No insignia. |
There is no corresponding rank in the armies of other nations for the German rank of Colonel General, and in the German Army there is no rank of Brigadier General.
In the German Army a Feldwebel is an officer between the commissioned officers and the enlisted men, his rank corresponds to that of the Warrant Officers in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. He wears a double cord upon the shoulders and his rank insignia is a circular medallion with a Prussian eagle on each side of the collar.
The German officer’s overcoat is a heavy ulster of the same gray color as the field uniform; it is double-breasted and the rank of the wearer is indicated by the shoulder straps as in the case of the service coat.
German Army. Officers’ shoulder strap insignia indicating rank
| 1. Field Marshal | 6. Colonel |
| 2. Colonel General | 7. Lieutenant Colonel |
| 3. General | 8. Major |
| 4. Lieutenant General | 9. Captain |
| 5. Major General | 10. First Lieutenant |
| 11. Second Lieutenant |