''Schütze'' in German means "rifleman" or "shooter", or in older terms originally connoted "archer" before the advent of the rifle. It also occasionally occurs as a surname, or as Schütz, as in the opera '' Der Freischütz''. The word itself is derived from the German word ''schützen'', meaning to protect, or to guard. It was originally used for archers as they protected castle walls, and is the German equivalent to Sagittarius, the mythical form which held bow and arrow.

Overview

As a rank of the Armed Forces of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

until 1918, ''Schütze'' was used for the lowest enlisted ranks in machine gun units and some elite troops like Saxon ''Schützen''-Regiment 108 exclusively. Usually translated as " private", from 1920 on it names the lowest enlisted rank of the ''

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

. The equivalent of ''Schütze'' in the other branches of the German military was ''Jäger'', ''Kanonier'', ''Pionier'', ''Kraftfahrer'' or ''Grenadier'' in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

; ''Flieger'' in the ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

'', ''Matrose'' in the '' Reichsmarine'' and ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

'', respectively. ; Rank insignia of a ''Schütze'' of the Heer until 1942 (the rank of Schütze became Grenadier after 1942):

Second World War

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it also became a rank 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 ...

'', SS-''Schütze''. Other branches of the SS referred to the rank as '' Mann''. ; Insignia of rank ''Schütze'' of the Waffen-SS: File:SS-Mannschaft.svg, Shoulder strap in Feldgrau
(all other enlisted ranks OR-1 to OR-3 of the Waffen-SS) File: SS-Mann, SS-Schuetze, SS-Oberschuetze collar.svg , Gorget patches

Modern-day Schütze

The present-day German military maintains ''Schütze'' as the lowest enlisted grade, with a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

rank code of OR-1. A ''Schütze'' ranks below '' Gefreiter'' which is the equivalent of a private (OR-2); the equivalent of a private first class being an '' Obergefreiter'' or '' Hauptgefreiter''. During various periods in German military history, a senior private rank known as '' Oberschütze'' existed between the grades of ''Schütze'' and ''Gefreiter''. In the modern German Army the rank of ''Schütze'' is not used very often. Every part of the ''Bundeswehr'' has a different name for this rank. For example, in the ''Panzergrenadiertruppe'' (heavy mechanized infantry) the name of the rank is ''Panzergrenadier'', and within the ''Fernmelder'' (communication troops), the name is ''Funker'' (radio operator).

Notes

Bibliography

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

Overview

Second World War

Modern-day Schütze

See also

Notes

Bibliography