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Oberfeldwebel
Heer and Luftwaffe shoulder insignia
Country	Germany
Service branch	German Army  German Air Force
Abbreviation	OFw
Rank	Unteroffiziere mit Portepee grade
NATO rank code	OR-6
Pay grade	A 7mA
Formation	1920 (historic) 1957
Next higher rank	Hauptfeldwebel
Next lower rank	Feldwebel
Equivalent ranks	Oberbootsmann

Oberfeldwebel (German: [ˈoːbɐˌfɛltveːbl̩] ; OFw or OF) is the fourth highest non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Army and German Air Force.

History

The rank was introduced first by the German Reichswehr in 1920. Preferable most experienced Protégée-NCO of the old army have been promoted.

Within the Reichswehr, Oberfeldwebel was taken over as second-highest Protégée-NCO rank by the German Wehrmacht in 1935. In the military branch cavalry, artillery and anti-aircraft artillery it was called Oberwachtmeister.

The equivalent rank to the Oberfeldwebel in the Waffen-SS was the SS-Hauptscharführer from 1938 until 1945.

The rank has been used in the GDR National People's Army from 1956 until 1990 as well.

Rank information

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 Oberfeldwebel also informally / short Oberfeld.

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

• OR-9: Oberstabsfeldwebel / Oberstabsbootsmann
• OR-8: Stabsfeldwebel / Stabsbootsmann
• OR-7: Hauptfeldwebel / Hauptbootsmann
• OR-6: Oberfeldwebel / Oberbootsmann
• OR-6: Feldwebel / Bootsmann

Remark

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

junior Rank Feldwebel	(German NCO rank) Oberfeldwebel	senior Rank Hauptfeldwebel
		Oberfähnrich

References

1. "SLV - Einzelnorm". www.gesetze-im-internet.de. Archived from the original on 2016-04-06.

Sources

• Die Enzyklopädie in 24 Bänden (1796–2001), Band 5 (in German). Brockhaus. 2001. p. 487. ISBN 3-7653-3665-3.
• Die Enzyklopädie in 24 Bänden (1796–2001), Band 7 (in German). Brockhaus. 2001. p. 185. ISBN 3-7653-3676-9.

• Military ranks of Germany