Hauptfeldwebel (rank)

Not to be confused with the Hauptfeldwebel as appointment/assignment in the German Wehrmacht (1938 -1945) , and the East German National People's Army (1956 -1990), equivalent to company sergeant major in anglo-phonic armed forces.
Hauptfeldwebel
(Heer / Luftwaffe)
Rank insignia German NCO rank
Introduction 1957
Rank group Non-commissioned officers
Army / Air Force Hauptfeldwebel
Navy Hauptbootsmann
NATO
equivalent
OR-7
US
UK

Hauptfeldwebel (HptFw or HF) is the third highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Heer and Luftwaffe.[1]

It is grouped as OR7 in NATO, equivalent to a US Army Sergeant 1st Class, US Marine Gunnery Sergeant, or US Air Force Master Sergeant, and to Warrant Officer Class 2 in the British Army and Royal Navy.

In army/ air force context NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as Herr Hauptfeldwebel also informally / short Hauptfeld.

The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group (Senior NCOs with portepee) is as follows:

Remark

The abbreviation "OR" stands for "Other Ranks / fr: sous-officiers et militaires du rang / ru:другие ранги, кроме офицероф"!

junior Rank
Oberfeldwebel

(German NCO rank)
Hauptfeldwebel

senior Rank
Stabsfeldwebel
Oberfähnrich

History

The Hauptfeldwebel was introduced by the German Wehrmacht in 1938 not as a military rank but as the assignment to “company sergeant (de: Kompaniefeldwebel or Spiess). Most experienced Protégée-NCO with the rank Stabsfeldwebel or Oberfeldwebel (more seldom Feldwebel) have been assigned to that distinguished position.

The assignment Spiess/Hauptfeldwebel, equivalent to the company sergeant major in Anglo-phonic armed forces, has been used before in the GDR National People's Army from 1956 until 1990 as well.

The equivalent assignment to the company sergeant major in the Waffen-SS was the SS-Stabsscharführer from 1938 until 1945 .

Equivalent in other NATO countries Army/Air Force

References

  1. BROCKHAUS, The encyclopedia in 24 volumes (1796–2001), Volume 7: 3-7653-3676-9, page 185
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