View source for Stabschef

{{Short description|Chief of staff of Nazi Party paramilitary wing}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox official post
| post                     = {{lang|de|Stabschef SA}}
| body                     = 
| native_name              = 
| flag                     = {{nowrap|[[File:Stabschef SA Version 2.svg|120px]] [[File:Stabschef SA Version 3.svg|120px]]}}
| flagsize                 = 
| flagborder               = 
| flagcaption              = Earlier (left) and later (right) command flag
| insignia                 = SA-Logo (no white background).svg
| insigniasize             = 70
| insigniacaption          = 
| image                    = Bundesarchiv Bild 102-15282A, Ernst Röhm.jpg
| imagesize                = 
| alt                      = 
| imagecaption             = '''Best known officeholder'''<br />'''[[Ernst Röhm]]'''<br />5 January 1931 – 1 July 1934
| incumbent                = 
| acting                     =
| incumbentsince           = 
| type                     = 
| status                   = [[Commanding officer]] of a [[paramilitary]] organisation
| department               = {{lang|de|[[Sturmabteilung]]}}
| style                    = 
| member_of                = {{lang|de|Oberste SA-Führung}}
| reports_to               = {{lang|de|[[Supreme SA Leader|Oberste SA-Führer]]}}
| residence                = 
| seat                     = 
| nominator                = 
| appointer                = [[Adolf Hitler]]
| appointer_qualified      = 
| termlength               = 
| termlength_qualified     = 
| constituting_instrument  = 
| precursor                = 
| formation                = October 1929
| first                    = [[Otto Wagener]]
| last                     = [[Wilhelm Schepmann]]
| abolished                = 5 May 1945
| succession               = 
| abbreviation             = 
| unofficial_names         = 
| deputy                   = {{flagicon image|Oberste SA Führung.svg}} {{lang|de|[[Stabsführer#SA|Stabsführer]]}}
}}
'''{{lang|de|Stabschef}}''' ({{IPA|de|ʃtaːps.ʃɛf|}}, {{literally|[[Chief of staff]]}}) was an office and [[paramilitary]] rank in the {{lang|de|[[Sturmabteilung]]}} (SA), the paramilitary stormtroopers associated with the [[Nazi Party]]. It was a rank and position held by the operating chief of the SA. The rank was equivalent to the rank of {{lang|de|[[Generaloberst]]}} in the [[German Army (1935–1945)|German Army]] and to [[General (United States)|General]] in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]].{{sfn|Campbell|1998|p=163}}

==Definition==
The position of {{lang|de|SA-Stabschef}}, not yet a rank, was established in 1929 to assist the {{lang|de|Oberste SA-Führer}} ([[Supreme SA Leader]]){{sfn|McNab|2009|p=15}} with the administration of the fast-growing organisation. [[Otto Wagener]] held the office under {{lang|de|Oberste SA-Führer}} [[Franz Pfeffer von Salomon]] from 1928 to 1930, and effectively headed the SA from Hitler's assumption of the title {{lang|de|Oberste SA-Führer}} in August until Ernst Röhm replaced him in January 1931.{{sfn|McNab|2009|pp=14, 15}}

The actual [[Uniforms and insignia of the Sturmabteilung|SA rank]] of {{lang|de|Stabschef}} was created by Röhm for himself in 1933 after Hitler became [[Chancellor of Germany|chancellor]]. Although Hitler became the supreme commander of the SA in 1930, the day-to-day running of the organisation was left to the chief of staff. Thus, the men who held the rank of {{lang|de|Stabschef}} after 1930 were the actual leaders of the SA.{{sfn|Zentner|Bedürftig|1997|p=937}}

==Office holders==
The office of {{lang|de|Stabschef}} was held by four different people between 1929 and 1945 and was, in all but the first case of succession, inherited due to the death of a predecessor. The following SA officers held the office of {{lang|de|Stabschef}}:

{{Officeholder table start
| showorder          = y
| showimage          = y
| image_title        = Portrait
| officeholder_title = {{lang|de|Stabschef}}
| showtermlenght     = y
| showelection       = n
| showcabinet        = n
| party_col          = 1
| showref            = y
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{white|1}}
| image             = The Liberation of Rhodes, 1945 E30943 (cropped).jpg
| military_rank     =
| officeholder      = [[Otto Wagener]]
| officeholder_sort = Wagener, Otto
| officeholder_note =
| born_year         = 1888
| died_year         = 1971
| term_start        = October 1929
| term_end          = 31 December 1930
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years and months|1929|10|1|1930|12|31}}
| alt_party         = Nazi Party
| ref               = {{sfn|McNab|2009|pp=14, 15}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{white|2}}
| image             = Bundesarchiv Bild 102-15282A, Ernst Röhm.jpg
| military_rank     =
| officeholder      = [[Ernst Röhm]]
| officeholder_sort = Röhm, Ernst
| officeholder_note =
| born_year         = 1887
| died_year         = 1934
| died              = y
| term_start        = 5 January 1931
| term_end          = 1 July 1934{{efn|Executed during the [[Night of the Long Knives]]}}
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years and days|1931|01|05|1934|07|01}}
| alt_party         = Nazi Party
| ref               = {{sfn|McNab|2009|pp=16, 18, 19}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{white|3}}
| image             = Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F051632-0523, Viktor Lutze.jpg
| military_rank     =
| officeholder      = [[Viktor Lutze]]
| officeholder_sort = Lutze, Viktor
| officeholder_note =
| born_year         = 1890
| died_year         = 1943
| died              = y
| term_start        = 1 July 1934
| term_end          = 2 May 1943{{efn|Died in a car accident}}
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years and days|1934|07|01|1943|05|02}}
| alt_party         = Nazi Party
| ref               = {{sfn|Hamilton|1984|p=312}}
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{white|–}}
| image             = Max Jüttner at the Nuremberg Trials.jpg
| military_rank     =
| officeholder      = [[Max Jüttner]]
| officeholder_sort = Jüttner, Max
| officeholder_note =
| born_year         = 1888
| died_year         = 1963
| term_start        = 2 May 1943
| term_end          = August 1943 
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years and months|1943|05|02|1943|08|1}}
| acting            = y
| alt_party         = Nazi Party
| ref               = <ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9a9MRnxtdJgC&q=wilhelm+schepmann&pg=PA500 |title = The Nazi Party 1919-1945: A Complete History|isbn = 9780982491195|last1 = Orlow|first1 = Dietrich|date = 2010-06-23| publisher=Enigma Books }}</ref> 
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order2            = {{white|4}}
| image             = Wilhelm Schepmann SA.jpg
| military_rank     =
| officeholder      = [[Wilhelm Schepmann]]
| officeholder_sort = Schepmann, Wilhelm
| officeholder_note =
| born_year         = 1894
| died_year         = 1970
| term_start        = August 1943 
| term_end          = 5 May 1945
| timeinoffice      = {{age in years and months|1943|08|1|1945|05|05}}
| alt_party         = Nazi Party
| ref               = {{sfn|McNab|2009|p=14}}
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

===Timeline===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:18
PlotArea  = top:10 bottom:50 right:100 left:20
AlignBars = late

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period     = from:01/01/1929 till:01/06/1945
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1929
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1930

Colors     =
  id:sa value:rgb(0.59,0.29,0)

BarData =
  barset:PM

PlotData =
  width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
  barset:PM

 from: 01/10/1929 till: 31/12/1930 color:sa text:"[[Otto Wagener|Wagener]]" fontsize:10
 from: 05/01/1931 till: 01/07/1934 color:sa text:"[[Ernst Röhm|Röhm]]" fontsize:10
 from: 01/07/1934 till: 02/05/1943 color:sa text:"[[Viktor Lutze|Lutze]]" fontsize:10
 from: 02/05/1943 till: 01/08/1943 color:sa text:"[[Max Jüttner|Jüttner]] (acting)" fontsize:10
 from: 01/08/1943 till: 05/05/1945 color:sa text:"[[Wilhelm Schepmann|Schepmann]]" fontsize:10

}}

==Insignia==
Early insignia for {{lang|de|Stabschef}} consisted of an oak leaf patch worn on the collar of the stormtrooper uniform. Photographic evidence shows Ernst Röhm wearing such an insignia in his early days as the SA Chief of Staff. As Röhm's authority increased, so did his insignia and by mid 1931 photographic evidence shows him wearing wreathed star that was designed after that of a Bolivian general's collar, due to Röhm's previous military experience as a military adviser in Bolivia.

After 1933, the insignia for {{lang|de|Stabschef}} consisted of a "crossed lances" pattern, wreathed by a half oak leaf circle. After 1934, the insignia was changed to a wreathed tri-foil oak leaf pattern similar to the [[Uniforms and insignia of the Schutzstaffel|SS rank insignia]] of {{lang|de|[[Reichsführer-SS]]}}.{{sfn|Flaherty|2004|p= 148}} With the fall of Nazi Germany, the {{lang|de|Sturmabteilung}} ceased to exist and with it the {{lang|de|Stabschef}}.

<gallery class="center">
SA-Stabschef 1933.svg|Gorget patch (1933–1934)
SA-Stabschef.svg|Gorget patch (1934–1945)
SA OF10 ChdSt Schulterstück 1945.jpg|Shoulder patch (1933–1945)
</gallery>

{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0.5em auto; clear: both;"
|-
|width="30%" align="center"|Junior rank<br>'''SA-{{lang|de|[[Obergruppenführer]]}}'''
|width="40%" align="center"|'''[[Uniforms and insignia of the Sturmabteilung|SA rank]]'''<br>'''{{lang|de|Chef des Stabes der SA}}'''
|width="30%" align="center"|Senior rank<br>'''{{lang|de|[[Supreme SA Leader|Oberster SA-Führer]]}}'''
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
* [[Supreme SA Leader]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last= Campbell | first= Bruce | title = The SA Generals and The Rise of Nazism | publisher = The University Press of Kentucky | year = 1998 | isbn = 978-0813120478 }}
* {{cite book | last=Flaherty | first=T. H. | title = The Third Reich: The SS | publisher = Time-Life Books, Inc | year = 2004 | orig-year = 1988 | isbn = 1-84447-073-3 }}
* {{cite book | last = Hamilton | first = Charles | title = Leaders & Personalities of the Third Reich, Vol. 1 | year = 1984 | publisher = R. James Bender Publishing | isbn = 0912138270 }}
* {{cite book | last=McNab | first=Chris | title = The Third Reich | publisher = Amber Books Ltd | year = 2009 | isbn = 978-1-906626-51-8 }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Zentner | first1 = Christian | last2 = Bedürftig | first2 = Friedemann | year = 1997 | orig-year = 1991 | title = [[The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich]] | publisher = Da Capo Press | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-3068079-3-0 }}
{{refend}}

{{SA commanders}}
{{Nazi Germany paramilitary ranks}}

[[Category:Sturmabteilung]]
[[Category:Nazi paramilitary ranks]]