''Stabsgefreiter'' (''abbr.'' StGefr, on lists SG) is the second highest rank of

enlisted men An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States ...

in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

, which might be comparable to

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

(OR-4) in Anglophone armed forces.

History

In the 19th century German Army 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 ...

'' (plural: ''Gefreite'') always belonged to the rank group of enlisted men (below noncommissioned (NCO) level). However, during training and fatigue duty ''Gefreite'' were competent, authorized, and tasked to act on behalf of NCOs. So ''Gefreite'' became the first superior rank above the lowest-level privates. Nevertheless, until 1853 there were no special rank insignia for ''Gefreiter''. In contrast, from 1811 to 1853 the ''Vize-Unteroffizier'' (deputy sergeant) wore the NCO ''Portepee'' (sword-knot). In 1846 the rank of

Obergefreiter Obergefreiter (''abbr.'' OGefr.) is an enlisted rank of the German and Swiss militaries which dates from the 19th century. In today's Bundeswehr, every ''Gefreiter'' is normally promoted ''Obergefreiter'' after six months. The NATO-Code is OR-3 ...

() was introduced. This rank was shown by the so-called sergeant's button on the collar and the NCO ''Portepee'' on the sword. From 1853 to 1919 promotion to ''Obergefreiter'' was suspended with the exception of the ''Fussartillerie'' (foot artillery). In the early 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 ...

the ranks of ''Gefreiter'' and "Obergefreiter" were both indicated by one identical horizontal 9 mm ''Tressenstreifen''" (lace stripe) on both upper arms of the uniform jacket. Regarding regular 12 years duty time from 1921 onwards, the newly introduced ranks of enlisted men (

Oberschütze Oberschütze (, ) was a German military rank first used in the Bavarian Army of the late 19th century. Usage The rank and its equivalents (''Oberkanonier, Oberpionier'' etc.) was in generally introduced into the German ''Reichswehr'' from ci ...

(1st/Senior rifleman) and ''Stabsgefreiter'' (Staff Gefreiter) were indicated by angular cuff chevrons on the left upper arm. The sequence of ranks of enlisted men was now as follows: WMacht H OR4 StGefr 1935-1945

National People's Army

In the GDR National People's Army the rank Stabsgefreiter was used until 1990. The equivalent of the ''

Volksmarine The ''Volksmarine'' (VM, ; en, People's Navy) was the naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The ''Volksmarine'' was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a coasta ...

'' was '' Stabsmatrose''. ;See also main articles: *

Comparative ranks of Nazi Germany The comparative ranks of Nazi Germany contrasts the ranks of the Wehrmacht to a number of national-socialist organisations in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 in a synoptic table. Nazi organisations used a hierarchical structure, according to the so ...

Ranks of the National People's Army The Ranks of the National People's Army were the military insignia used by the National People's Army, the army of the German Democratic Republic, from 1956 to 1990. Design The design of the rank insignias followed the tradition of the German Ar ...

Bundeswehr

A soldier of the German Bundeswehr might be promoted from OR1 Soldat (en: private) to ''Stabsgefreiter'' OR4b after a regular service time of 36 months.

References

External links

Rank-insignia learning at simsso.de

Uniformen
{{German military ranks Military ranks of Germany