•  Hauptmann in the SS

This Waffen-SS uniform is in the "mouse gray" or "mouse brown" color.  

The wearer owns the Close Combat clasp, worn above his service ribbons, and is responsible for destroying at least one enemy tank, as shown by the badge on his upper right arm.  

Around his neck is the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the 1st Class Iron Cross is on his breast pocket.

Note the cuff title. He also wears the distinctive SS officer's belt buckle.

• Hauptmann in a SS Panzer unit

The distinctive black panzer "tanker" tunic was developed for streamlining purposes, to eliminate buttons and flaps that would catch on the inside of a narrow hatch opening.  

Black was the logical choice for a job where engine grease and soot are part of the daily grind.  Note the cap piping and shoulder board underlay in the rose-pink "Waffenfarbe" (fighting colors) of the Panzer elite.  

This officer has a "tank badge" on his upper right sleeve, indicating that he has destroyed at least one enemy tank.  Not surprising since his gold-and-silver Panzer Assault badge announces that he has taken part in at least 75 Panzer missions, probably on the eastern front.

• Hauptmann of the Heer (early in the war)

(Heer translates to 'army')

This Hauptmann wears the early Grossdeutschland cuff title and gold GD ciphers on his epaulets.  

His leather Y-strap is the early war model.  Later in the war the canvas mesh variation, originally designed for tropical use, was issued widely because of its lower cost.  

His decorations include the General Assault and Infantry Assault badges, Iron Cross Second Class, and Ritterkreuze (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross), as well as the War Merit Cross First Class with swords and 4 year Wehrmacht service ribbon.

•  Hauptmann Heer (later in the war)

This later war Waffenrock (4-pocket service tunic) was made of material inferior to earlier issues, and for that reason required an additional button to keep from "gapping" at the closures.  

Note that the M40 stahlhelm lacks the tri-color and Heer eagle decals of earlier helmets, and is coated with "zimmerit," a cement-like paste used to thwart the placement of magnetic mines on armored vehicles.  

Many infantry soldiers borrowed zimmerit from panzer units and used it to reduce their steel helmets' characteristic gloss finish.  
 
His decorations now include the Eastern Front Campaign ribbon.  

• Hauptmann in the DAK  (Afrika Korps) 

  • M40 helmet

The Afrika Korps wore two distinctive cuff titles.  It is said that the second one, seen here, was designed by Hitler himself -- with the simple legend "AFRIKA" flanked by twin palm trees on brown.

This officer is wearing the tropical khaki Waffenrock, with specially reinforced additional seams for extra-tough desert duty.  

Soldiers who participated in the joint Italian & German effort were entitled to wear the Italo-German Campaign award either as a ribbon or, as seen here, a full-sized medal.  Above his 3 service ribbons her wears the Close Combat Clasp, and below them the Iron Cross Second Class and the Infantry Assault badge in bronze.

• Hauptmann in the DAK (Afrika Korps) 

  • M43 field cap

Many Afrika Korps soldiers wore this variation on the classic M43 field cap whenever possible, as an alternative to the heavy steel helmet which became a "cooking pot" in the desert heat.  

This Hauptmann bears an MG42 light machine gun.  (The MG42 was the fore-runner to the now famous GPMG M60 machine gun of the Vietnam war).

The rank pips on his shoulders, normally bright gold, are of a subdued bronze-pewter color.

Medals and awards as above.

• Hauptmann SS in winter camouflage uniform

The SS "oak" pattern camouflage hooded winter parka was reversible to snow-white.  

The field gray helmet was commonly camouflaged with white paint for winter.  

SS shoulder rank was in oak brown instead of the green used with warm-weather camouflage.  

This officer's weapon is the Walther K-43 semi-automatic rifle.  He also wears army-issue green canvas and leather shooting gloves.

• Hauptmann SS (camouflage smock)

This Waffen-SS officer is wearing the "blurred edge" pattern Type 2 camouflage smock.  His field gray M40 SS helmet is also camouflaged with daubs of black and sand-colored paint.  

This camouflage appears to have been applied by a spray gun, as was sometimes done en masse for an entire unit in the field with a paint rig borrowed from the motor pool.  

