''Stabschef'' (, "

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

") was an office and

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

rank in the ''

Sturmabteilung The (; SA; literally "Storm Detachment") was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing protection for Nazi ralli ...

'' (SA), the paramilitary stormtroopers associated with the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

. It was a rank and position held by the operating chief of the SA. The rank is equivalent to the rank of '' Generaloberst'' in the German Army and to

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

in the US Army.

Definition

The position of ''SA-Stabschef'', not yet a rank, was established in 1929 to assist the ''

Oberste SA-Führer The Supreme SA Leader (german: Oberster SA-Führer), was the titular head of the Nazi Party's paramilitary group, the (SA). History To centralize the loyalty of the SA, Hitler personally assumed command of the entire organization in 1930 and ...

'' (Supreme SA Leader) with the administration of the fast-growing organization. Otto Wagener held the office under ''Oberste SA-Führer''

Franz Pfeffer von Salomon Franz Pfeffer von Salomon (19 February 1888 – 12 April 1968) during the Nazi regime known as Franz von Pfeffer, was the first Supreme Leader of the '' Sturmabteilung'' (SA) after its re-establishment in 1925. Pfeffer resigned from his SA comman ...

from 1928 to 1930, and effectively headed the SA from Hitler's assumption of the title ''Oberste SA-Führer'' in August until Ernst Röhm replaced him in January 1931. The actual SA rank of ''Stabschef'' was created by Röhm for himself in 1933 after Hitler became chancellor. Although Hitler became the supreme commander of the SA in 1930, the day-to-day running of the organization was left to the chief of staff. Thus, the men who held the rank of ''Stabschef'' after 1930 were the actual leaders of the SA.

Office holders

The office of ''Stabschef'' was held by four different people between 1929 and 1945 and was, in all but the first case of succession, inherited due to the death of a predecessor. The following SA officers held the office of ''Stabschef'':

Insignia

Early insignia for ''Stabschef'' consisted of an oak leaf patch worn on the collar of the stormtrooper uniform. Photographic evidence shows Ernst Röhm wearing such an insignia in his early days as the SA Chief of Staff. As Röhm's authority increased, so did his insignia and by mid 1931 photographic evidence shows him wearing wreathed star that was designed after that of a Bolivian General's collar, due to Röhm's previous military experience as a military adviser in Bolivia. After 1933, the insignia for ''Stabschef'' consisted of a "crossed lances" pattern, wreathed by a half oak leaf circle. After 1934, the insignia was changed to a wreathed tri-foil oak leaf pattern similar to the SS rank insignia of ''

Reichsführer-SS (, ) was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the (SS). ''Reichsführer-SS'' was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest rank of the SS. The longest-servi ...

''. With the fall of Nazi Germany, the ''Sturmabteilung'' ceased to exist and with it the ''Stabschef''. SA-Stabschef 1933.svg, Gorget patch (1933–1934) File:SA-Stabschef.svg, Gorget patch (1934–1945) SA_OF10_ChdSt_Schulterstück 1945.jpg, Shoulder patch (1933–1945)

Notes

References

Bibliography