What is an Unteroffizer?

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352nd
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What is an Unteroffizer?

Post by 352nd »

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.
Stabsgefreiter Martin Hetch-2nd Panzer Aufklärungs Abteilung, Grossdeutschland.

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Feldjager
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Post by Feldjager »

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
Feldgendarmerie Trupp 82 - http://www.feldgendarmerie.co.uk
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Post by 352nd »

cheers for clearing that up. It's just a couple of books say it was a Sergeant and i wasn't sure.
Stabsgefreiter Martin Hetch-2nd Panzer Aufklärungs Abteilung, Grossdeutschland.

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Feldjager
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Post by Feldjager »

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!
Feldgendarmerie Trupp 82 - http://www.feldgendarmerie.co.uk
Panzer Nachrichten Abt. 38 - http://www.funker.co.uk
Hauptverbandplatz 82 - http://www.hvp82.co.uk

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Post by 352nd »

Yeah cheers. I get what you mean. It's the rank of a corporal. I only mean rank wise. I was just confused by other people telling me different that was all.
Stabsgefreiter Martin Hetch-2nd Panzer Aufklärungs Abteilung, Grossdeutschland.

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DerSpiess
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Post by DerSpiess »

Just to add to Feldjagers' explanation later stages of the war also saw Hauptfeldwebel or Der Spiess as it was commonly known, appointed to rank as low as Unteroffiziere. :wink:
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Post by Schäfer »

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.)
Last edited by Schäfer on Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:51 am, edited 2 times in total.
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