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SS-Stabsscharführer
SS-Stabsscharführer (short: Stascha; address: ''Stabsscharführer'' ; ) was not a rank,Williamson, Gordon. ''The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror. The Full Story from Street Fighters to the Waffen-SS.'' Osceola, WI: Motorbooks, 1994, p. 250. but a position title or appointment, mainly used in the Waffen-SS, equivalent to the ''Hauptfeldwebel'' of the Wehrmacht (Heer and Luftwaffe) between the years of 1938 to 1945. Usually it was the senior NCO ("senior squad leader") of his company-sized SS subunit. His duties were largely administrative and he was not expected to accompany his unit into combat. Those holding the function of SS-''Stabsscharführer'' had to be addressed ''Stabsscharführer'' regardless of the actual rank title, e.g. ''Sturmscharführer'', ''Hauptscharführer'', or infrequent ''Oberscharfüher''. The position of SS-''Stabsscharführer'' was unique to the Waffen-SS or SS command of concentration camps, and was not used by branches of the ''Allgemeine-SS ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hauptfeldwebel
In the German Wehrmacht, Hauptfeldwebel (short: HptFw; address: ''Herr Hauptfeldwebel'') was not a rank but a position title, assignment or appointment, equivalent to the Commonwealth company sergeant major or U.S. company-level first sergeant. There was one such non-commissioned officer (NCO) in every infantry company, artillery battery, cavalry squadron, etc. He was the senior NCO of his subunit, but his duties were largely administrative and he was not expected to accompany his unit into an assault or a firefight. The Hauptfeldwebel had many nicknames, including ''Spieß'' ("Spear") and ''Mutter der Kompanie'' ("company mother"). He wore two 10mm broad rings of NCO braid around the cuff of his sleeves, nicknamed ''Kolbenringe'' ("piston rings"), and carried a ''Meldetasche'' (reporting pouch) tucked into the tunic front, in which he carried blank report forms, rosters and other papers related to his duties. The German Army had no equivalent of the Commonwealth Regimental ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waffen-SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands. The grew from three regiments to over 38 division (military), divisions during World War II, and served alongside the German Army (Wehrmacht), German Army (''Heer''), ''Ordnungspolizei'' (uniformed police) and other security units. Originally, it was under the control of the (SS operational command office) beneath Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS. With the start of World War II, tactical control was exercised by the (OKW, "High Command of the Armed Forces"), with some units being subordinated to (Command Staff Reichsführer-SS) directly under Himmler's control. Initially, in keeping with the racial policy of Nazi Germany, membership was open only to people of Germanic origin (so-called "Nazi racial theor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sturmscharführer
__NOTOC__ (, ) was a Nazi rank of the Waffen-SS that existed between 1934 and 1945. The rank was the most senior enlisted rank in the Waffen-SS, the equivalent of a regimental sergeant major, in other military organizations. Rank usage ''Sturmscharführer'' as a proper rank was unique to the Waffen-SS and was not used in the ''Allgemeine-SS'' (general-SS), where the highest enlisted rank was ''Hauptscharführer''. Members of the ''Sicherheitspolizei'' (SiPo), when wearing the rank insignia of ''Sturmscharführer'' with police collar piping, did so when holding the equivalent police rank of ''Meister'' or the investigator's title of ''Kriminalsekretär''. Administratively, such secret police members were not even required to be members of the SS (although many were) and thus the insignia was sometimes worn by non-SS members. Due to SS rank parity regulations, by 1943 most police members were required to hold SS rank, and those with police equivalent rank to ''Sturmscharführe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hauptscharführer
__NOTOC__ ''Hauptscharführer'' ( ) was a Nazi paramilitary rank which was used by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank was the highest enlisted rank of the SS, with the exception of the special Waffen-SS rank of ''Sturmscharführer''. The ''Hauptscharführer'' became a SS rank after a reorganization of the SS following the Night of the Long Knives. The first use of ''Hauptscharführer'' was in June 1934 when the rank replaced the older SA title of '' Obertruppführer''. Within the '' Allgemeine-SS'' (general-SS), a ''Hauptscharführer'' was typically the head SS-non-commissioned officer of an ''SS-Sturm'' (company) or was a rank used by enlisted staff personnel assigned to an SS headquarters office or security agency (such as the Gestapo and '' Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD)). The rank of ''Hauptscharführer'' was also commonly used in the concentration camp service and could also be found as a rank of the ''Einsatzgruppen''. The rank of SS- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oberscharführer
__NOTOC__ ''Oberscharführer'' (, ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between 1932 and 1945. ''Oberscharführer'' was first used as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The SA rank of ''Oberscharführer'' was senior to ''Scharführer'' and junior to the rank of '' Truppführer''. Since early ranks of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) were identical to the ranks of SA, ''Oberscharführer'' was created as an SS rank at the same time the position was created within the SA. Initially, the rank of SS-''Oberscharführer'' was equal to its SA counterpart; however, this changed in 1934 following the Night of the Long Knives. At that time, the SS rank system was reorganized and several new ranks established with older SA titles discontinued. The rank of SS-''Oberscharführer'' was therefore "bumped up" and became equal to an SA-''Truppführer''. