MarketHauptfeldwebel (rank)
Company Profile

Hauptfeldwebel (rank)

Hauptfeldwebel is the third highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) grade in German Army and German Air Force. It is grouped as OR-7 / OR-8 in NATO, equivalent to US Army Sergeant 1st Class and Master Sergeant. In army/air force context, NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as Herr Hauptfeldwebel also informally/short Hauptfeld.

History
The Hauptfeldwebel introduced by the German Wehrmacht in 1938, was not as a military rank, but an assignment to "company sergeant" ( or ). Most experienced Portepée-NCO with the rank Stabsfeldwebel (more rarely Oberfeldwebel) 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==
Rank sequence
The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group (Senior NCOs with portepee) is as follows: • OR-9: / • OR-8: / • OR-7: / • OR-6: / • OR-6: / == References ==
tickerdossier.comtickerdossier.substack.com