Stabsscharführer
Encyclopedia
Stabsscharführer was a non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...

 title which was used by 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...

 between the years of 1938 to 1945. Stabsscharführer was not an actual 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....

, but rather a positional title held by the senior SS-NCO of a company, battalion, or regiment. Typically, those holding the position of Stabsscharführer ranked SS-Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives...

or above.

Translated as "Staff Squad Leader", the position of Stabsscharführer was denoted by a special sleeve chevron, worn on the upper right shoulder of the field grey SS uniform. There is ample photographic evidence, however, that the sleeve chevron was often worn on the left sleeve, or not at all.

Those holding the rank of Stabsscharführer had the choice of being address either by their actual rank title (Unterscharführer, Oberscharführer
Oberscharführer
Oberscharführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between the years of 1932 and 1945. Translated as “Senior Squad Leader”, Oberscharführer was first used as a rank of the Sturmabteilung and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership...

, etc) or simply by the title of Stabsscharführer. The position of Stabsscharführer is most often considered equivalent to a First Sergeant
First Sergeant
First sergeant is the name of a military rank used in many countries, typically a senior non-commissioned officer.-Singapore:First Sergeant is a Specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First Sergeants are the most senior of the junior Specialists, ranking above Second Sergeants, and below Staff...

 in the militaries of other nations. The position of Stabsscharführer was unique to the Waffen-SS and was not used by branches of the Allgemeine or “General” SS.
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