| Hauptsturmführer | |
|---|---|
 SS collar patches | |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Service branch |  Schutzstaffel Sturmabteilung National Socialist Motor Corps National Socialist Flyers Corps |
| Abbreviation | Hstuf |
| NATOrank code | OF-2 |
| Formation | 1934 |
| Abolished | 1945 |
| Next higher rank | Sturmbannführer |
| Next lower rank | Obersturmführer |
| Equivalent ranks | Hauptmann |
Hauptsturmführer (German:[ˈhaʊpt.ʃtʊʁmˌfyːʁɐ],lit. 'head storm leader'; short:Hstuf) was aNazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in several Nazi organizations such as theSS,NSKK and theNSFK. The rank ofHauptsturmführer was a mid-level commander and had equivalent seniority to acaptain (Hauptmann) in theGerman Army and also the equivalency of captain in foreign armies.[1]
The rank ofHauptsturmführer evolved from the older rank ofSturmhauptführer, created as a rank of theSturmabteilung (SA). The SS used the rank ofSturmhauptführer from 1930 to 1934 at which time, following theNight of the Long Knives, the name of the rank was changed toHauptsturmführer although the insignia remained the same.[2][3]Sturmhauptführer remained an SA rank until 1939/40.[4]
Some of the most infamous SS members are known to have held the rank ofHauptsturmführer. Among them areJosef Mengele, the infamous doctor assigned to Auschwitz;Joseph Kramer, commandant ofBergen-Belsen concentration camp;Franz Stangl, commandant ofSobibor andTreblinka;Alois Brunner,Adolf Eichmann's assistant; andAmon Göth, who was sentenced to death and hanged for committing multiple waves of mass murder (liquidations of theghettos atTarnów andKraków, the camp atSzebnie, theKraków-Płaszów concentration camp, as portrayed in the filmSchindler's List).
The insignia ofHauptsturmführer was three silver pips and two silver stripes on a black collar patch, worn opposite aunit insignia patch.[1] On the field grey duty uniform, the shoulder boards of an armyHauptmann were also displayed. The rank ofHauptsturmführer was senior to the rank ofObersturmführer and junior toSturmbannführer.[1]
| Hauptsturmführer SS, SA, NSKK, and NSFK | ||||||
| Schutzstaffel (SS) |  Sturmabteilung (SA) | NS Motor Corps (NSKK) | NS Flyers Corps (NSFK) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | |  |  |  | |
| Waffen-SS |
| collar insignia | ||||
| Sequence of ranks in comparison with theWehrmacht (Heer) | ||
|---|---|---|
| junior rank SA-Obersturmführer | SA rank Hauptsturmführer (until 1939/40:Sturmhauptführer) | senior rank SA-Sturmbannführer |
| junior rank SS-Obersturmführer | SS rank Hauptsturmführer (until 1934:Sturmhauptführer) | senior rank SS-Sturmbannführer |
| junior rank Oberleutnant (OF-1) |  Wehrmacht rankHauptmann /Rittmeister (OF-2) | senior rank Major (OF-3) |