Hauptfeldwebel (rank)
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| Hauptfeldwebel | |
|---|---|
  Heer and Luftwaffe shoulder insignia | |
| Country |  Germany |
| Service branch |  German Army German Air Force |
| Abbreviation | HptFw |
| Rank | Unteroffiziere mit Portepee grade |
| NATO rank code | OR-7 / OR-8 |
| Non-NATO rank | E-7 |
| Formation | 1957 |
| Next higher rank | Stabsfeldwebel |
| Next lower rank | Oberfeldwebel |
| Equivalent ranks | Hauptbootsmann |
Hauptfeldwebel (HptFw or HF; lit. 'Head Field Bailiff') is the third highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) grade in German Army and German Air Force.[1] It is grouped as OR-7 / OR-8 in NATO, equivalent to US Army Sergeant 1st Class and Master Sergeant.[2] In army/ air force context NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as Herr Hauptfeldwebel also informally / short Hauptfeld.
History
[edit]The Hauptfeldwebel introduced by the German Wehrmacht in 1938, was not as a military rank but an assignment to "company sergeant" (German: Kompaniefeldwebel or Spiess). Most experienced Portepée-NCO with the rank Stabsfeldwebel or Oberfeldwebel (more seldom Feldwebel) have been assigned to that distinguished position. The equivalent assignment in the Waffen-SS was the SS-Stabsscharführer.
The assignment was also used in the GDR National People's Army from 1956 until 1990.
In 1957, the rank was introduced in the West German Armed Forces.
Rank sequence
[edit]The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group (Senior NCOs with portepee) is as follows:
- OR-9: Oberstabsfeldwebel / Oberstabsbootsmann
- OR-8: Stabsfeldwebel / Stabsbootsmann
- OR-7: Hauptfeldwebel / Hauptbootsmann
- OR-6: Oberfeldwebel / Oberbootsmann
- OR-6: Feldwebel / Bootsmann
References
[edit]- ^ "§ 18 SLV - Einzelnorm". Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ^ "STANAG 2116 NATO code of ranks" (PDF). Hungarian University of Public Service, Ludovika. 1996-03-13.
Sources
[edit]- BROCKHAUS, Die Enzyklopädie in 24 Bänden (1796–2001), Band 5: 3-7653-3665-3, S. 487, Definition: Hauptfeldwebel/Oberfähnrich
- BROCKHAUS, Die Enzyklopädie in 24 Bänden (1796–2001), Band 7: 3-7653-3676-9, S. 185, Hauptfeldwebel