Battle of Kursk

by Tom Zola

  Zampolit: Political commissar; an officer responsible for political indoctrination in the Red Army

  Wehrmacht ranks

  Rank

  US equivalent

  Anwärter

  Candidate (NCO or officer)

  Soldat (or Schütze, Kanonier, Pionier, Funker, Reiter, Jäger, Grenadier … depends on the branch of service)

  Private

  Obersoldat (Oberschütze, Oberkanonier …)

  Private First Class

  Gefreiter

  Lance Corporal

  Obergefreiter

  Senior

  Lance Corporal

  Stabsgefreiter

  Corporal

  Unteroffizier

  Sergeant

  Fahnenjunker

  Ensign

  Unterfeldwebel/Unterwachtmeister (Wachtmeister only in cavalry and artillery)

  Staff Sergeant

  Feldwebel/Wachtmeister

  Staff Sergeant

  Oberfeldwebel/Oberwachtmeister

  Master Sergeant

  Oberfähnrich

  Ensign First Class

  Stabsfeldwebel/Stabswachtmeister

  Sergeant Major

  Hauptfeldwebel

  This is not a rank, but an NCO function responsible for personnel and order within a company

  Leutnant

  2nd Lieutenant

  Oberleutnant

  1st Lieutenant

  Hauptmann/Rittmeister

  (Rittmeister only in cavalry and artillery)

  Captain

  Major

  Major

  Oberstleutnant

  Lieutenant Colonel

  Oberst

  Colonel

  Generalmajor

  Major General

  Generalleutnant

  Lieutenant General

  General der … (depends on the branch of service:

  - Infanterie (Infantry)

  - Kavallerie (Cavalry)

  - Artillerie (Artillery)

  - Panzertruppe (Tank troops)

  - Pioniere (Engineers)

  - Gebirgstruppe (Mountain Troops)

  - Nachrichtentruppe (Signal Troops)

  General (four-star)

  Generaloberst

  Colonel General

  Generalfeldmarschall

  Field Marshal

  Overview of military units in the Wehrmacht

  Fire team: Smallest military unit in the Wehrmacht

  Squad: (Or section, for our British readers) – consists of ten to twenty soldiers

  Platoon: Three to five squads

  Company: Varies greatly; usually three platoons plus support and HQ elements

  Abteilung: Some Wehrmacht battalions were called Abteilung because of traditional origins of the unit; e.g. some panzer battalions due to their roots in the cavalry

  Battalion: HQ plus two to five companies plus support elements

  Regiment: Two to four battalions

  Brigade: Varies greatly; a total of up to 5 000 soldiers

  Division: Varies greatly; 5 000 to 30 000 soldiers

  Corps: Two to five divisions

  Army: Three to six corps

  Army Group: Consists of more than one army

  Characters

  Rank, unit and position as of the situation when the character makes his or her first appearance in the novel. The sequence is: Surname, name, rank in its original language, function.

  Bauer, Heinz Gerd, Obergrenadier, machine gunner of Squad Pappendorf

  Baum, Herbert*, Jewish member of the German resistance against the Nazis; was tortured to death in 1942

  Beck, Ludwig*, Generaloberst a.D. (i.e., “Außer Dienst”, meaning he is on the Retired list), former chief of general staff of the German Armed Forces

  Becker, Carl*, Generalmajor, commander of the 253rd Infantry Division

  Berning, Franz, Unteroffizier, squad leader of 3rd Squad / 2nd Platoon / 1st Reconnaissance Squadron / Schnelle Abteilung 253 / 253rd Infantry Division / XXIII Army Corps / 9th Army / Army Group Center / Commander-in-Chief East

  Bongartz, Rudi, Gefreiter, machine gunner of Squad Berning

  Born, Eduard, Stabsgefreiter, loader of Engelmann’s tank

  Canaris, Wilhelm*, Admiral, chief of Military Intelligence Service “Abwehr”

  Churchill, Winston*, Prime Minister of Great Britain

  Claassen, Mauritius, Oberfeldwebel, platoon leader of 2nd Platoon / 1st Reconnaissance Squadron / Schnelle Abteilung 253 / 253rd Infantry Division / XXIII Army Corps / 9th Army / Army Group South / Commander-in-Chief East

  Engelmann, Else, Leutnant Josef Engelmann’s wife

  Engelmann, Gudrun, daughter of Josef and Else Engelmann

  Engelmann, Josef “Sepp“, Leutnant, platoon leader 1st Platoon / 9th Company / III Abteilung / Panzer Regiment 2 / 16th Panzer Division / XI Army Korps / 6th Army / Army Group South / Commander-in-Chief East

  Feitenhansel, Udo, Obergrenadier, soldier of Squad Berning

  Fellgiebel, Fritz*, Chief Signal Officer of High Command, therefore chief of Wehrmacht communication lines at the Führer’s headquarters

  Fromm, Friedrich*, Generaloberst, Commander of the Replacement Army

  Göring, Hermann*, Generalfeldmarschall, mainly: commander-in chief of the Luftwaffe under Hitler

  Haus, Theodor, Oberleutnant, company commander of the “black company“ / Schnelle Abteilung 253 / 253rd Infantry Division / XXIII Army Corps / 9th Army / Army Group South / Commander-in-Chief East

