German/U.S. Rank Equivalents

Freiritter · Post by **Freiritter** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:43 am

Hello,

I was curious as to how German enlisted ranks would equate to U.S. enlisted ranks during WWII. Does this look right?

German/ U.S.

Grenadier/ Private

Obergrenadier/ Private First Class

Gefreiter/Obergefreiter/ Corporal

Feldwebel/ Sergeant

Oberfeldwebel/ Staff Sergeant

Hauptfeldwebel/ Master Sergeant

Stabsfeldwebel/ Sergeant Major

So far, officer rank equivalents are easy, just it's the enlisted ranks that cause me some confusion. How would Unteroffizier and Unterfeldwebel equate to?

Cordially,

Freiritter

Christoph Awender · Post by **Christoph Awender** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:42 am

Hello

It is often asked but I never understood why someone wants to make such equate rank charts. It doesn´t say anything because the duties of a e.g. Sergeant Major were completely different to the duties of a Stabsfelwebel in a company or higher formation. I think it would say more to compare positions/duties related to ranks and not just the ranks because this is like comparing apples with oranges.
Just my 2 cents.

\Christoph

Freiritter · Post by **Freiritter** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:51 am

Hello,

Hmmm. I tried looking up on your website the OoB of infantry formations, but, Babelfish couldn't translate it into English. I'd really appreciate if you could explain to me the positions and duties at the various levels. Like was the Gefreiter a grade where Obergefreiter candidates were trained to take on the duties of Obergefreiters and Unteroffiziere and Unterfeldwebels was the training grade for Feldwebel candidates?

Cordially,

Freiritter

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 1:26 pm

With just a little German you can take a look here:
http://mil.macatao.org/

Brian67 · Post by **Brian67** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 1:27 pm

Brian67 wrote:With just a little German you can take a look here:
http://mil.macatao.org/

Oh sorry. I just tried it. At the moment the link isn't working. Perhaps later on?!

Freiritter · Post by **Freiritter** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:11 am

Hello,

I did a little searching online and I think I figured it out. The Soldat was the initial recruit rank upon entering the Wehrmacht and was a lot like the U.S. Private. The Oberschutze was simply a bumped up Soldat who didn't show enough prospects to be bumped up to Gefreiter. A Gefreiter was like a Private First Class, a soldier with good prospects in his Heer service.

An Obergefreiter was a long service Gefreiter. A Stabsgefreiter was a long service Mannschaften that couldn't advance further in his service career. No corporal equivalents in the Wehrmacht, it seems. The NCO grades began at Unteroffizier and Unterfeldwebel. At this level, squad leaders were usually drawn from, essentially like Sergeants in the U.S. Army.

Feldwebels and Oberfeldwebels were senior NCOs that often led platoons and were placed in administrative and support billets in the company. An Oberfeldwebel often filled out the Hauptfeldwebel position, a Hauptfeldwebel being akin to a British/CW Company Sergeant Major or an U.S. Army Company First Sergeant. A Stabsfeldwebel was a long service Oberfeldwebel that couldn't advance further in the Wehrmacht and an Unterfeldwebel was a long service junior NCO that couldn't advance further.

The officer candidate grades were Offizieranwarters drawn from the Mannschaften ( Fahnenjunker ), Unteroffiziere and Unterfeldwebel ( Fahnrich ) and Oberfeldwebels ( Oberfahnrich ). From what I gather, officer candidates of NCO rank could often lead platoons.

I hope I have it right now.

Cordially,

Freiritter