Sturmbannführer

Sturmbannführer ([ˈʃtʊʁm.ban.fyːʀɐ], "assault unit leader") was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank equivalent to major[2] that was used in several Nazi organizations, such as the SA, SS, and the NSFK. Translated as "assault (or storm) unit leader"[3] (Sturmbann being the SA and early SS equivalent to a battalion), the rank originated from German shock troop units of the First World War.

Max Hansen, Sturmbannführer of the Waffen-SS

Sturmbannführer
SS Gorget patches
SS Shoulder and camo insignia
Country	Nazi Germany
Service branch	Schutzstaffel Sturmabteilung National Socialist Motor Corps National Socialist Flyers Corps
Abbreviation	Stubaf
NATO rank	OF-3
Formation	1921
Abolished	1945
Next higher rank	Obersturmbannführer
Next lower rank	Hauptsturmführer
Equivalent ranks	Major (OF-3)[1]

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 ranks.[4] The insignia of a Sturmbannführer was four silver pips centered on a collar patch.[2] The rank rated below Standartenführer until 1932, when Sturmbannführer became subordinate to the new rank of Obersturmbannführer.[4] In the Waffen-SS, Sturmbannführer was considered equivalent to a major in the German Wehrmacht.[5]

The rank was held by Wernher von Braun, who developed the V-2 rocket, and later designed the Saturn V rocket for the U.S. space program. Other rank holders included Eberhard Heder, Otto Günsche,[6] and war criminals, such as Otto Förschner, who was the commandant of Dora-Mittelbau concentration camp.