  Himmler, Heinrich*, Reichsführer SS and leading Nazi party member under Hitler

  Hitler, Adolf*, “Führer“ and Reichskanzler (Chancellor) of the German Reich

  Hoth, Hermann*, Generalfeldmarschall, chief of staff of the Commander-in-Chief East

  Junghans, Gretel, Franz Berning’s girlfriend

  Kelekian, Sesede, girl from Arthur Petrosjan’s hometown

  Klodt, Bernhard*, soccer player with Schalke 04

  Kolter, Steffen, Obergefreiter, soldier of company Haus

  Konev, Ivan Stepanowitsch*, General Polkovnik (Colonel General), commander-in-chief of the Steppe Front

  Kreisel, Helmut*, Stabsfeldwebel, NCO of II Abteilung / Panzer Regiment 2 / 16th Panzer Division / XI Army Korps / 6th Army / Army Group South / Commander-in-Chief East

  Laschke, Henning, Unteroffizier, tank commander in Engelmann’s platoon

  Ludwig, Theo, Obergefreiter, gunner in Engelmann’s tank

  Marseille, Fritz, Oberfeldwebel, tank commander in Engelmann’s platoon

  Meinert, Fridolin, Unterfeldwebel, gunner of Müller’s tank

  Meyer, Norbert, Oberfeldwebel, tank commander in Engelmann’s platoon

  Milch, Erhard*, Generalfeldmarschall, Chief of Aircraft Procurement and Suppy

  Müller, Gottfried, Oberfeldwebel, tank commander in Engelmann’s platoon

  Münster, Hans, Unterfeldwebel, driver in Engelmann’s tank

  Nitz, Eberhardt, Feldwebel, radio operator in Engelmann’s tank

  Pappendorf, Adolf, Unterfeldwebel, squad leader of 2nd Squad / 2nd Platoon / 1st Reconnaissance Squadron / Schnelle Abteilung 253 / 253rd Infantry Division / XXIII Army Corps / 9th Army / Army Group Center / Commander-in-Chief East

  Paulus, Friedrich*, General der Panzertruppe, commander-in-chief of Army Group South

  Petrosjan, Arthur, Rjadovoi (soldier), Armenian soldier of the Red Army, 2nd Squad / 1st Platoon / 2nd Company / 1st Rifle Battalion / 1072nd Rifle Regiment / 102nd Rifle Division / 67th Rifle Corps / 70th Army / Central Front

  Raumann, Jürgen, Feldwebel, platoon leader of 1st Platoon of company Haus

  Rommel, Erwin*, Generalfeldmarschall, commander-in-chief of the Africa Korps

  Roth, Luise, employee of the British Consulate in Bern

  Roth, Stella, Luise’s younger sister

  Rößler, Rudolf*, proprietor of Vita Novi publishing house in Switzerland, and head of the “Lucy” spy ring

  Rupp, Karl, Grenadier, soldier of Squad Schredinsky
/>   Schredinsky, Marek, Unterfeldwebel, squad leader of 1st Squad / 2nd Platoon / 1st Reconnaissance Squadron / Schnelle Abteilung 253 / 253rd Infantry Division / XXIII Army Corps / 9th Army / Army Group Center / Commander-in-Chief East

  Schröder, Günther, Obergrenadier, soldier of Squad Berning

  Sieckenius, Rudolf*, Oberst, commander of Panzer Regiment 2 / 16th Panzer Division / XI Army Korps / 6th Army / Army Group South / Commander-in-Chief East

  Sidorenko, Nikolay, General Polkovnik (Colonel General), commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army, Steppe Front

  Stalin, Josef*, Soviet Chief of State and Party Leader, Generalissimo of the Red Army

  Taylor, Thomas, Unteroffizier, soldier of Sonderverband Brandenburg

  von Angern, Günther*, Generalmajor, commander of the 16th Panzer Division / XI Army Korps / 6th Army / Army Group South / Commander-in-Chief East

  von Blomberg, Werner*, Generalfeldmarschall, former Reich Ministry of Defense

  von Bock, Fedor*, Generalfeldmarschall, Leader's Reserve (that was a pool for all high-ranking officers, who got in conflict with Hitler – they were put in a backwater there)

  von Brauchitsch, Walther*, Generalfeldmarschall, Leader's Reserve

  von Kluge, Günther*, Generalfeldmarschall, commander-in-chief of Heeresgruppe Mitte

  von Lahousen, Erwin*, Oberst i.G. (i.e., “im Generalstab” - meaning he has attended the General Staff College, and is tracked to become an actual general), commander of II Department of the Division Ausland (= foreign countries) / Abwehr

  von Leeb, Wilhelm*, Generalfeldmarschall, Leader's Reserve

  von Manstein, Erich*, Generalfeldmarschall, Commander-in-Chief East

  von Witzleben, Erwin*, Generalfeldmarschall, Leader's Reserve

  Werner, Rolf, Obergrenadier, radio operator of Squad Pappendorf

  Weiß, Otto, Obergefreiter, soldier of Squad Schredinsky

  *historical person

  Map of the salient of Kursk

  The dashed line indicates the front line as of May 3rd 1943

  Stay tuned … the PANZERS series will continue in 2019!

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  [1] For information about the meaning of German words, a map of the salient of Kursk, Wehrmacht ranks, and more check out the appendix