''Staffelkapitän'' is a command appointment, rather than a
military rank
Military ranks is a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, Intelligence agency, intelligence agencies, paramilitary groups, and other institutions organized along military organisation , military lines, such ...
, in the air force units of German-speaking countries.
The rank normally held by a ''Staffelkapitän'' has changed over time. In the present-day
German ''Luftwaffe'' – part of the ''
Bundeswehr
The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...
'' – the position is usually held by an ''
Oberstleutnant
() (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...
'' (lieutenant colonel) or ''
Major
Major most commonly refers to:
* Major (rank), a military rank
* Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits
* People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames
* Major and minor in musi ...
''.
World War II
In the ''
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
'' of the World War II ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
'', a full-strength
''Staffel'' had nine to 12 operational aircraft; as such it was slightly smaller than a full-strength
squadron (at least 12 aircraft) in the air forces of other countries. Hence a ''Luftwaffe'' ''Staffelkapitän'' usually held the rank of an ''
Oberleutnant
(English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...
'' or ''
Hauptmann
() is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''.
Background
While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...
''. (In other countries, a squadron was normally commanded by, at the very least, a Major or direct equivalent rank, such as an RAF
Squadron Leader.)
An acting or newly-appointed ''Staffelkapitän'', for the first weeks of their assignment, was known as ''Staffelführer'' ("Staffel leader"). In this sense a
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...
might also be referred to as a ''Staffelführer''. (As such the Luftwaffe title differed significantly from the
SS rank of ''
Staffelführer''.)
See also
*
Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–1945)
Between 1933 and 1945, the organization of the Luftwaffe underwent several changes. Originally, the German military high command, for their air warfare forces, decided to use an organizational structure similar to the army and navy, treating the ...
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
*
Luftwaffe
Military ranks of Germany
Luftwaffe appointments
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