Sturmscharführer

Warsaw Uprising, Sturmscharführer of the Waffen-SS

SS-Sturmscharführer was a Nazi rank of the Waffen-SS that existed between 1934 and 1945. The rank was the most senior enlisted rank in the Waffen-SS, the equivalent of a sergeant major in other military organizations. Sturmscharführer was unique to the Waffen-SS and was not used in the regular SS (the Allgemeine-SS), where the highest enlisted rank was Hauptscharführer.

The rank of Sturmscharführer was first created in June 1934, after the Night of the Long Knives. Due to a reorganization of the SS, Sturmscharführer was created as the most senior enlisted rank of the SS-Verfügungstruppe, replacing the older Sturmabteilung (SA) title of Haupttruppführer.

By 1941, the Waffen-SS had become the successor organization to the SS-Verfügungstruppe and Sturmscharführer was established as the most senior enlisted rank. A Sturmscharführer was typically assigned as the head sergeant of an entire regiment or, in some cases, an infantry division.

Sturmscharführer was not the same as Stabsscharführer, which was a positional title given to the head SS non-commissioned officer of a company. The rank of Sturmscharführer was also not a prerequisite for promotion to Untersturmführer and was generally considered as a rank for “career” enlisted SS soldiers, rather than a rank on the path to becoming an officer.

The insignia for Sturmscharführer was two silver pips and two silver stripes worn on a collar patch along with the shoulder boards of a Wehrmacht Stabsfeldwebel. As was the case with Waffen-SS enlisted insignia, the collar patch of a Sturmscharführer was edged with black-and-silver twist cord until 1940 when the edging was dropped; like all non-commissioned officers the collar was bordered with 9mm silver-grey braid.

Insignia of rank SS-Sturmschaführer of the Waffen-SS

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  Shoulder strap
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  Gorget patches
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  Military camouflage

Junior rank SS-Hauptscharführer

SS rank SS-Sturmscharführer

Senior rank SS-Untersturmführer

See also

• Table of ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS

Bibliography

• Flaherty, T. H. (2004) [1988]. The Third Reich: The SS. Time-Life Books, Inc. ISBN 1 84447 073 3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Lumsden, Robin (2000). A Collector's Guide To: The Waffen–SS. Ian Allan Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0-7110-2285-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• McNab, Chris (2009). The SS: 1923–1945. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 1906626499. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)