Luftwaffe Rank of Hauptfeldwebel

[J.A. Twohig]

I am doing some work with the ranks of the Luftwaffe at the end of the war and have some questions about the rank of “Hauptfeldwebel”.
The US War Department Technical Manual TM-E 30-451, “Handbook on German Military Forces”, 15 Mar 1945, Chapter 1, Section 5, Figure 2, “Table of enlisted ranks” lists the following German Basic Ranks and relative US Army Ranks:

Stabsfeldwebel – Master Sergeant
Oberfeldwebel – Technical Sergeant
Feldwebel – Staff Sergeant
Unterfeldwebel – Sergeant
Unteroffizier – Corporal
No reference to “Hauptfeldwebel” is made in the table. However, later in Plate XI, which appears to be taken from JAN 1, it gives the following:
Stabsfeldwebel – Sergeant Major (?)
Hauptfeldwebel – 1st Sergeant
Other references, both printed and on-line, either don’t mention the rank of “Hauptfeldwebel” and/or relate it differently to the rank of Stabsfeldwebel and/or the US rank of Master Sergeant.
I would appreciate it if someone could help me by clearing up the questions of what the rank of Hauptfeldwebel was and how it related to both the other Luftwaffe ratings and those of the USAAC.
Jim

[Darrell Besser]

The answer is that Hauptfeldwebel was not a rank, it was an appointment. Most Hauptfeldwebels would have held the rank of either Stabsfeldwebel (but more often) Oberfeldwebel. The Haupfeldwebel was originally called Oberfeldwebel der Truppe and was like a Company Sergeant major.

In terms of rank badges, the unterfeldwebel has the NCO lace around his shoulder board but no pip. The Feldwebel wear one pip, the Oberfeldwebel has 2 pips and the Stabsfeldwebel has 3. A Hauptfeldwebel would wear the badge which corresponded to his rank (so normally two or three pips) and also wore two rings of aluminum NCO lace (tress) 0.5cm apart on the lower part of the tunic sleeve (5cm above the end of the cuff to be exact).
Source(s):
Uniforms & Traditions of the German Army 1933-45 Volumes 1 & 2 by J R Angolia and A Schlicht