Oberschütze
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Oberschütze (, ) was a German military rank first used in the
Bavarian Army The Bavarian Army was the army of the Electorate (1682–1806) and then Kingdom (1806–1919) of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing army of Bavaria until the merger of the military sovereignty (''Wehrhoheit'') of Bavaria into that of ...
of the late 19th century.


Usage

The rank and its equivalents (''Oberkanonier, Oberpionier'' etc.) was in generally introduced into the German ''
Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...
'' from circa 1920 and continued use in its successor, the ''
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
'' until 1945, with exception of the period from October 1934 to October 1936 where no promotions to this rank took place. In
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
's '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) there was no equivalent for this particular rank grade. The use of ''Oberschütze'' and its equivalents reached its height during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
when the ''Wehrmacht'' maintained the rank in both the German Army ('' Heer'') and the ground forces branch of the air force (
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
). The rank of ''Oberschütze'' and its specific unit type equivalents (''Oberkanonier'', ''Obergrenadier'' from 1942, ''Oberpionier'', ''Oberfahrer'', ''Oberfunker'' etc.) was created to give recognition and rank promotion to those enlisted soldiers who had achieved or displayed an above-average aptitude and proficiency but would not, however, qualify for promotion to the ''
Gefreiter Gefreiter (, abbr. Gefr.; plural ''Gefreite'') is a German, Swiss and Austrian military rank that has existed since the 16th century. It is usually the second rank or grade to which an enlisted soldier, airman or sailor could be promoted.Duden; D ...
'' rank. A consideration for promotion to the rank of ''Oberschütze'' could usually be achieved after six months to one year of military service. In the militaries of other nations, ''Oberschütze'' was considered the equivalent of a private first class.


See also

*
Table of ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS __NOTOC__ This table contains the final ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS, which were in use from April 1942 to May 1945, in comparison to the Wehrmacht. The highest ranks of the combined SS (german: Gesamt-SS) was that of and ; however, the ...
* Original German: SS-Oberschütze


Notes


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oberschutze Military ranks of Germany SS ranks