Feldwebel

Feldwebel (Fw or F), literally "field usher", is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria.

Feldwebel is a contraction of feld meaning "field" and weibel, an archaic word meaning "usher". Weibel comes from the Old High German weibôn, meaning to go back and forth.

There are variations on feldwebel, such as Oberstabsfeldwebel ("Superior Staff Field Usher"), which is the highest non-commissioned rank in the German army and air force.

Feldwebel in different languages

The rank is used in several countries: Swedish fältväbel, Russian фельдфебель (fel'dfebel'), Bulgarian фелдфебел (feldfebel), Finnish vääpeli and Estonian veebel.

In Swiss German the spelling Feldweibel is used.

Feldwebel in different countries and armed forces

The Landsknecht regiments first installed Feldwaibel to keep the men at line at the battlefield. The rank is used in the German Army and German Air Force.[1] It is grouped as OR6 in NATO, equivalent in the US Army to Staff Sergeant, or in British Army / RAF to Sergeant. In army/air force context NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as Herr Feldwebel.

Germany

19th century and Kaiserreich

Feldwebel gained its widest usage under the German military beginning from the early 19th century. The highest-ranking non-commissioned officer until 1918, the Feldwebel acted as Company Sergeant Major. By contrast with some other countries, the position and duty of Regimental Sergeant Major never existed in Germany.

From 1877 veteran NCOs could be promoted to the rank of Feldwebel-Leutnant. This Army Reserve officer ranked with the Commissioned Officers, but was always inferior to the lowest Leutnant.

From 1887 the Offizierstellvertreter (Deputy Officer) ranked as a kind of Warrant Officer (more NCO than officer) between Feldwebel and the commissioned officers.

There were three further NCO ranks: Vizefeldwebel (Vice Feldwebel, senior NCO), Sergeant (junior NCO) and Unteroffizier (Lance Sergeant or Corporal, junior NCO). The Gefreiter was not an NCO as he had no powers of authority, and was a higher grade of private soldier.

Reichswehr and Wehrmacht
German Feldwebel in Russia (1943)

After World War I, in the German Reichswehr and Wehrmacht, the Feldwebel rank group was divided into several grades:

Feldwebel and above were Unteroffiziere mit Portepee (Senior NCOs); Unterfeldwebel and Unteroffiziere were Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee (Junior NCOs). In 1921, the rank of Sergeant was renamed Unterfeldwebel. Unterfeldwebels did duty as squad/section leaders.

The Stabsfeldwebel rank was reserved for those who had enlisted for 25 year terms of service in the pre-war German military and those who were enlisted for shorter terms were not eligible to hold this rank.

The appointment of Hauptfeldwebel (Company sergeant major/First sergeant) could be held by Stabsfeldwebels or Oberfeldwebels only. NCOs of a lower rank (Feldwebel, Unterfeldwebel, Unteroffizier) holding this position were titled Hauptfeldwebeldiensttuer (i.e. acting Hauptfeldwebel).

Unteroffiziere
Stabs-
feldwebel
Ober-
feldwebel
Feldwebel
Unter-
feldwebel
Unteroffizier

Not all Heer NCO's in this grade were called Unterfeldwebel, Feldwebel, Oberfeldwebel and Stabsfeldwebel which are ranks in the infantry tradition. In some other service branches, for example, the equivalent ranks were as follows.

Cavalry and artillery
Waffen-SS

German Bundeswehr
Feldwebel
Heer and Luftwaffe shoulder insignia
Country Germany
Service branch German Army
 German Air Force
AbbreviationFw
RankUnteroffiziere mit Portepee grade[2]
NATO rankOR-6b
Non-NATO rankE-6
Formation1957
Next higher rankOberfeldwebel
Next lower rankStabsunteroffizier
Equivalent ranksBootsmann
Feldwebel (2011)

In the modern German Bundeswehr, Feldwebel is considered a Senior NCO, due in part to the large number of Corporal positions which exist as junior grades.

The modern Bundeswehr NCO grades are as follows:

The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group (NCOs with portepee or Senior NCOs with portepee) is as follows:

Remark

The abbreviation "OR" stands for "Other Ranks / fr: sous-officiers et militaires du rang / ru:другие ранги, кроме офицеров"!

junior Rank
Stabsunteroffizier

(German NCO rank)
Feldwebel

 senior Rank
Oberfeldwebel

Austria

Feldwebel was a typical infantry rank of the k.u.k. Austro-Hungarian Army (1867–1918). It might have been comparable to NCO-rank OR8.[3]/ Company Sergeant-major ranks in the British Army.

In the k.u.k. Austro-Hungarian Army Feldwebel was equivalent to:

  • Beschlagmeister I. Klasse (Master-Blacksmith 1st class) cavalry,
  • Feuerwerker (literal: Fire worker; en: Master-Sergeant) artillery,
  • Oberjaeger (en: Master-Sergeant) of the mountain troops and rifles,
  • Rechnungs-Unteroffizier I. Klasse (en: Fiscal sergeant 1st class),
  • Regimentshornist (en: Regimental bugler),
  • Regimentstambour (en: Regimental drummer),
  • Wachtmeister (en: Master-Sergeant) cavalry,
  • Waffenmeister I. Klasse (en: Weapon master 1st class) artillery and weapon arsenal,
    • Einjährig-Freiwilliger-Feldwebel (en: Master-Sergeant - volunteer serving one year), and
    • Kadett-Feldwebel (en: Cadet-Master-Sergeant).
Junior rank
Zugsführer (Sergeant)
(Austro-Hungarian
armed forces rank)
Feldwebel		 Senior rank
Stabsfeldwebel (Regimental Sergeant-major)

Then rank insignia was a gorget patch on the stand-up collar of the so-called Waffenrock (en: Tunic), and consisted of three white stars on 13 mm ragged yellow silk galloon. The gorget patch and the stand-up collar showed the particular Waffenfarbe (en: corps colour).

