Standarten

Standarten is the plural of Standarte, a German term historically used for the banner or standard carried by a military unit, and by extension for the unit itself that bore such a banner. The Standarte symbolized the unit’s identity on the battlefield and served as a visual focal point for cohesion and signaling. In German-language military and paramilitary organizations from the late 19th century through World War II, Standarten functioned both as banners and as organizational designations for units.

In the Sturmabteilung (SA), Standarten were the main organizational units, roughly equivalent to regiments, and were commanded by a Standartenführer. Each Standarte had its own insignia and banner and formed the core of the SA’s field structure during the early Nazi period. In the Schutzstaffel (SS), the Allgemeine SS and the Waffen-SS also used Standarten as administrative and military formations, typically structured as regimental-sized units. A Standarte was usually led by a Standartenführer and counted several hundred to around a thousand men, organized into companies.

Standarten carried distinctive banners and unit insignia, with insignia and banners evolving over leadership changes and historical era, reflecting the unit’s identity within the larger organization. As the Nazi military and paramilitary structures matured in the late 1930s and during World War II, organizational reforms moved toward standardized regiments and battalions, though the designation of Standarte remained in some branches for a time.

Beyond the 20th century, the term also appears in a broader historical sense to denote banners in German heraldry and medieval warfare.