''Truppführer'' (, "troop leader") was a

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 ...

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 that was first created in 1930 as a rank of 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). Translated as "Troop Leader", the rank of ''Truppführer'' evolved from early ''

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, rega ...

'' titles which traced their origins to

World War I 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, ''Truppführer'' was considered the equivalent of a senior

sergeant Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...

, or sergeant first class. The rank of SA-''Truppführer'' was at first considered senior to that of SA-''

Scharführer ''Scharführer'' (, ) was a title or rank used in early 20th Century German military terminology. In German, ''Schar'' was one term for the smallest sub-unit, equivalent to (for example) a "troop" , "squad", or "section". The word ''führer'' ...

'', but after 1932 was ranked above the new rank of SA-''

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 ...

''. The insignia for a basic ''Truppführer'' consisted of two button pips on a collar patch. A ''Truppführer'' normally served as the SA-

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 ...

of platoon sized ''SA-Truppen'', formed into company sized ''SA-Sturm''. The responsibilities of a ''Truppführer'' typically increased upon promotion to '' Obertruppführer'' and ''

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 ...

'', as did the number of troops under the ''Truppführer’s'' command. Between 1930 and 1934, ''Truppführer'' was also used 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 ...

but was abolished 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 ...

when the rank of SS-''Truppführer'' was renamed SS-''

''.

Insignia

File:NSFK-Truppführer.svg, NSFK File:NSKK-Truppführer.svg, NSKK File:OT-Truppführer.svg, OT File:RAD-Truppführer.svg, RAD File:SA-Truppführer.svg, SA

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Truppfuhrer Nazi paramilitary ranks