Sturmmann

Creation

Following the defeat of Germany in 1918, Sturmmann became a paramilitary rank of the Freikorps, violent groups of military veterans who opposed Germany's loss of World War I and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles.

In 1921, Sturmmann became a paramilitary title of the Nazi Party's private army, the Sturmabteilung (SA or "Assault Detachment"). Sturmmann would eventually become a basic paramilitary rank of almost every Nazi organization, but is most closely associated as an SA rank and as a rank of the SS.

The rank of Sturmmann was bestowed upon those members of the SA and SS who had served for six months in the organization and had demonstrated basic abilities and competence.

Use

Sturmmann was senior to the rank of Mann in the Allgemeine-SS (general-SS). In organizations which did not use the rank of Mann (such as the National Socialist Motor Corps), the rank of Sturmmann was the equivalent of a private and wore a blank collar patch with no insignia. Within the Waffen-SS, an SS-Sturmmann was senior to an SS-Oberschütze.

The rank of Sturmmann was junior, in both the SS and SA, to the rank of Rottenführer. It was considered the equivalent to the rank of Gefreiter in the German Army and a lance-corporal in the British Army. The insignia for Sturmmann consisted of a bare collar patch with a single silver stripe. The field grey uniforms of the Waffen-SS also displayed the sleeve chevron of a Gefreiter.

Insignia

SS Mannschaften.jpg| Shoulder strap (insignia) in Feldgrau (all other enlisted ranks OR-1 to OR-3 of the Waffen-SS) SS-Sturmmann.svg| SS Gorget patches WSS-Stuma OF2 slv 1945.svg| SS Sleeve badge SA-Sturmmann.svg| SA gorget patch NSKK-Sturmmann.svg| NSKK gorget patch NSFK-Sturmmann.svg| NSFK gorget patch

Post-war use

The term and rank has not been used in Germany since World War II.

Notes

Bibliography