What is an Unteroffizer?
What is an Unteroffizer?
What rank is an Unteroffizer? Some books i have say its a junior or Lance Sergeant, while other's say senior corporal and others just say its a corporal. With my very basic grasp of German it sounds like underofficer, which sounds more like under sergeant or junoir sergeant. I don't know, can someone clear this one up please.
An Unteroffizier has the equivalent rank of a corporal in the British Army at that time. In the infantry they commanded a gruppe (section).
However... Unteroffiziere are a class of rank as well:
Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee (Junior NCOs)
Unteroffiziere mit Portepee (Senior NCOs)
Festungswerkmeister (Technical NCOs)
Hufbeschlaghrmeister (Technical NCOs)
The latter 2 Technical grades included veterinary and medical personnel and engineers. They were usually professionally qualified individuals, but could net be appointed as Army Officials (Heeresbeamten).
A Portepee, incidentally, is a sword knot, the carrying of which has historical connetations going back to the early 1800s.
Hope this helps!
Dave
However... Unteroffiziere are a class of rank as well:
Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee (Junior NCOs)
Unteroffiziere mit Portepee (Senior NCOs)
Festungswerkmeister (Technical NCOs)
Hufbeschlaghrmeister (Technical NCOs)
The latter 2 Technical grades included veterinary and medical personnel and engineers. They were usually professionally qualified individuals, but could net be appointed as Army Officials (Heeresbeamten).
A Portepee, incidentally, is a sword knot, the carrying of which has historical connetations going back to the early 1800s.
Hope this helps!
Dave
Feldgendarmerie Trupp 82 - http://www.feldgendarmerie.co.uk
Panzer Nachrichten Abt. 38 - http://www.funker.co.uk
Hauptverbandplatz 82 - http://www.hvp82.co.uk
LHA members
Panzer Nachrichten Abt. 38 - http://www.funker.co.uk
Hauptverbandplatz 82 - http://www.hvp82.co.uk
LHA members
The Unteroffiziere class of ranks does include serjeants - it would depend on the context in which you mean it.
If you mean the rank of an individual, then it is equivalent to a corporal.
If you mean the class of ranks, then it can include:
Unteroffiziere (Coproral)
Unterfeldwebel (Lance Serjeant)
Feldwebel (Serjeant)
Oberfeldwebel (Colour Serjeant)
Stabsfeldwebel (WO2)
There is also the Hauptfeldwebel (equivalent to a CSM), but this an appointment, not a rank - i.e. an oberfeldwebel or a Stabsfeldwebel could be appointed, and their rank would be Hauptfeldwebel, but their pay etc. would only correspond to their substantive rank (although there were additional allowances).
Note: The rank equivalents are my own interpretatiuon - you may read differentlt in some books, this is a simplified model to try and explain things a bit!
If you mean the rank of an individual, then it is equivalent to a corporal.
If you mean the class of ranks, then it can include:
Unteroffiziere (Coproral)
Unterfeldwebel (Lance Serjeant)
Feldwebel (Serjeant)
Oberfeldwebel (Colour Serjeant)
Stabsfeldwebel (WO2)
There is also the Hauptfeldwebel (equivalent to a CSM), but this an appointment, not a rank - i.e. an oberfeldwebel or a Stabsfeldwebel could be appointed, and their rank would be Hauptfeldwebel, but their pay etc. would only correspond to their substantive rank (although there were additional allowances).
Note: The rank equivalents are my own interpretatiuon - you may read differentlt in some books, this is a simplified model to try and explain things a bit!
Feldgendarmerie Trupp 82 - http://www.feldgendarmerie.co.uk
Panzer Nachrichten Abt. 38 - http://www.funker.co.uk
Hauptverbandplatz 82 - http://www.hvp82.co.uk
LHA members
Panzer Nachrichten Abt. 38 - http://www.funker.co.uk
Hauptverbandplatz 82 - http://www.hvp82.co.uk
LHA members
Well, technically it was the equivalent rank of corporal in the WW2 British Army, as already stated.
However in the German Army & Waffen SS, quite significantly it was the first rank to attain tresse and a star on the collar and tresse on the eppaulettes. Therefore in practice, it was the rank of junior NCO (i.e. 'Unter'Feldwebel or 'Unter'Scharfuhrer.)
(In case you got confused by the above only W-SS had pips on collar patches, not Heer.)
However in the German Army & Waffen SS, quite significantly it was the first rank to attain tresse and a star on the collar and tresse on the eppaulettes. Therefore in practice, it was the rank of junior NCO (i.e. 'Unter'Feldwebel or 'Unter'Scharfuhrer.)
(In case you got confused by the above only W-SS had pips on collar patches, not Heer.)
Last edited by Schäfer on Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:51 am, edited 2 times in total.