In addition to paint, camouflage-pattern cloth helmet covers were used.  Some soldiers took other creative approaches, adding chicken wire-type wire rigs to hold branches, leaves and grass. The smock also provides loops for tying on foliage.  

Shoulder rank is not worn with the smock.  Instead we see on his left sleeve the green embroidered Waffen-SS sleeve rank for a Hauptmann (Captain).  He carries the "Sturmgewehr" MP-44, considered by many to be the world's first operational assault rifle.

• Hauptmann, Polizei M35 helmet Mauser K98

This is how a  police officer would have dressed for duty with a field unit.  Black leather ammunition pouch is the same as would have been worn with his parade uniform (for a long-term field assignment he would have acquired something larger and more utilitarian, probably a set of three standard army-issue brown leather ammunition pouches.  

He wears a black Police M1935 helmet with party symbol decal on he right and the wreathed police eagle on the left. 

His weapon is the K98 Mauser rifle.  And for his efforts in eradicating various opposition elements and other enemies of the Reich, he has earned the Anti-Partisan defense badge on his left breast pocket.

• Hauptmann in the Polizei with parade shako

This officer wears the green-trimmed uniform of the German Police, or Polizei.  

On his lap is the ceremonial "shako" style cap, complete with traditional horse-tail plume.  

He also wears the formal white brocade cross-belt  with officer's silver Police buckle.  

On his left pocket is the bronze War Merit medal, second class.

• Hauptmann in the Polizei in sidecap

Here we see the same officer as above in service dress, with leather service belt and Luger pistol hoster.

• Hauptmann in the Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe officers wore either a white or blue shirt under their gray-blue tunic.  The peaked  "schirmmutze" cap bears the unpopular early-design "droop-tail" eagle design, which was soon replaced with the version seen over his right breast pocket.  

These eagles would have been hand-embroidered of silver-aluminum flat wire, which may explain why this officer has not yet seen fit to lay out the necessary marks to replace the one on his hat. 

His tunic features smooth-finished aluminum buttons, as opposed to the low-gloss "pebbled" buttons used on army uniforms, and the square-cut pocket flaps were also unique to Luftwaffe tunics when they were introduced, though many officers and men wore the traditional "scalloped" flaps. 

• Hauptmann in the Luftwaffe in flight jacket

The Luftwaffe designed its sleek leather flying jacket both to minimize bulk in the cockpit and to avoid the complications of flaps and buttons when climbing in and out.  

Many Luftwaffe pilots removed the rigid framing of their "schirmmutze" caps, as done by Allied airmen whose practical excuse was that it enabled them to fit their radio earphones over their caps when flying.  

Specially made, soft  "crusher" style caps were also worn by many German tankers and even some infantry officers and NCO's.

• Kreisleiter; Sturm-Abteilung (SA) (pre war)

This uniform is that of the only member of the "All Forces" collection who is not a military officer.  Nor does he bear rank, in the traditional military sense.  

As a "Kreisleiter," he is political leader over a Kreis -- a district typically taking in several small towns.  The scope of his responsibility might equate roughly to that of an army Colonel.  In addition to the coveted Blood Order medal, he wears the German Order, which Hitler himself is reported to have called the highest of all German decorations.  

Of course, the gold party membership pin in the center makes it clear that only NSDAP members were eligible for the award.

• Hauptsturmfuehrer; Allgemeine SS

It seems that this 8-year veteran should have advanced higher than captain by now.  The possible explanation is twofold:  

First, his 8-year NSDAP service ribbon applies to membership in the party, not in the SS (he has 4 years of service in the SS).  

And second, the chevrons on his right arm identify him as a former police officer, not a soldier.   He is also wearing two memorial party Gau badges, his gold party membership pin, and of course the distinctive black-bordered SS party member armband.

• Kapitanleutnant in the Kriegsmarine

The gold stars in place of staff corps sleeve insignia identify this Kaptitanleutnant as a command officer, possibly a junior exec.  

He wears a late-war ten-button double-breasted navy blue tunic, and his white-crowned visor cap has black side-buttons instead of the brass ones customary for officers (it was probably the only one they had in his size in the ship's store).  

The gold-and-silver Surface Fleet badge shows that he serves above the waves and hopes to stay there.  

The gold-colored metal national-emblem eagles on his chest and cap are optional alternatives to the gold bullion standard-issue versions.