Wikipedia
bgcolor="#efefef" colspan=2 align="center"|Oberstabsfeldwebel
(Heer / Luftwaffe) |-----
align="center" colspan=2 style="border-bottom:2px solid gray;font-size:smaller" |
|-----
Rank insignia
German NCO rank |-----
Introduction
1955 |-----
Rank group
Non-commissioned officers |-----
Navy
Oberstabsbootsmann |-----
Army / Air Force
Oberstabsfeldwebel |-----
NATOequivalent
OR-9 |-----
Army
Sergeant Major |-----
Air Force
Chief Master Sergeant |-----
Navy
Master Chief Petty Officer |-----
Oberstabsfeldwebel (OStFw or OSF) is the highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Heer and Luftwaffe. It is grouped as OR9 in NATO, equivalent to an Sergeant Major in the United States Army / Chief Master Sergeant ( United States Air Force), and an Warrant Officer Class 1 in the British Army / Warrant officer ( Royal Air Force).
In army/ air force context NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as Herr Oberstabsfeldwebel also informally / short Oberstaber.
The rank was introduced in the German Heer equivalent to the Marine grade Oberstabsbootsmann in 1955, and belongs to the grad group Unteroffiziere mit Portepee.
The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group ('' Senior NCOs with portepee'') is as follows:
- OR-9: Oberstabsfeldwebel / Oberstabsbootsmann
- OR-8: Stabsfeldwebel / Stabsbootsmann
- OR-7: Hauptfeldwebel / Hauptbootsmann
- OR-6a: Oberfeldwebel / Oberbootsmann
- OR-6b: Feldwebel / Bootsmann
The abbreviation "OR" stands for "Other Ranks / fr: sous-officiers et militaires du rang / ru:другие ранги, кроме офицероф"!
junior Rank
Stabsfeldwebel
(German NCO rank)
Oberstabsfeldwebel
senior Rank
Leutnant