Hauptfeldwebel (assignment)

In the German Wehrmacht, Hauptfeldwebel (short: HptFW; address: Herr Hauptfeldwebel) was not a rank but a position title, assignment or appointment, equivalent to the Commonwealth company sergeant major or U.S. company-level first sergeant. There was one such non-commissioned officer (NCO) in every infantry company, artillery battery, cavalry squadron, etc. He was the senior NCO of his subunit, but his duties were largely administrative and he was not expected to accompany his unit into an assault or a firefight.

Not to be confused with the German Bundeswehr senior NCO rank Hauptfeldwebel.

Hauptfeldwebel (Wehrmacht) (position title or appointment)
appointment insignia, ("double piston rings")
Country	Germany
Service branch	German Army
Abbreviation	HptFw
Rank	senior NCOs, e.g. Oberfeldwebel or Feldwebel
Formation	1938
Abolished	1945
Equivalent ranks	SS-Stabsscharführer

Company sergeant major
(Wehrmacht / Waffen-SS)

Heer, Luftwaffe
Hauptfeldwebel

Waffeen-SS
SS-Stabsscharführer

The Hauptfeldwebel had many nicknames, including Spieß ("Spear") and Mutter der Kompanie ("company mother"). He wore two 10mm broad rings of NCO braid around the cuff of his sleeves (nicknamed "piston rings") and carried a Meldetasche (reporting pouch) tucked into the tunic front, in which he carried blank report forms, rosters and other papers related to his duties. The German Army had no equivalent of the Commonwealth Regimental Sergeant Major.

The appointment could be held by a senior non-commissioned officer (Unteroffizier mit Portepee), normally Oberfeldwebel or Feldwebel. If the billet was filled out of necessity by an Unteroffizier ohne Portepee, he was termed a Hauptfeldwebeldiensttuer, or "one serving as Hauptfeldwebel." The equivalent appointment in anglophone armed forces might have been company sergeant major or U.S. company-level first sergeant.

Other armed forces

Waffen-SS

In the Waffen-SS the equivalent to the appointment Hauptfeldwebel in Heer and Luftwaffe, was the SS-Stabsscharführer until 1945. The traditional nicknames "spear" and "company mother" were used as well. He also wore two rings of NCO braid around the cuff of his sleeves, similar to the Wehrmacht.

National People's Army

In the National People's Army (1956-1990) Hauptfeldwebel was also an appointment, held by a senior non-commissioned officer ranks, e.g. Oberfeldweble or Stabsfeldwebel later Fähnrich. It was used in

• Landstreitkräfte
• Luftstreitkräfte
• Grenztruppen

The appointment insignia, the so-called "double piston rings" on both cuffs (of sleeves) on the uniform jacket and the overcoat, were identical to those used in the Wehrmacht until 1945. The nicknames were analogue to the Wehrmacht "spear" and "company mother".

Bundeswehr

Kompaniefeldwebel Bw
(appointment insignia, KpFw-Schnur).

Main article: Hauptfeldwebel (rank)

Today, the former billet Hauptfeldwebel as a company's Senior NCO has become a regular rank between Oberfeldwebel and Stabsfeldwebel. The position previously known as Hauptfeldwebel is now called Kompaniefeldwebel, while the nicknames - and, in their general outlines, the duties - have remained. Company sergeants major often have the rank of Hauptfeldwebel now, though.

(Army)		(Air Force)
service dress	field uniform	service dress	field uniform

References