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German Armed Forces enlisted rank insignia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Heer (Army) | Luftwaffe (Air Force) | Deutsche Marine (Navy) | US/UK equivalent | NATO code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Oberstabsfeldwebel (OSF) |
Oberstabsfeldwebel |  Oberstabsbootsmann (OSB) |
Sergeant Major | OR9 |
 Stabsfeldwebel (SF) |
Stabsfeldwebel |  Stabsbootsmann (SB) |
First Sergeant / Master Sergeant | OR8 |
 Oberfähnrich (OFR)* |
Oberfähnrich* |  Oberfähnrich zur See (OFRZS)* |
Sergeant First Class | OR7 / OR8 |
 Hauptfeldwebel (HF) |
Hauptfeldwebel |  Hauptbootsmann (HB) |
Sergeant First Class | OR7 / OR8 |
 Oberfeldwebel (OF) |
Oberfeldwebel |  Oberbootsmann (OB) |
(Senior) Staff Sergeant | OR6 / OR7 |
 Fähnrich (FR)* |
Fähnrich* |  Fähnrich zur See (FRZS)* |
(Senior) Staff Sergeant | OR6 / OR7 |
 Feldwebel (F) |
Feldwebel |  Bootsmann (B) |
Staff Sergeant | OR6 |
 Stabsunteroffizier (SU) |
Stabsunteroffizier |  Obermaat (OMT) |
(Senior) Sergeant | OR5 / OR6 |
 Fahnenjunker (FJ)* |
Fahnenjunker* |  Seekadett (SKad)* |
(Senior) Sergeant | OR5 |
 Unteroffizier (U) |
Unteroffizier |  Maat (MT) |
Sergeant | OR5 |
 Oberstabsgefreiter (OSG) |
Oberstabsgefreiter |  Oberstabsgefreiter |
Corporal/Specialist | OR4 |
 Stabsgefreiter (SG) |
Stabsgefreiter |  Stabsgefreiter |
Corporal/Specialist | OR4 |
 Hauptgefreiter (HG) |
Hauptgefreiter |  Hauptgefreiter |
Lance Corporal | OR3 |
 Obergefreiter (OG) |
Obergefreiter |  Obergefreiter |
(Senior) Private | OR3 |
 Gefreiter (G) |
Gefreiter |  Gefreiter |
Private 1st Class | OR3 |
 Soldat (S)further specified as
|
Flieger (Flg)
Kanonier (Kan) |
 Matrose (Matr) |
Private/Recruit | OR1 / OR2 |
* Offizieranwärter (officer candidate) Offizieranwärter (OA) and Unteroffizieranwärter (UA) (Unteroffizier candidate) can be combined with any rank from Soldat to Oberstabsgefreiter, forming Soldat OA or UA through Oberstabsgefreiter OA or UA, respectively. Officer candidateship is indicated by a silver string worn across the usual insignia, like with the Fahnenjunker and Fähnrich, while UA is indicated in a straight white bar above the angular ones.
Feldwebelanwärter (FA) (Feldwebel candidate) can be combined with any rank from Soldat to Stabsunteroffizier, forming Soldat FA through Stabsunteroffizier FA, respectively. It is indicated by a gold string worn across the usual insignia.
The anchors and stars on the Marine insignia indicate the career of the bearer. In the pictures, a star is used as an example for a Laufbahnabzeichen, which are worn by officers and officer candidates; an anchor stands for any Verwendungsreihenabzeichen, which are worn by enlisted personnel.