Stabswachtmeister

Stabswachtmeister (short: StWm) is in the Austrian Bundesheer a NCO-rank. As lowest grade of the Staff-NCO rank group he is normally dedicated to command a platoon or to serve in a military staff appointment (assignment group M BUO 1 / professional NCO; respectively M ZUO 1 / longer-serving volunteer). However, he might also be assigned to command a military squad (assignment group M BUO 2 / longer-serving volunteer).

During United Nations missions and in NATO Partnership for Peace the rank Stabswachtmeister will be designated in English with Staff Sergeant (SSG) and is equivalent to NATO-Rang code OR-6.

Besides Austria today, the rank was also used for example in Germany and in the k.u.k. Army.

The Stabswachtmeister was introduced in 1913 to the cavalry of the k.u.k. Army. As well as the Offiziersstellvertreter (en: officer deputy rank), this rank has been counted to the higher NCO-ranks (also: Unteroffiziere with port epée / port epée NCOs) since 1915. According to the Austria-Hungarian rank table it was equivalent to the rank class XII.

The equivalent to Stabswachtmeister was as follows:
 * Rifle troops (de: Jägertruppe) – Stabsoberjäger
 * Artillery – Stabsfeuerwerker

With the foundation of the Austrian Bundesheer in March 1920 the «Stabswachtmeister» was introduced to all army branches of service. The OR7-rank Stabsfeldwebel of the generic infantry (de: Fußtruppen) was abolished.


 * See also:
 * Ranks of the Austrian Bundesheer

Germany
In the today’s German Bundeswehr there is no rank designation «Stabswachtmeister». However, the equivalent to that OR-7 rank would be Hauptfeldwebel OR7.

In the German Reichswehr as well as Wehrmacht the designation of the OR7-Stabsfeldwebel rank of Cavalry and Artillery was «Stabswachtmeister» until 1945.

«Stabswachtmeister» was also a German police rank.


 * See also:
 * World War II German Army ranks and insignia

Nationale People’s Army
In the GDR National People's Army (NPA) the OR7-rank «Stabswachtmeister» was replaced by the universal rank designation Stabsfeldwebel. The equivalent rank of the Volksmarine (en: GDR Navy) was the Stabsobermeister of the Volksmarine.


 * See also:
 * Ranks of the National People's Army