Oberschütze is a German military rank which was first used in the Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

n Army of the late 19th century.
It was commonly introduced in the Reichswehr

Reichswehr

The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....

 in 1920.
Translated as “Senior Private”, the rank of Oberschütze and its equivalents (Oberkanonier, Oberpionier, Oberfahrer, Oberfunker etc.) was created to give recognition to those common soldiers who had displayed military abilities but were not deemed eligible for promotion to the rank of Gefreiter

Gefreiter

Gefreiter is the German, Swiss and Austrian equivalent for the military rank Private . Gefreiter was the lowest rank to which an ordinary soldier could be promoted. As a military rank it has existed since at least the 16th century...

. In the militaries of other nations, Oberschütze was considered the equivalent of a Private First Class

Private First Class

Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...

.

In the peacetime German Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

, Oberschütze was also in use except from October, 1934 to October, 1936. This period there were no promotions to this rank.
The use of Oberschütze reached its height in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 when the Wehrmacht maintained the rank as both an Army and Air Force position

Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

. The rank was also used in the Waffen-SS

Waffen-SS

The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...

 where it was known as SS-Oberschütze. In both the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS an Oberschütze was identified by a cloth star (a pip of the usual German design) worn on the upper left sleeve.

Unlike its earlier counterparts, the World War II rank of Oberschütze was not bestowed based on leadership and ability but rather simply as recognition of time served in the military. Typically, a Schütze

Schütze

Schütze in German means "shooter" or "rifleman". It also occasionally occurs as a surname, as Schütz, as in the opera Der Freischütz. The word itself is derived from the German word schützen, meaning to protect, or to guard...

could be promoted to the position after six months to one year of military service, but a vast majority was promoted directly from Schütze to Gefreiter.

Generally, the rank was given to soldiers with little aptitude, as promotion to Gefreiter

Gefreiter

Gefreiter is the German, Swiss and Austrian equivalent for the military rank Private . Gefreiter was the lowest rank to which an ordinary soldier could be promoted. As a military rank it has existed since at least the 16th century...

could normally be expected in the same time period. Oberschütze rank was generally given to those not expected to rise to non-commissioned rank (ie Unteroffizier

Unteroffizier

Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...

or higher).

After 1945, neither German Bundeswehr

Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...

 nor Nationale Volksarmee maintained the rank of Oberschütze.

Junior Rank Schütze Schütze Schütze in German means "shooter" or "rifleman". It also occasionally occurs as a surname, as Schütz, as in the opera Der Freischütz. The word itself is derived from the German word schützen, meaning to protect, or to guard...

SS rank Ranks and insignia of the Schutzstaffel The uniforms and insignia of the Schutzstaffel were paramilitary ranks and uniforms used by the SS between 1925 and 1945 to differentiate that organization from the regular German armed forces, the German state, and the Nazi Party.... Oberschütze

Senior Rank Sturmmann Sturmmann Sturmmann was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in the year 1921. The rank of Sturmmann was used by the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel ....