| Unterscharführer | |
|---|---|
 Gorget patch | |
  Shoulder and camo insignia | |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Service branch |  Schutzstaffel |
| Abbreviation | Uscharf |
| Formation | 1934 |
| Abolished | 1945 |
| Next higher rank | Scharführer |
| Next lower rank | Rottenführer |
| Equivalent ranks | Unteroffizier |
Unterscharführer ([ˈʊntɐʃaːɐ̯fyːʁɐ],lit. 'junior squad leader') was aparamilitary rank of theNazi Party used by theSchutzstaffel (SS) between 1934 and 1945.[1] TheSS rank was created after theNight of the Long Knives. That event caused an SS reorganisation and the creation of new ranks to separate the SS from theSturmabteilung (SA).
The insignia was a button pip centred on a collar patch opposite anSS unit insignia collar badge.[2] The field grey SS uniform displayed the rank with silver collar piping and the shoulder boards of anUnteroffizier. Rank comparisons list the rank ofUnterscharführer as equivalent to acorporal in other services, but the rank held responsibilities of asergeant in some other armies.[1]
The rank ofUnterscharführer was created from theSA rank ofScharführer. After 1934, an SS-Unterscharführer and SA-Scharführer were considered equivalent positions; the rank of SS-Unterscharführer was junior to SS-Scharführer and senior to the rank of SS-Rottenführer.[1]
Unterscharführer was the most junior and most commonnon-commissioned officer rank of the SS and was the equivalent of anUnteroffizier in the GermanWehrmacht.[1] The range of duties performed by the rank was diverse and extensive.
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Within theAllgemeine SS (General SS) anUnterscharführer typically commanded squad sized formations of seven to fifteen SS troopers. The rank was held commonly as a non-commissioned officer staff position and could be found in all of the Nazi security agencies, including theSicherheitsdienst and theEinsatzgruppen.
In theconcentration camp service,Unterscharführer holders were often assigned the position ofBlockführer, which was a supervisory position overseeing order within a prison barracks of a concentration camp. The position ofBlockführer is of note in theHolocaust, as it was typicallyBlockführer in charge of variousSonderkommandos.
In theWaffen-SS anUnterscharführer was as a junior squad commander, one of several attached to company and platoon sized formations. The rank was considered the equivalent to the first Waffen-SSofficer candidate rank ofJunker FA.
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Requirements of a battlefield non-commissionedUnterscharführer were higher than that expected of anUnterscharführer in the General SS. In the Waffen-SS, candidates were required to undergo a selection process before being promoted. During this time the aspirant was known as anUntersharführer-Anwärter (English:junior squad leader candidate) until passing the required evaluation, training and promotion board.
| Junior rank Rottenführer | SS rank Unterscharführer | Senior rank Scharführer |