IIRC the white swirled (braided?) shoulder tabs mean that someone is at least a major, the metal "stars" on top of that make him a colonel.
The lieutenant shoulder tabs are white stripes that lie parallel to one another, with 1st lieutenant etc. getting those metal "stars" on top of that tab.
(Dunno if "tabs" and "stars" are the correct English terms for these objects, but since English is not my primary language, please excuse the possible miscommunication)
Wilko
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Wilko van den Bergh
quibus(a t)europe(d o t)com
Eindhoven - The Netherlands - Europe
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