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Unteroffizier (lit. 'Under officer') is a juniornon-commissioned officer rank used by theBundeswehr. It is also the collective name for allnon-commissioned officers inAustria andGermany. The Dutch version (onderofficier) is used by the Dutch armed forces. It was formerly a rank in theImperial Russian Army.
Unteroffizier(e), alsoUnteroffizier corps, is the collective name to all junior NCO-ranks in the modern day's AustrianBundesheer. It comprises the ranks of the assignment group M BUO 2 (professional NCO 2; de: Berufsunteroffizier 2) with the rankOberwachtmeister (OR6), and M ZUO 2 (time serving NCO 2; de: Zeitunteroffizier 2) with the rankWachtmeister (OR5).
Training and education of theUnteroffizier corps was reformed in 1995 and until 2000 finally introduced to the armed forces. First effected were professional NCOs of the assignment group M BUO 1 (Stabsunteroffiziere, staff NCO's), followed by the assignment group M BUO 2 (Unteroffiziere, NCO's).
In the result of a positive entrance examination aspirants attended the NCO trainings course (new) on theHeeresunteroffiziersakademie (HUAk) inEnns. After positive HUAk-graduation regular assignments to aUnteroffizier might besquad leader (de:Gruppenkommandant), or service in a military staff orheadquarters.
| Rank group | NCOs (de:Unteroffiziere) | |
|---|---|---|
| Field uniform |  |  |
| Jacket gorget |  |  |
| Corps colour | Medical service | Aviator |
| Flat cap |  |  |
| Rank | Oberwachtmeister (OWm) | Wachtmeister (Wm) |
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| Unteroffizier | |
|---|---|
  Army and air force shoulder insignia | |
| Country |  Germany |
| Service branch |  German Army German Air Force |
| Abbreviation | Uffz (U) |
| Rank | Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee grade |
| NATOrank code | OR-5 |
| Formation | 1957 |
| Next higher rank | Stabsunteroffizier |
| Next lower rank | Stabskorporal |
| Equivalent ranks | Maat |
| Related articles | |
| History | Unterfeldwebel |
Unteroffizier is both a specificBundeswehrmilitary rank as well as a generic term for anynon-commissioned officer (NCO) in the army and air force, while in the navy the termDeckoffizier is used. It has existed since the 17th century.[1] Rated OR-5 within theNATO ranking system, it is equal to UK/US rank ofSergeant.
Until the end ofGerman Reich, the equivalent ofUnteroffizier rank inJäger units wasOberjäger.
Informally, the non-commissioned officers "mit Portepee" are often called "Feldwebel ranks", which creates confusion as the collective termUnteroffizier already exists.[clarification needed] The wordUnteroffizier, in turn, is getting a third meaning, namely: non-commissioned officerohne Portepee, as opposed to "Feldwebel ranks".
Unteroffizier translates as "subordinate-officer" and, when meaning the specific rank, is in modern-day usage considered the equivalent tosergeant under the NATO rank scale. Historically theUnteroffizier rank was considered a corporal[2] and thus similar in duties to a British Army corporal. In peacetime anUnteroffizier was a career soldier who trained conscripts or led squads and platoons. He could rise through the ranks to become anUnteroffizier mit Portepee, i.e. aFeldwebel, which was the highest rank a career soldier could reach. Since the German officer corps was immensely class conscious a rise through the ranks from a NCO to become an officer was hardly possible except in times of war.
TheUnteroffizierskorps was made up of professional soldiers which formed the backbone of German armies. This tradition has not been changed by theBundeswehr where all ranks ofUnteroffizier and up consist only of professional soldiers who sign up for a period extending conscription.
Unteroffizier is one of the few German military ranks whose insignia has remained unchanged over the past one hundred years. The shoulder boards of a modernUnteroffizier are relatively similar to theWorld War I andWorld War II designs.
A modern-day GermanBundeswehrUnteroffizier typically commandssquad sized formations or acts as an assistantplatoonNCO. The rank is also used in the modern-dayGerman Air Force. In theBundeswehr the grade ofStabsunteroffizier (a junior NCO) ranks betweenUnteroffizier andFeldwebel.
| Branch |  German Army | .svg) Luftwaffe |  Kriegsmarine |  Waffen-SS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collar |  |  |  |  |
| Shoulder |  |  |  |  |
| Sleeve |  |  |  | |
| Name | Unteroffizier | Maat e.g. Steuermannmaat | SS-Unterscharführer | |
By theEast GermanNational People's Army (NP's A) and theBorder troops the grade was introduced in 1956. The rank insignia remained almost identically to theseWehrmacht andReichswehr. There designation of the two classes of non-commissioned officers, i.e. "Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee" and "Unteroffiziere mit Portepee", was generally disapproved by the East German communist military leadership, and consequently uncustomary.
There sequence of grades was as follows:
| Branch | .svg) Landstreitkräfte |  Grenztruppen |  Volksmarine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoulder |  |  |  | |
| Sleeve | – | – |  | |
| Name | Unteroffizier | Maat | ||
In theRussian Imperial Army, the rank of Unteroffizier (Under Officer,Russian:унтер-офицер) was borrowed from Germany. From the early 1800s, it was split into the Senior and Junior Under Officers, which had 2 and 3 thin horizontal stripes on shoulder boards, respectively. Under Officers were superior toGefreiter and junior toFeldfebel.