__NOTOC__ ''Oberscharführer'' (, ) was a

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

paramilitary rank that existed between 1932 and 1945. ''Oberscharführer'' was first used as a rank of the ''

Sturmabteilung The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...

'' (SA) and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The SA rank of ''Oberscharführer'' was senior to '' Scharführer'' and junior to the rank of '' Truppführer''. Since early ranks of the ''

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...

'' (SS) were identical to the ranks of SA, ''Oberscharführer'' was created as an SS rank at the same time the position was created within the SA. Initially, the rank of SS-''Oberscharführer'' was equal to its SA counterpart; however, this changed in 1934 following the Night of the Long Knives. At that time, the SS rank system was reorganized and several new ranks established with older SA titles discontinued. The rank of SS-''Oberscharführer'' was therefore "bumped up" and became equal to an SA-''Truppführer''. The insignia for the SS rank was changed, as well, becoming two silver collar pips in contrast to the SA insignia for ''Oberscharführer'', which was a single collar pip with silver stripe. Within the SA, an ''Oberscharführer'' was typically a squad leader, answering to a platoon

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

. The responsibilities varied across a wider range in the SS, in particular between an ''Oberscharführer'' in the '' Allgemeine SS'' (general SS) and one holding the same position in the

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

(armed SS). The rank of ''Oberscharführer'' was also used in other Nazi Party paramilitary organizations. After 1938, when the SS adopted field grey uniforms as the standard duty attire, SS-''Oberscharführer'' displayed the shoulder insignia of a ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

Feldwebel''. The rank of SS-''Oberscharführer'' was junior to SS-'' Hauptscharführer''. Various Waffen SS units composed of foreign recruits were considered distinct from the German SS, and thus they were not permitted to wear SS runes on their collar tabs but had their unit symbol instead. Their ranks was also prepended with "Waffen" instead of "SS", as in, Waffen-Oberscharführer. .

Insignia

SS-Oberscharführer h.svg, Shoulder strap
SS-Oberscharführer
(SS-Standartenjunker) NSFK-Oberscharführer.svg, NSFK Gorget patches NSKK-Oberscharführer.svg, NSKK Gorget patch SA-Oberscharführer.svg, SA Gorget patch SS-Oberscharführer.svg, SS Gorget patches HJ-Oberscharführer.svg, HJ shoulder strap Fw Oscha OR6 cam slv 1945.svg, SS smock insignia

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oberscharfuhrer SS ranks 6

Insignia

See also

Notes

Bibliography