Hauptfeldwebel (rank)
Hauptfeldwebel is the third highest Non-commissioned officer grade in German Army and German Air Force.
History
The Hauptfeldwebel was introduced by the German Wehrmacht in 1938 not as a military rank but as the assignment to “company sergeant. Most experienced Portepée-NCO with the rank Stabsfeldwebel or Oberfeldwebel have been assigned to that distinguished position.The assignment Spiess/Hauptfeldwebel, equivalent to the company sergeant major in Anglo-phonic armed forces, has been used before in the GDR National People's Army from 1956 until 1990 as well.
The equivalent assignment to the company sergeant major in the Waffen-SS was the SS-Stabsscharführer from 1938 until 1945.
Rank information
It is grouped as OR7 in NATO, equivalent to a US Army Sergeant 1st Class, US Marine Gunnery Sergeant, or US Air Force Master Sergeant, and to Warrant Officer Class 2 in the British Army and Royal Navy.In army/ air force context NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as Herr Hauptfeldwebel also informally / short Hauptfeld.
The sequence of ranks in that particular group is as follows:
- OR-9: Oberstabsfeldwebel / Oberstabsbootsmann
- OR-8: Hauptfeldwebel / Hauptbootsmann and Stabsfeldwebel / Stabsbootsmann
- OR-7: Hauptfeldwebel / Hauptbootsmann
- OR-6a: Oberfeldwebel / Oberbootsmann
- OR-6b: Feldwebel / Bootsmann
The abbreviation "OR" stands for "Other Ranks / fr: sous-officiers et militaires du rang / ru:другие ранги, кроме офицероф"!
| Junior rank Oberfeldwebel | Hauptfeldwebel | Senior rank Stabsfeldwebel |
| Junior rank Oberfeldwebel | Oberfähnrich | Senior rank Stabsfeldwebel |
Equivalent in other NATO countries Army/Air Force
- – Rreshter/no equivalent
- – 1er sergeant-major; 1ste sergeant-majoor
- – Старши сержант
- – Warrant Officer; Adjudant
- – Nadnarednik
- – praporčík/
- – Oversergent
- – Vanemveebel/
- – no equivalent
- – Επιλοχίας; Epilochias/N.N.
- – Főtörzsőrmester/N.N.
- – no equivalent
- – Sergente maggiore capo
- – Štāba virsseržants/N.N.
- – Štabo seržantas/N.N.
- – N.N.
- – Sergeant-majoor; Opperwachtmeester/Sergeant-majoor
- – no equivalent
- – Szef kompanii
- – Sargento-ajudante
- – Maistru Militar clasa III
- – rotmajster
- – štabni vodnik
- – Sargento primero
- – Astsubay Kıdemli Üstçavuş and Astsubay Üstçavuş/
- – Старшина
- – Staff Sergeant and Colour Sergeant/Flight sergeant, Flight sergeant aircrew and Chief sergeant
- – Master Sergeant/Sergeant First Class