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Military Rank
Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a military hierarchy. It incorporates the principles of exercising power and authority into the military chain of command—the succession of commanders superior to subordinates through which command is exercised. The military chain of command constructs an important component for organized collective action. Uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms on a number of countries. Ranking systems have been known for most of military history to be advantageous for military operations, in particular with regards to logistics, command, and coordination. As time went on and military operations became larger and more complex, military ranks increased and the ranking systems themselves became more complex. Rank ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previously used term and was the manifestation of the Nazi regime's efforts to rearm Germany to a greater extent than the Treaty of Versailles permitted. After the Nazi rise to power in 1933, one of Adolf Hitler's most overt and audacious moves was to establish the ''Wehrmacht'', a modern offensively-capable armed force, fulfilling the Nazi régime's long-term goals of regaining lost territory as well as gaining new territory and dominating its neighbours. This required the reinstatement of conscription and massive investment and defense spending on the arms industry. The ''Wehrmacht'' formed the heart of Germany's politico-military power. In the early part of the Second World War, the ''Wehrmacht'' employed combined arms tactics (close- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Non-commissioned Officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enlisted personnel, are of lower rank than any officer.) In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, officer candidate school (OCS), or officer training school (OTS) after receiving a post-secondary degree. The NCO corps usually includes many grades of enlisted, corporal and sergeant; in some countries, warrant officers also carry out the duties of NCOs. The naval equivalent includes some or all grades of petty officer. There are different classes of non-commissioned officers, including junior (lower ranked) non-commissioned officers (JNCO) and senior/staff (higher ranked) non-commissioned officers (SNCO). Function The non-commissioned officer corps has been referred to as "the backbone" of the arme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Company (military Unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are formed of three to seven platoons, although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure. Usually several companies are grouped as a battalion or regiment, the latter of which is sometimes formed by several battalions. Occasionally, ''independent'' or ''separate'' companies are organized for special purposes, such as the 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company or the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company. These companies are not organic to a battalion or regiment, but rather report directly to a higher level organization such as a Marine Expeditionary Force headquarters (i.e., a corps-level command). Historical background The modern military company became popularized during the reorganization of the Swedish Army in 1631 under King Gustav II Adolph. For administrative purposes, the infantry was divided into companies consisting o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allgemeine-SS
The ''Allgemeine SS'' (; "General SS") was a major branch of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany; it was managed by the SS Main Office (''SS-Hauptamt''). The ''Allgemeine SS'' was officially established in the autumn of 1934 to distinguish its members from the ''SS-Verfügungstruppe'' (SS Dispositional Troops or SS-VT), which later became the Waffen-SS, and the ''SS-Totenkopfverbände'' (SS Death's Head Units or SS-TV), which were in charge of the Nazi concentration camps and extermination camps. SS formations committed many war crimes against civilians and allied servicemen. Starting in 1939, foreign units of the ''Allgemeine SS'' were raised in occupied countries. From 1940 they were consolidated into the Directorate of the Germanic-SS (''Leitstelle der germanischen SS''). When the war first began, the vast majority of SS members belonged to the ''Allgemeine SS'', but this proportion changed during the later years of the war after the Waffen-SS open ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
