Feldwebel (Fw orF,lit. 'field usher') is anon-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupied Serbia and Bulgaria.
Feldwebel is a contraction ofFeld meaning 'field' andWeibel, an archaic word meaning 'usher'.Weibel comes from theOld High Germanweibôn, meaning to go back and forth (as in 'wobble').
There are variations onFeldwebel, such asOberstabsfeldwebel ('Superior Staff Field Usher'), which is the highest non-commissioned rank in the German army and air force.
The rank is used in several countries:Swedish:fältväbel,Russian:фельдфебель,romanized: fel'dfebel',Bulgarian:фелдфебел,romanized: feldfebel,Finnish:vääpeli andEstonian:veebel.
In Swiss German the spellingFeldweibel is used.
Feldwebel was a typical infantryrank of thek.u.k. Austro-Hungarian Army (1867–1918). It might have been comparable to NCO-rank OR8.[1]/Company Sergeant-major ranks in the British Army.
In the k.u.k. Austro-Hungarian ArmyFeldwebel was equivalent to:
The rank insignia was agorget patch on the stand-up collar of the so-calledWaffenrock (tunic), and consisted of three white stars on 13 mm ragged yellow silkgalloon. The gorget patch and the stand-up collar showed the particularWaffenfarbe (corps colour).
| Designation | Non-commissioned officers OR8/Feldwebelranks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Rank insignia | |||||
| Rank description | Feuerwerker | Wachtmeister | Oberjäger | Feldwebel | |
| Branch | Artillery | Cavalry | Mountain infantry | Infantry | Militärwachkorps |
| (English) | (Artillery Master-Sergeant) | (Cavalry Master-Sergeant) | (Rifle Master-Sergeant) | (Master-Sergeant) | (Master-Sergeant mil. guards) |
In theBulgarian army,фелдфебел (pronouncedfeldfebel) existed from the late 19th century to the late 1940s, when the German-type military organization was phased out in favor of a new doctrine, identical to the Soviet one.
The Estonian rank ofveebel is derived from the name of the German rankFeldwebel.
| NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estonian | Ülemveebel | Staabiveebel | Vanemveebel | Veebel | Nooremveebel |
 Estonian Land Forces[2] |  |  |  |  |  |
| Sergeant major of the Land Forces | Sergeant major | Master sergeant | Sergeant first class | Staff sergeant | |
 Estonian Navy[3] |  |  |  |  |  |
| Master chief petty officer of the Navy | Master chief petty officer | Senior chief petty officer | Chief petty officer 1st class | Chief petty officer 2nd class | |
 Estonian Air Force[4] |  |  |  |  |  |
| Chief master sergeant of the Air Force | Chief master sergeant | Senior master sergeant | Master sergeant | Technical sergeant | |
| Estonian | Ülemveebel | Staabiveebel | Vanemveebel | Veebel | Nooremveebel |
| NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | |
TheFinnish Defence Force uses the ranks ofvääpeli andylivääpeli which are the third and second highest NCO ranks, respectively.Vääpeli is also the highest rank that can be awarded to a female non-conscript NCO who has not completed the volunteer female military service (equivalent to the male conscription service). TheFinnish Navy's equivalent rank ispursimies (transl. 'boatswain').[5]
In addition, the Finnish Defence Force usesvääpeli to indicate an NCO position (which might or might not be occupied by an NCO of the rankvääpeli) subordinate to the company commander. The unit'svääpeli is in charge of the company'spersonnel management as well as supply, provisioning and maintenance, including the maintenance of the premises inhabited by the unit. They are also responsible for maintaining the general order, discipline and unit cohesion.[6] The company'svääpeli is the lowest-ranking FDF position that can conduct a preliminary investigation into suspected service-related crimes. Their powers with regard to punishment are limited to conscripts, who they can punish with either a warning or up to six hours of extra duties.[7]
| Rank group | Non-commissioned officer | |
|---|---|---|
 Finnish Army[8] |  |  |
| Ylivääpeli Överfältväbel | Vääpeli Fältväbel | |
| Feldwebel | |
|---|---|
  Heer andLuftwaffe shoulder insignia | |
| Country |  Germany |
| Service branch |  German Army German Air Force |
| Abbreviation | Fw |
| Rank | Unteroffiziere mit Portepee grade[9] |
| NATOrank code | OR-6 |
| Pay grade | A7 |
| Formation | 1957 |
| Next higher rank | Oberfeldwebel |
| Next lower rank | Stabsunteroffizier |
| Equivalent ranks | Bootsmann |
In the modern GermanBundeswehr,Feldwebel is considered a senior NCO, due in part to the large number of corporal positions which exist as junior grades.
The modernBundeswehr NCO grades are as follows:
The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group (NCOs with portepee or Senior NCOs with portepee) is as follows:
Feldwebel gained its widest usage under the German military beginning from the early 19th century. The highest-rankingnon-commissioned officer until 1918, the Feldwebel acted asCompany Sergeant Major. By contrast with some other countries, the position and duty ofRegimental Sergeant Major never existed in Germany.
From 1877 veteran NCOs could be promoted to the rank ofFeldwebel-Leutnant. This ArmyReserve officer ranked with theCommissioned Officers, but was always inferior to the lowestLeutnant.
