An SS-Oberscharführer (Ernst Barkmann), circa 1944, with several combat decorations and badges

SS-Oberscharführer insignia

Oberscharführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between the years of 1932 and 1945. Ernst Barkmann (born 25 August 1919) is a German former Waffen-SS soldier and Panzer ace The, officially National Socialist German Workers' Party, ( abbreviated NSDAP) was a Political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945 Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Translated as “Senior Squad Leader”, Oberscharführer was first used as a rank of the Sturmabteilung (SA) and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The, abbreviated SA, ( German for "Assault detachment" or "Assault section" usually translated as " stormtroop(ers The SA rank of Oberscharführer was senior to Scharführer and junior to the rank of Truppführer. The ranks and insignia of the Sturmabteilung ( SA) were the first paramilitary rank system to be developed by the Nazi Party in 1920 Scharführer was a Nazi Party title that was used by several paramilitary organizations from 1925 to 1945 Truppführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1930 as a rank of the Sturmabteilung (SA or Nazi Stormtroopers

Since early ranks of the Schutzstaffel (SS) were identical to the ranks of SA, Oberscharführer was created as an SS rank at the same time the position was created within the SA. The ( German for "Protective Squadron" abbreviated SS - or ( Runic)- was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the The ranks and insignia of the Schutzstaffel were a paramilitary rank system used by the SS to differentiate that organization from the regular German armed Initially, the rank of SS-Oberscharführer was equal to its SA counterpart; however, this changed in 1934 following the Night of the Long Knives. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Night of the Long Knives (German) or " Operation Hummingbird " was a Purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July

At that time, the SS rank system was reorganized and several new ranks established with older SA titles discontinued. The rank of SS-Oberscharführer was therefore “bumped up” and became equal to an SA-Truppführer. Truppführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1930 as a rank of the Sturmabteilung (SA or Nazi Stormtroopers The insignia for the SS rank was changed, as well, becoming two silver collar pips in contrast to the SA insignia for Oberscharführer which was a single collar pip with silver stripe.

Within the SA, an Oberscharführer was typically a squad leader, answering to a platoon non-commissioned officer. A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer) also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an Armed force The responsibilities varied across a wider range in the SS, in particular between an Oberscharführer in the Allgemeine-SS (General SS) and one holding the same position in the Waffen-SS (Armed SS). The Allgemeine SS (German for "General SS" literally "Universal SS" was the biggest SS branch in terms of members The Waffen-SS ( German for "Armed SS" literally "Weapons SS" was the Combat arm of the Schutzstaffel ("Protective Squadron"

After 1938, when the SS adopted field grey uniforms as the standard duty attire, SS- Oberscharführers displayed the shoulder insignia of a Wehrmacht Feldwebel. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The rank of SS-Oberscharführer was junior to SS-Hauptscharführer. Hauptscharführer was a Nazi paramilitary rank which was used by the Schutzstaffel (SS between the years of 1934 and 1945