''Rapportführer'' (Report Leader; feminine: ''Rapportführerin'') was a paramilitary title 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), specific to the '' Totenkopfverbände'' (Concentration Camp Service). An SS-''Rapportführer'' was usually a mid-level SS-

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 ...

(often an ''

Oberscharführer __NOTOC__ ''Oberscharführer'' (, ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between 1932 and 1945. ''Oberscharführer'' was first used as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions ...

'' or ''

Hauptscharführer __NOTOC__ ''Hauptscharführer'' ( ) was a Nazi paramilitary rank which was used by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank was the highest enlisted rank of the SS, with the exception of the special Waffen-SS ran ...

'') who served as the commander of a group of ''

Blockführer ''Blockführer'' (Block Leader; female rank name: ''Blockführerin'') was a paramilitary title specific to the SS-Totenkopfverbände, SS-Death's Head Units in Concentration Camp Service. An SS-Block Leader was typically in charge of prisoner ba ...

'' who themselves were assigned to oversee barracks within a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

. The primary duty of a ''Rapportführer'' was to conduct daily and evening camp roll call, which was usually a long and grueling process involving prisoners standing for sometimes hours on end in all types of

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...

conditions. The ''Rapportführer'' also oversaw camp discipline of prisoners as well as training for junior SS personnel. ''Rapportführers'' were known for their brutality, with individuals such as

Eric Muhsfeldt Erich Mußfeldt also spelled Erich Muhsfeldt (18 February 1913 – 24 January 1948) was a German war criminal. Muhsfeldt served as an SS NCO in three extermination camps during World War II in German occupied Poland and Germany: Auschwitz, Ma ...

and

Gustav Wagner Gustav Franz Wagner (18 July 1911 – 3 October 1980) was an Austrian member of the '' SS'' with the rank of Master Sergeant (''Hauptscharführer''). Wagner was a deputy commander of Sobibor extermination camp in German-occupied Poland, where 2 ...

holding this position. In larger camps (such as

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

), the ''Rapportführer'' would answer to a Camp Adjutant SS-Officer, but in smaller camps (such as

Sobibor Sobibor ( ; ) was an extermination camp built and operated by Nazi Germany as part of Operation Reinhard. It was located in the forest near the village of Żłobek Duży in the General Government region of Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), ...

) the ''Rapportführer'' worked directly for the Camp Commander and served in a type of

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

position.

Sources

* Zentner, Christian & Bedürftig, Friedemann, '' The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich'', (Macmillan), New York (1991) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rapportfuhrer Nazi paramilitary ranks fr:Rapportführer