I have been doing a lot of research about Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS ranks recently but there are some things that are still unclear to me that I can't seem to find information on. I'm mostly interested in the rank structure as it was towards the end of 1944 and after but I would also like to know what was before and how it changed, if it changed.
Combined from several sources the enlisted ranks should be something like this:
Heer
Grenadier, etc
Obergrenadier, etc
Gefreiter
Obergefreiter
Stabsgefreiter
Luftwaffe
Flieger
Gefreiter
Obergefreiter
Hauptgefreiter
Stabsgefreiter
Kriegsmarine
Matrose
Matrosengefreiter
Matrosenobergefreiter
Matrosenhauptgefreiter
Matrosenstabsgefreiter
Matrosenoberstabsgefreiter
This source says "In 1944, the rank of Hauptgefreiter was replaced with that of Stabsgefreiter." concerning the Luftwaffe ranks. If that is true, was there a Hauptgefreiter and a Stabsgefreiter rank at the same time or have other sources got it wrong? And if it is true, was the equivalent Kriegsmarine rank also replaced (Matrosenhauptgefreiter by Matrosenstabsgefreiter) at the same time?
Also, the Kriegsmarine rank of Matrosenoberstabsgefreiter is only listed in some sources and there isn't much info on it. If it was a real rank, was it the eqivalent of Stabsgefreiter (in Heer and Luftwaffe) or was it higher than that rank?
And to clarify one thing, the rank of Obergefreiter (+6 years of service), was it only a change of the insignia from normal Obergefreiter or was considered another rank? Was it used in all branches? Did it have anything to do directly with either Hauptgefreiter or Stabsgefreiter?
Sources
- http://www.feldgrau.com/ranks.html
- http://worldwartwozone.com/forums/olive ... -heer.html
- http://books.google.com/books?id=8Uczn3 ... t#PPA24,M1
This one lists only Matrosenhauptgefreiter and not Matrosenstabsgefreiter, maybe the list is from before it was replaced (if it was replaced?)
- http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dienstgrad ... _Wehrmacht
- http://www.luftwaffe39-45.historia.nom.br/rank2.htm
This one lists Matrosenoberstabsgefreiter as equivalent to the Heer and Luftwaffe rank of Stabsgefreiter... I see now that it actually says Matrosenstabsoberefreiter in this source with the position of ober and stab changed. Which one would be correct?
- http://zis.uibk.ac.at/quellen/Dienstgrade.html
- http://members.shaw.ca/grossdeutschland/ranks.htm
Let's start with that, but I may have more unanswered questions.
Thanks in advance!