Feldwebel
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The word Feldwebel translates as Sergeant.
19th Century and German Kaiserreich
Feldwebel gained its widest usage under the German military beginning from the early 19th century. The highest ranking Senior Non-Commissioned Officer until 1918, the Feldwebel acted as Company Sergeant Major or Regimental Sergeant Major).
From 1877 veteran NCO's could be promoted to the rank of Feldwebel-Leutnant. This Army Reserve Officer ranked with the Commissioned Officers, but was always inferior to the youngest Second Lieutenant.
Since 1887 the Offizierstellvertreter (Deputy Officer) ranked as kind of Warrant Officer First Class (more NCO than Officer) between Feldwebel and the Commissioned Officers.
There were three further NCO-ranks: Vizefeldwebel (Vice Feldwebel, Senior NCO), Sergeant (Junior NCO) and Unteroffizier (Lance Sergeant or Corporal, Junior NCO). The Gefreiter was not a NCO but a Private First Class.
Reichswehr and Wehrmacht
After World War I, in the German Reichswehr and Wehrmacht, the Feldwebel was divided into several NCO-Ranks above Unteroffizier (as Squad-Leader):
- Unterfeldwebel (a Junior NCO, Squad-Leader or Vice-Platoon-Leader)
- Oberfeldwebel (Senior NCO, Platoon-Leader)
- Hauptfeldwebel (Company Sergeant Major (CSM), Oberfeldwebel in a temporary appointment)
- Stabsfeldwebel (long-service Senior NCO, acting as CSM, Platoon-Leader etc.)
In World War II the Oberscharführer of the Waffen-SS was the equivalent of Feldwebel.
Bundeswehr
In the modern German Bundeswehr, Feldwebel is considered a Senior NCO, due in part to the large number of Corporal positions which exist as junior grades. Typically, a soldier will rise to the rank of Feldwebel only after three to five years of service.
The modern Bundeswehr-NCO-ranks are as follows:
Junior NCOs - Unteroffizier, Stabsunteroffizier
Senior NCOs - Feldwebel, Oberfeldwebel, Hauptfeldwebel,
Stabsfeldwebel, Oberstabsfeldwebel (receive officer's pay)
In the Bundeswehr, Hauptfeldwebel is no more an appointment but a rank. The appointment of a CSM may be hold by Hauptfeldwebel and above: Kompaniefeldwebel (Infantry-Company), Batteriefeldwebel (Artillery-Battery) or Staffelfeldwebel (Air Force-Wing).
In the Deutsche Marine (German Navy, as part of the Bundeswehr), the equivalent to Feldwebel is the rank Bootsmann (boatswain).pl:Feldwebel
