Unterscharführer
| Unterscharführer | |
|---|---|
Gorget patch | |
| Shoulder and camo insignia | |
| Country | Nazi Germany |
| Service branch | Schutzstaffel |
| Abbreviation | Uscharf |
| Formation | 1934 |
| Abolished | 1945 |
| Next higher rank | Scharführer |
| Next lower rank | Rottenführer |
| Equivalent ranks | Unteroffizier |
Unterscharführer ([ˈʊntɐʃaːɐ̯fyːʁɐ], lit. 'junior squad leader') was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel (SS) between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives. That event caused an SS reorganisation and the creation of new ranks to separate the SS from the Sturmabteilung (SA).
The insignia was a button pip centred on a collar patch opposite an SS unit insignia collar badge. The field grey SS uniform displayed the rank with silver collar piping and the shoulder boards of an Unteroffizier. Rank comparisons list the rank of Unterscharführer as equivalent to a corporal in other services, but the rank held responsibilities of a sergeant in some other armies.