Unteroffizier


Unteroffizier is a military rank of the Bundeswehr and of former German-speaking armed forces, OR-5b on the NATO scale of ranks. There is no equivalent in the British Army, Royal Marines and various Commonwealth armies, although the Canadian Army equivalent is OR-5 Master Corporal. The equivalent in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps is OR-5 sergeant. However, Unteroffizier is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers.

Germany

In German military, Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a generic term for any non-commissioned officer, which has existed since the 17th century.
Unteroffizier means a specific junior NCO rank of both the Heer and Luftwaffe. It is placed between Gefreiter and Feldwebel, roughly equivalent to a Corporal in the English-speaking world.
Until the end of German Reich, the equivalent of Unteroffizier rank in Jäger units was Oberjäger.
The term Unteroffizier continues to be used by the German Bundeswehr.
;There are two classes of non-commissioned officers:
Informally, the non-commissioned officers "mit Portepee" are often called "Feldwebel ranks", which creates confusion as the collective term Unteroffizier already exists. The word Unteroffizier, in turn, is getting a third meaning, namely: non-commissioned officer ohne Portepee, as opposed to "Feldwebel ranks".
Unteroffizier translates as "subordinate-officer" and, when meaning the specific rank, is in modern-day usage considered the equivalent to sergeant under the NATO rank scale. Historically the Unteroffizier rank was considered a corporal and thus similar in duties to a British Army corporal. In peacetime an Unteroffizier was a career soldier who trained conscripts or led squads and platoons. He could rise through the ranks to become an Unteroffizier mit Portepee, i.e. a Feldwebel, which was the highest rank a career soldier could reach. Since the German officer corps was immensely class conscious a rise through the ranks from a NCO to become an officer was hardly possible except in times of war.
The Unteroffizierskorps was made up of professional soldiers which formed the backbone of German armies. This tradition has not been changed by the Bundeswehr where all ranks of Unteroffizier and up consist only of professional soldiers who sign up for a period extending conscription.
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 and World War II designs.
A modern-day German Bundeswehr Unteroffizier typically commands squad sized formations or acts as an assistant platoon NCO. The rank is also used in the modern-day German Air Force. In the Bundeswehr the grade of Stabsunteroffizier ranks between Unteroffizier and Feldwebel''.
;See also:

Unteroffizier Wehrmacht (Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine) and equivalent grades Waffen-SS until 1945

; There sequence of grades in Heer, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine was as follows:
;Rank insignia Unteroffizier Wehrmacht and equivalent grades Waffen-SS:
junior rank
Stabsgefreiter

Unteroffizier		senior rank
Unterfeldwebel''

Unteroffizier East German National People's Army until 1990

By the East German National People's Army and the Border troops the grade was introduced in 1956, comparable to NATO OR-6b. The rank insignia remained almost identically to these Wehrmacht and Reichswehr. There designation of the two classes of non-commissioned officers, i.e. "Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee" and "Unteroffiziere mit Portepee", was generally disapproved by the East German communist military leadership, and consequently uncustomary.
There sequence of grades was as follows:
  • Unteroffizier
  • Unterfeldwebel
  • Feldwebel
  • Oberfeldwebel
  • Stabsfeldwebel
;Rank insignia:
Junior rank
Stabsgefreiter

Unterfeldwebel
Senior rank
Unterfeldwebel

;See also:

Austria

Unteroffizier, also Unteroffizier corps, is the collective name to all junior NCO-ranks in the modern day's Austrian Bundesheer. It comprises the ranks of the assignment group M BUO 2 with the rank Oberwachtmeister, and M ZUO 2 with the rank Wachtmeister.
Training and education of the Unteroffizier corps was reformed in 1995 and until 2000 finally introduced to the armed forces. First effected were professional NCOs of the assignment group M BUO 1, followed by the assignment group M BUO 2.
In the result of a positive entrance examination aspirants attended the NCO trainings course on the :de:Heeresunteroffiziersakademie|Heeresunteroffiziersakademie in Enns. After positive HUAk-graduation regular assignments to a Unteroffizier might be squad leader, or service in a military staff or headquarters.
;See also: