- Wachtmeister
Wachtmeister (German: master-sentinel; watch-master) was a German,
Austria n and Swissmilitary rank of non-commissioned officers. It was also adopted intoRussian Army vakhmistr (ва́хмистр) and was used asSergeant -grade rank incavalry (until1826 ), thenSpecial Corps of Gendarmes and Cossack cavalry andCossack Leib Guard units. Also, the Polish army used the rank Wachmistrz as a cavalry-specific title for "Sergeant". This was similar to calling cavalry "Captains"Rittmeister (Ger.) or Rotmistrz (Pol.).Wachtmeister was also a German
police rank.Addendum: The rank of "Wachtmeister" was used in Germany and Austria, up to and including the Second World War, where it was a cavalry and artillery rank equating to a Sergeant-major (a "
Feldwebel " in the infantry). The rank continued in East Germany until 1970. The rank is used in Austria and Switzerland in the present day. In the German navy, the term is the equivalent to a Kompaniefeldwebel orHauptfeldwebel as the senior NCO aboard a Ship, usually tasked with administration.Notes
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