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| Hauptfeldwebel | |
|---|---|
  Heer andLuftwaffe shoulder insignia | |
| Country |  Germany |
| Service branch |  German Army German Air Force |
| Abbreviation | HptFw |
| Rank | Unteroffiziere mit Portepee grade |
| NATOrank code | OR-7 / OR-8 |
| Non-NATO rank | E-7 |
| Formation | 1957 |
| Next higher rank | Stabsfeldwebel |
| Next lower rank | Oberfeldwebel |
| Equivalent ranks | Hauptbootsmann |
Hauptfeldwebel (HptFw orHF;lit. 'Head Field Bailiff') is the third highestNon-commissioned officer (NCO) grade inGerman Army andGerman Air Force.[1] It is grouped as OR-7 / OR-8 inNATO, equivalent to US ArmySergeant 1st Class andMaster Sergeant.[2] In army/air force context, NCOs of this rank were formally addressed asHerr Hauptfeldwebel also informally/shortHauptfeld.
TheHauptfeldwebel introduced by the GermanWehrmacht in 1938, was not as a military rank, but an assignment to "company sergeant" (German:Kompaniefeldwebel orSpiess). Most experienced Portepée-NCO with the rank Stabsfeldwebel (more rarely Oberfeldwebel) have been assigned to that distinguished position. The equivalent assignment in theWaffen-SS was the SS-Stabsscharführer.
The assignment was also used in the GDRNational People's Army from 1956 until 1990.
In 1957, the rank was introduced in the West German Armed Forces.
The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group (Senior NCOs with portepee) is as follows: