Staffelführer
Encyclopedia
Staffelführer was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German Schutzstaffel
(SS) in the early years of that group’s existence. The SS rank
of Staffelführer traces its origins to the First World War, where the title was used by commanding officers of German aircraft squadrons, known as Staffeln.
The rank of Staffelführer was first created in September 1925 when the SS was officially formed along the lines of the previously disbanded Stosstrupp Adolf Hitler, which had been a personal Sturmabteilung
bodyguard detachment tasked with the personal protection of Adolf Hitler
at Nazi Party rallies and meetings.
The early SS was formed into several Zehnerstaffeln, or “Groups of Ten”. Each SS unit comprised no more than ten SS-Mann
under the command of an SS-Staffelführer, or Squadron Leader. The Staffelführer in turn answered to a local SS-Gauführer
, or District Leader, who answered to the National Leader of the SS, known as the Reichsführer-SS
.
By April 1926, the basic SS unit had become the larger SS-Sturm which comprised as many as fifty SS troopers. The rank of Staffelführer, at this point, became known simply as SS-Führer
. In 1929, the rank of SS-Führer was officially renamed as SS-Sturmführer
. By 1930, the rank of SS-Staffelführer had all but disappeared from the SS. It reappeared the following year, in 1931, as a rank of the NSKK
.
In the early years of its existence, SS-Staffelführer had no particular insignia and holders of the rank simply wore paramilitary uniforms with a variety of Nazi insignia. By 1929, an SS-Staffelführer could be identified by a swastika armband with a white circular stripe.
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
(SS) in the early years of that group’s existence. The 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....
of Staffelführer traces its origins to the First World War, where the title was used by commanding officers of German aircraft squadrons, known as Staffeln.
The rank of Staffelführer was first created in September 1925 when the SS was officially formed along the lines of the previously disbanded Stosstrupp Adolf Hitler, which had been a personal Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
bodyguard detachment tasked with the personal protection of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
at Nazi Party rallies and meetings.
The early SS was formed into several Zehnerstaffeln, or “Groups of Ten”. Each SS unit comprised no more than ten SS-Mann
Mann (military rank)
Mann , was a paramilitary rank used by several Nazi Party paramilitary organizations between 1925 and 1945. The rank is most often associated with the SS, and also as a rank of the SA where Mann was the lowest enlisted rank and was the equivalent of a Private.In 1938, with the rise of the...
under the command of an SS-Staffelführer, or Squadron Leader. The Staffelführer in turn answered to a local SS-Gauführer
Gauführer
Gauführer was an early paramilitary rank used by the Schutzstaffel between 1925 and 1929. Translated as "SS-Region Leader", the SS-Gauführer had command of several SS-Stafflen which were in turn commanded by an SS-Staffelführer....
, or District Leader, who answered to the National Leader of the SS, known as the Reichsführer-SS
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
.
By April 1926, the basic SS unit had become the larger SS-Sturm which comprised as many as fifty SS troopers. The rank of Staffelführer, at this point, became known simply as SS-Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
. In 1929, the rank of SS-Führer was officially renamed as SS-Sturmführer
Sturmführer
Sturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party which began as a title used by the Sturmabteilung in 1925 and became an actual SA rank in 1928...
. By 1930, the rank of SS-Staffelführer had all but disappeared from the SS. It reappeared the following year, in 1931, as a rank of the NSKK
Ranks and insignia of the National Socialist Motor Corps
The Ranks and insignia of the National Socialist Motor Corps were a paramilitary rank system used between the years of 1931 and 1945...
.
In the early years of its existence, SS-Staffelführer had no particular insignia and holders of the rank simply wore paramilitary uniforms with a variety of Nazi insignia. By 1929, an SS-Staffelführer could be identified by a swastika armband with a white circular stripe.