Truppführer

Truppführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1930 as a rank of the "Sturmabteilung" (SA), or Nazi Stormtroopers. Translated as “Troop Leader”, the rank of Truppführer evolved from early "Freikorps" titles which traced their origins to World War I.

As an SA rank, Truppführer was considered the equivalent of a senior Sergeant, or Sergeant First Class. The rank of SA-Truppführer was at first considered senior to that of "SA-Scharführer", but after 1932 was ranked above the new rank of "SA-Oberscharführer". The insignia for a basic Truppführer consisted of two button pips on a collar patch.

A Truppführer normally served as the SA-non-commissioned officer of platoon sized "SA-Truppen", formed into company sized "SA-Sturm". The responsibilities of a Truppführer typically increased upon promotion to "Obertruppführer" and "Haupttruppführer", as did the number of troops under the Truppführer’s command.

Between 1930 and 1934, Truppführer was also used as an SS rank but was abolished after the Night of the Long Knives when the rank of "SS-Truppführer" was renamed "SS-Oberscharführer".