Unteroffizier

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Unteroffizier

Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank

Military rank

Military rank is a system of hierarchy relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms....
as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officer

Non-commissioned officer

A non-commissioned officer , also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted rank member of an armed force who has been given authority by a officer ....
s of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
n Army of the 1800s.

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Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank

Military rank

Non-commissioned officer

Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
n Army of the 1800s. The term continues to be used by the Bundeswehr

Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr is the name of the unified armed forces of the Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. The States of Germany are not allowed to maintain armed forces of their own, since the Constitution determines that matters of defense fall into the sole responsibility of the Federal government....
.

Translated literally as “Under Officer”, this is perhaps misleading as an Unteroffizier is in actuality a junior enlisted rank. The rank of Unteroffizier was first created to "bridge the gap" between career professional soldiers and enlisted conscripts. Typically, the rank of Feldwebel
Feldwebel

Feldwebel is a Germany military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The word Feldwebel is usually, but incorrectly, translated as Sergeant....
was reserved for veteran soldiers while Gefreiter
Gefreiter

Gefreiter is the Germany, Switzerland and Austrian equivalent for Private in the armed services. Gefreiter was the lowest rank to which an ordinary soldier could be promoted....
was a rank held by junior and less experienced personnel. Unteroffizier was then established as a Junior NCO

Non-commissioned officer

A non-commissioned officer , also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted rank member of an armed force who has been given authority by a officer ....
's rank between Gefreiter and Feldwebel and was more or less regarded as a full Corporal

Corporal

Corporal is a Military rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to Ranks and insignia of NATO....
.

There are two classes of Unteroffizier in the land (Heer) and air (Luftwaffe) branches of the armed forces; Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee
Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee

Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee is the designation for German junior non-commissioned officers in the German army. The name is derived from earlier traditions in which German senior NCOs would carry the officer's sidearms with the officer's swordknot ....
(Unteroffizier and Stabsunteroffizier) and Unteroffiziere mit Portepee
Unteroffiziere mit Portepee

Literally "Junior Officer with Swordknot", this is the designation for German senior non-commissioned officers in the German army. The name derives from earlier traditions in which senior enlisted men would carry a sword into battle....
(Feldwebel
Feldwebel

Feldwebel is a Germany military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The word Feldwebel is usually, but incorrectly, translated as Sergeant....
, Oberfeldwebel, Hauptfeldwebel
Hauptfeldwebel

In the German military, the appointment of Hauptfeldwebel was the German equivalent of a Commonwealth Company Sergeant Major or American Company First Sergeant....
, Stabsfeldwebel and Oberstabsfeldwebel).

Unteroffizier is one of the few German military ranks whose insignia has remained unchanged over the past one hundred years. The shoulder boards of a modern Unteroffizier are relatively similar to the World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
and World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
designs.

During the Second World War, in the German Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht was the name of the unified armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe ....
, an Unteroffizier in an infantry platoon normally commanded a squad

Squad

In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section ....
of 9 or 10 men, and was thus equivalent to an American Army sergeant

Sergeant

Sergeant is a Military rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
or a British Army corporal

Corporal

Corporal is a Military rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to Ranks and insignia of NATO....
. The "equivalent" rank is therefore given as both of these ranks depending on which references are consulted.

A modern day German Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr is the name of the unified armed forces of the Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities. The States of Germany are not allowed to maintain armed forces of their own, since the Constitution determines that matters of defense fall into the sole responsibility of the Federal government....
Army Unteroffizier typically commands squad

Squad

Platoon

A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four Section or squads and containing about 30 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organised into a company , which typically consists of three, four or five platoons....
NCO

Non-commissioned officer

A non-commissioned officer , also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted rank member of an armed force who has been given authority by a officer ....
. The rank is also used in the modern-day German Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe

is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. In the Bundeswehr the grade of Stabsunteroffizier (a Junior NCO) ranks between Unteroffizier and Feldwebel (a Senior NCO).

The Deutsche Marine (German Navy) equivalent of Unteroffizier is a rank known as Maat, equivalent to a Petty Officer

Petty Officer

A Petty Officer is a Non-commissioned officer or equivalent in many navy....
in other navies. The equivalent to Stabsunteroffizier is Obermaat.