Examples (selection)
DesignationNon-commissioned officers OR8/ Feldwebel ranks
Rank insignia
Rank description Feuerwerker Wachtmeister Oberjäger Feldwebel
Branch ArtilleryCavalryMountain
infantry		InfantryMilitärwachkorps
(English) (Artillery Master-Sergeant) (Cavalry LMaster-Sergeant) (Rifles Master-Sergeant) (Master-Sergeant) (Master-Sergeant mil. guards)
Feldwebel of the k.u.k. Army
  • InfRgt Nr.5
    (more than 9 years in service)
  • InfRgt Nr. 13
  • InfRgt Nr. 15
    (German style uniform / more than 6 years in service)
  • InfRgt Nr. 35
  • InfRgt Nr. 44
  • InfRgt Nr. 63
  • InfRgt Nr. 74
    (German style uniform)
  • InfRgt Nr. 79
    (Hungarian style uniform)
  • InfRgt Nr. 98
  • InfRgt Nr. 100
    (German style uniform)
See also
Main articles: Rank insignias of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces, Waffenfarbe (Austria), and Adjustierung

Bulgaria

In the Bulgarian army, фелдфебел (pronounced "feldfebel") existed from the late 19th century to the late 1940s, when the German-type military organization was phased out in favor of a new doctrine, identical to the Soviet one.

Estonia

The Estonian rank of "veebel" is derived from the name of the German rank "Feldwebel".

Senior NCOs[4][5][6]
Estonian:
Auastmed		ÜlemveebelStaabiveebelVanemveebelVeebelNooremveebel
English:
Ranks		Command Sergeant MajorSergeant MajorMaster SergeantSergeant First ClassStaff Sergeant
Estonian:
Auastmed		ÜlemveebelStaabiveebelVanemveebel VeebelNooremveebel
English:
Ranks		Master Chief Petty Officer of the NavyMaster Chief Petty OfficerSenior Chief Petty OfficerChief Petty Officer 1st ClassChief Petty Officer 2nd Class
Estonian:
Auastmed		ÜlemveebelStaabiveebelVanemveebelVeebelNooremveebel
English:
Ranks		Chief Master Sergeant of the Air ForceChief Master SergeantSenior Master SergeantMaster SergeantTechnical Sergeant

Finland
  • Rank insignia

The military rank of vääpeli was previously used by salaried NCOs. Responsibility was given for training and maintenance.

The rank of vääpeli is a rank of wartime formation and can be given to soldier of "ylikersantti". In peacetime, the term yksikköupseeri, literally "officer of the unit", is used, and this position is held by a salaried officer, typically senior lieutenant. The responsibility is for the provisioning, maintenance, human resources management and generally well-being of the unit (company).

Russia

In the Imperial Russian Army a Feldfebel (Russian: фельдфебель; today comparable to NATO OR6[3]) held the highest Unteroffizier (унтер-офицер/ unter-ofitser; NCO) rank from 1722 (its introduction into Peter the Great's Table of Ranks until 1826 (the introduction of the still-higher Unteroffizier ranks Podpraporshchik (подпрапорщик; literally: Junior praporschschik) OR-7 and later Zauryad-praporshchik (зауряд-прапорщик; Praporshchik deputy) OR-8 in 1884). Feldwebels, even after the introduction of these senior ranks, were usually the most senior Unteroffiziers in a unit and held the positions of the unit's CO senior assistant or Starshina (старшина; Sergeant Major). When they were promoted to Zauryad-praporshchik OR-8 or Podpraporshchik OR-7 ranks, but still held the Feldfebel OR-6 positions, they were authorized to still wear the Feldvebel's bands on their shoulder boards. The cavalry equivalent of this rank was the vakhtmistr or vakhmistr (вахмистр - derived from German Wachtmeister), also OR-6.

Sequence of ranks
junior rank:
Starshy unterofitser

Feldvebel
(Wakhtmistr)		 senior rank:
Podpraporshchik
Rank insignia
designationRank insignia as to the years 1904-1917
shoulder
board
epaulette
military
rank		 Feldvebel
(1904)		 Feldvebel
(1907)		 Wakhtmistr
(1904)		 Wakhtmistr
(1908)		 Wakhtmistr
longer serving (1911)		 Podpraporshchik
on assignment
Feldvebel
(1914)
NATO rank OR-6 OR-7

Switzerland

Feldweibel is the lowest rank of "Higher Non-Commissioned Officers" in the Swiss Army. Until the "Reform XXI" agenda, there were two branches of Feldweibels: technical and company level.

The Feldweibel oversees unit-level military service and operations. In 2004, the rank of Hauptfeldweibel was introduced. Since then, only technical specialists have remained in the rank of Feldweibel.

On international missions they are referred to as "Sergeant Major" (NATO Code: OR-7).

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See also

References
  1. BROCKHAUS, The encyclopedia in 24 volumes (1796–2001), Volume 7: 3-7653-3676-9, page 185
  2. https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/slv_2002/__18.html
  3. The abbreviation "OR" stands for "Other Ranks / fr: sous-officiers et militaires du rang / ru:другие ранги, кроме офицероф"
  4. "Maaväe auastmed" (in Estonian). Estonian Defence Forces. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  5. "Land Forces Insignia". Estonian Defence Forces. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  6. "Military Service Act – Riigi Teataja". www.riigiteataja.ee. Retrieved 2019-11-17.

Sources
  • BROCKHAUS, Die Enzyklopädie in 24 Bänden (1796–2001), Band 5: 3-7653-3665-3, S. 487, Feldwebel
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