Obertruppführer (, "senior troop leader") was a

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 of 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 ...

that was used between the years of 1932 and 1945. The rank is most closely associated with 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), but also was an early rank of the ''

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe ...

'' (SS) in that group's formative years. Translated as “Senior Troop Leader”, ''Obertruppführer'' traces its origins to the rank of '' Truppführer'' which was a title used by

Stormtrooper Stormtrooper or storm trooper may refer to: Military *Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany), specialist soldier of the German Army in World War I *''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) or Storm Detachment, a paramilitary organization of the German Nazi Party *8th In ...

Companies (Shock Troops) during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. As an SA rank, ''Obertruppführer'' was created in 1932 due to the SA's expansion and growing membership. The rank of ''Obertruppführer'' was junior to ''

Haupttruppführer Haupttruppführer (, "chief troop leader") was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between the years of 1930 and 1945. ''Haupttruppführer'' was mainly used as a rank of the '' Sturmabteilung'' (SA), but was also used by the '' Schutzstaff ...

'' and typically served as a senior

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 enli ...

rank equivalent to a

Platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may rang ...

Sergeant in other military organizations. As an

SS rank The uniforms and insignia of the ''Schutzstaffel'' served to distinguish the Nazi paramilitary ranks of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) between 1925 and 1945 from the ranks of the '' Wehrmacht'' (the regular German armed forces from 1935), the German ...

, ''Obertruppführer'' was used by the SS between the years of 1932 and 1934. An SS-''Obertruppführer'' carried similar duties to their SA counterparts and the rank was also used in the very early days of the ''

SS-Verfügungstruppe ''SS-Verfügungstruppe'' (SS-VT or V-Truppe) (lit. "SS Dispositional Troops") was formed in 1934 as combat troops for the Nazi Party (NSDAP). On 17 August 1938 Adolf Hitler decreed that the SS-VT was neither a part of the ''Ordnungspolizei'' ( ...

'' (SS-VT). ''Obertruppführer'' was abolished as an SS rank after the

Night of the Long Knives The Night of the Long Knives (German: ), or the Röhm purge (German: ''Röhm-Putsch''), also called Operation Hummingbird (German: ''Unternehmen Kolibri''), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Ad ...

(1934), when the rank was renamed as SS-''

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 ran ...

''. ''Obertruppführer'' survived as a rank of the SA until the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945. The insignia for ''Obertruppführer'' consisted of two button pips and a silver stripe centered on a collar patch.

Insignia

NSFK-Obertruppführer.svg, NSFK NSKK-Obertruppführer.svg, NSKK OT-Obertruppführer.svg, OT RAD-Obertruppführer.svg, RAD RBL-Luftschutzobertruppmeister.svg, RBL SA-Obertruppführer.svg, SA

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Obertruppfuhrer Nazi paramilitary ranks