''Sturmmann'' (, ) 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 was first created in the year 1921. The rank of ''Sturmmann'' was used by 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 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). The word originated during

World War I 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 ...

when ''Sturmmann'' was a position held by soldiers in German pioneer assault companies, also known as " shock troops".

Creation

Following the defeat of Germany in 1918, ''Sturmmann'' became a paramilitary rank of the ''

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...

'', violent groups of military veterans who opposed Germany's loss of World War I and the subsequent

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...

. In 1921, ''Sturmmann'' became a paramilitary title of the

's private army, the ''

'' (SA or "Assault Detachment"). ''Sturmmann'' would eventually become a basic paramilitary rank of almost every Nazi organization, but is most closely associated as an SA rank and as a rank of the SS. The rank of ''Sturmmann'' was bestowed upon those members of the SA and SS who had served for six months in the organization and had demonstrated basic abilities and competence.

Use

''Sturmmann'' was senior to the rank of ''

Mann Mann may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Mann'' (film), a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama * Mann (chess), a variant chess piece * ''Mann'' (magazine), a Norwegian magazine * Mann (rapper), Dijon Shariff Thames (born 19 ...

'' in the ''

Allgemeine-SS The ''Allgemeine SS'' (; "General SS") was a major branch of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany; it was managed by the SS Main Office (''SS-Hauptamt''). The ''Allgemeine SS'' was officially established in the autum ...

'' (general-SS). In organizations which did not use the rank of ''Mann'' (such as the

National Socialist Motor Corps The National Socialist Motor Corps (, NSKK) was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that officially existed from May 1931 to 1945. The group was a successor organisation to the older National Socialist Automobile Corps (, NS ...

), the rank of ''Sturmmann'' was the equivalent of a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

and wore a blank collar patch with no insignia. Within 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 ...

, an SS-''Sturmmann'' was senior to an SS-'' Oberschütze''. The rank of ''Sturmmann'' was junior, in both the SS and SA, to the rank of '' Rottenführer''. It was considered the equivalent to the rank of ''

Gefreiter Gefreiter (, abbr. Gefr.; plural ''Gefreite'') is a military rank used in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria since the 16th century. It is typically the second rank or grade to which an Enlisted rank, enlisted soldier, airman, or sailor can be prom ...

'' in the German Army and a lance-corporal in the British Army. The insignia for ''Sturmmann'' consisted of a bare collar patch with a single silver stripe. The field grey uniforms of the Waffen-SS also displayed the sleeve chevron of a ''Gefreiter''.

Insignia

SS Mannschaften.jpg,

Shoulder strap A strap, sometimes also called strop, is an elongated flap or ribbon, usually of leather or other flexible materials. Thin straps are used as part of clothing or baggage, or bedding such as a sleeping bag. See for example spaghetti strap, shou ...

Feldgrau ''Feldgrau'' (English: field-grey) is a green–grey color. It was the official basic color of military uniforms of the German armed forces from the early 20th century until 1945 (West Germany) or 1989 (East Germany). Armed forces of other cou ...

(all other enlisted ranks OR-1 to OR-3 of the Waffen-SS) SS-Sturmmann.svg, SS

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 ...

WSS-Stuma OF2 slv 1945.svg, SS Sleeve badge SA-Sturmmann.svg, SA gorget patch NSKK-Sturmmann.svg, NSKK gorget patch NSFK-Sturmmann.svg, NSFK gorget patch

Creation

Use

Insignia

Post-war use

See also

Notes

Bibliography