- Sturmbannführer
"Sturmbannführer" was a paramilitary rank of the
Nazi Party which was used by both the "Sturmabteilung " (SA) and the "Schutzstaffel " (SS). Translated as “Assault (or Storm) Unit Leader” (Sturmbann being the SA and early SS equivalent to a battalion), the rank originated from German Shock Troop units of theFirst World War where the title of Sturmbannführer would occasionally be held by the Battalion Commander.History
The SA title of Sturmbannführer was first established in 1921. In 1928, the title became an actual rank and was also one of the first established
SS rank s. The insignia of a Sturmbannführer was four silver pips centered on a collar patch.The rank rated below "
Standartenführer " until 1932, when Sturmbannführer became subordinate to the new rank of "Obersturmbannführer ". In theWaffen-SS , Sturmbannführer was considered equivalent to aMajor in the GermanWehrmacht .Recipients
One of the most notable recipients of the title was Dr. Wernher von Braun, who developed the
V2 Rocket , and later designed theSaturn V rocket for theU.S. .Popular Culture
The rank of Sturmbannführer has also appeared frequently in fictional works and can be found mentioned in the novel "Fatherland" where the main character is a Sturmbannführer in the
Kriminalpolizei . In the 1983 film "The Keep",Gabriel Byrne portrays SS-Sturmbannführer Kaempffer, head of an SS-Einsatzkommando . In the film "Apt Pupil",Ian McKellen portrays Kurt Dussander, a former Naziconcentration camp officer who held the rank of Sturmbannführer. In the manga "Hellsing", the main antagonist,Major Montana Max , holds the rank of Sturmbannführer. In theBBC TV series "Secret Army",Clifford Rose plays LudwigKessler a Sturmbannführer in the Gestapo. In another BBC series, "'Allo 'Allo ",Gestapo agentHerr Otto Flick is shown to hold the rank. In the Medal of Honor videogame series, Sturmbannführer Ratter appears as a recurring antagonist, once in a secret level in Medal of Honor: Underground, once at Dorne Manor in Holland in Medal of Honor: Frontline, and once at the Steinberg Salt Mine in Alt Aussee, Austria in the original Medal of Honor.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
