![Infantry Platoon Nato](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Infantry_Platoon_Nato.svg)
is a military appointment to a
sub-subunit
Sub-subunit or sub-sub-unit is a subordinated element below platoon level of company-sized units or sub-units which normally might not be separately identified in authorization documents by name, number, or letter. Fireteams, squads, crews, sec ...
leader, e.g.
platoon leader
{{unreferenced, date=February 2013
A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth militaries and the United States Marine Corps, US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This pers ...
, belonging to the Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank group or junior officer. A leads or commands normally a subunit that is called in German language (en: platoon, platoon-size unit, or detachment).
Germany
of the
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 ...
is an appointment. The is a subunit leader and commands a Zug (in the following platoon) that – depending on the service, branch, or branch of service – normally contains 30 to 60 service members or soldiers. The Bundeswehr platoon consists of some groups; some platoons build a company (infantry), battery (artillery), or squadron (Air Force).
To the appointment of might be assigned normally an officer (2nd lieutenant of 1st lieutenant to the I. and II. platoon of a company), or an experienced port epee-NCO with the rank or (III. and IV. platoon of a company). However, in the German special command and support troops (de: ) to platoon leader might be appointed an OF2-rank
[The abbreviation "OF" stands for ''"officer / officier"''] captain or an experienced NCO (OR9
[The abbreviation "OR" stands for ''"Other Ranks / fr: sous-officiers et militaires du rang / ru:другие ранги, кроме офицероф"'']) as well.
[Magazine of the „Deutscher BundeswehrVerband“, The Bundeswehr 8/2013 page 35.]
In flying squadrons of all Bundeswehr
military branch
Military branch (also service branch or armed service) is according to common standard a subdivision of the national armed forces of a sovereign nation or state.
Types of branches
Unified armed forces
The Canadian Armed Forces is the uni ...
es the appointment flight commander/leader (de: ) is approximately equivalent to platoon leader. Assigned will be an OF2-rank captain or a staff officer, because pilot officers they themselves are normally officer ranks.
At German military academies the designation of the appropriate appointment is (lecture hall leader), and will be by filled with an officer.
Nazi Germany
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H29033, Ratibor, Volkssturmmänner mit Panzerfäusten](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H29033%2C_Ratibor%2C_Volkssturmm%C3%A4nner_mit_Panzerf%C3%A4usten.jpg)
The title of was also a paramilitary title of
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 ...
which is most often associated with the . Translated as "Platoon Leader", a of the would oversee a
platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
sized formation of . An army platoon is unusually led by a , therefore, this rank was similar to that level. There was no established uniform for the rank, other than any particular military or paramilitary uniform already used by the holder of the position. was further a regular positional title used in both the (army) and the
Waffen-SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
.
Insignia
NSKK-Truppführer.svg, Volkssturm Gorget patches
Gorget patches (collar tabs, collar patches) are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform (gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign the military rank (group of ...
PSP-Zugführer h.svg, Postschutz
''Postschutz'' (), after 1942 ''SS-Postschutz'', was a paramilitary unit of ''Reichspost'' with a mission to protect post office installations from armed attacks.
Origins
The Postschutz was created in 1933 in order to protect the establishments ...
shoulder strap
Switzerland
In the
Military of Switzerland
The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...
the (en: platoon leader) is an appointment as well. Here the platoon is commanded by an OF1-rank 2nd Lieutenant or 1st Lieutenant. In exceptional cases might be assigned a (platoon leader deputy) with the rank . Platoons of the new logistic troops will be commanded by so-called with the rank of (en: Adjudant-NCO).
Austria
As opposed to Germany and Switzerland, in the
Austrian Bundesheer
The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria.
The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of natio ...
the designation of platoon leader is Zugskommandant. It should not be mixed up with the enlisted rank
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zugfuhrer
Military ranks of Germany
Military ranks of Switzerland