From 1887 theOffizierstellvertreter (Deputy Officer) ranked as a kind ofWarrant Officer (more NCO than officer) betweenFeldwebel and the commissioned officers.
There were three further NCO ranks:Vizefeldwebel (ViceFeldwebel, senior NCO),Sergeant (junior NCO) andUnteroffizier (Lance Sergeant or Corporal, junior NCO). TheGefreiter was not an NCO as he had no powers of authority, and was a higher grade of private soldier.
AfterWorld War I, in the GermanReichswehr andWehrmacht, theFeldwebel rank group was divided into several grades:
Feldwebel and above wereUnteroffiziere mit Portepee (Senior NCOs);Unterfeldwebel andUnteroffiziere wereUnteroffiziere ohne Portepee (Junior NCOs). In 1921, the rank ofSergeant was renamedUnterfeldwebel.Unterfeldwebels did duty as squad/section leaders.
TheStabsfeldwebel rank was reserved for those who had enlisted for 25 year terms of service in the pre-war German military and those who were enlisted for shorter terms were not eligible to hold this rank.
The appointment ofHauptfeldwebel (Company sergeant major/First sergeant) could be held byStabsfeldwebels orOberfeldwebels only. NCOs of a lower rank (Feldwebel,Unterfeldwebel,Unteroffizier) holding this position were titledHauptfeldwebeldiensttuer (i.e. actingHauptfeldwebel).
In the German WehrmachtUnteroffiziere ohne Portepee (transl. junior NCO grades) andUnteroffiziere mit Portepee (transl. senior NCO grades) were rank insignia as follows.
| Rank insigniaUnteroffiziere | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank group | Unteroffiziere mit Portepee | Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee | |||
| Shoulder insignia |  |  |  |  |  |
| Camouflage suit sleeve |  |  |  |  |  |
| Army | Stabsfeldwebel | Oberfeldwebel | Feldwebel | Unterfeldwebel | Unteroffizier |
| Cavalry and artillery | Stabswachtmeister | Oberwachtmeister | Wachtmeister | Unterwachtmeister | Unteroffizier |
| Waffen–SS | SS–Sturmscharführer | SS–Hauptscharführer | SS–Oberscharführer | SS–Scharführer | SS–Unterscharführer |
In theGerman Democratic RepublicNational People's ArmyUnteroffiziere ohne Portepee (junior NCO grades) were replaced byUnteroffiziere volunteer, andUnteroffiziere mit Portepee (senior NCO grades) were calledUnteroffiziere profesional. The shoulder board rank insignia were as follows.
| Rank insigniaUnteroffiziereshoulder board | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unteroffiziere volunteer | Unteroffiziere profesional | ||||
| Unteroffizier | Unterfeldwebel | Feldwebel | Oberfeldwebel | Stabsfeldwebel | |
| Armoured troops | Border troops | Military engineering | Signal corps | Missile troops and artillery | |
 |  |  |  |  | |
| OR-5b | OR-5a | OR-6 | OR-7 | OR-8 | |
The rank offeldfebel (Russian:фельдфебель; plural:фельдфебелиfeldfebeli) existed in theImperial Russian Army from 1722 to 1917. Afeldfebel held the highest non-commissioned officer (Unteroffizier,Russian:унтер-офицер,romanized: unter-ofitser) rank from 1722 (the introduction ofPeter the Great'sTable of Ranks) until 1826 (the introduction of the still-higherUnteroffizier ranksPodpraporshchik (Russian:подпрапорщикlit. 'Juniorpraporschschik' OR-7 and laterZauryad-praporshchik (зауряд-прапорщик;lit. 'Praporshchik deputy') OR-8 in 1884).Feldfebeli, even after the introduction of these senior ranks, were usually the most senior non-commissioned officers in a unit and held the positions of the unit's CO senior assistant orStarshina (старшина; Sergeant Major). When they were promoted toZauryad-praporshchik OR-8 orPodpraporshchik OR-7 ranks, but still held theFeldfebel OR-6 positions, they were authorized to still wear theFeldfebel's bands on theirshoulder boards. Thecavalry equivalent of this rank was thevakhtmistr orvakhmistr (вахмистр, derived from GermanWachtmeister), also OR-6.
Since 1917, Soviet and Russian armies have used the rank ofstarshina as the rough equivalent of the oldfeldfebel.
| junior rank: Starshy unterofitser |   Feldvebel (Wakhtmistr) | senior rank: Podpraporshchik |
| designation | Rank insignia as to the years 1904-1917 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| shoulder board epaulette |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||
| military rank | Feldfebel (1904) | Feldfebel (1907) | Feldfebel of the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna's 11th East Siberian rifle regiment (1904) | Wakhtmistr (1908) | Wakhtmistr long-serving, with a monogram from the 1881 to 1894 reign of Emperor Alexander III (1911) | Podpraporshchik on assignment Feldvebel (1914) | ||
Feldweibel is the lowest rank of higher non-commissioned officers in the Swiss Army. Until the Reform XXI agenda, there were two branches ofFeldweibels: technical and company level.
TheFeldweibel oversees unit-level military service and operations. In 2004, the rank ofHauptfeldweibel was introduced. Since then, only technical specialists have remained in the rank ofFeldweibel.
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