Mit Gefr. Schwabedissen fahre ich zu den Zügen, um Besprechungen mit den Nachrichtenleuten durchzuführen. Als Nachrichtenunteroffizier bin ich für das Nachrichtenwesen der ganzen Kompanie verantwortlich.Zuerst fahren wir zum 4. Zug nach Kitzhaus, dann zum 1. Zug nach Friesenrath und zum 3. Zug nach Walheim. Abends fahren wir über Kornelimünster und Breinig nach Venwegen zurück.
Private Schwabedissen accompanies me to the platoons, to convey talks with the signallers. As the signalling Corporal I am accountable for the communications of the whole company.First we visit the 4th platoon at Kitzhaus, then on the 1st platoon at Friesenrath and to the 3rd platoon at Walheim. In the evening we return via Kornelimünster and Breinig to Venwegen.
FRA
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Private Schwabedissen accompanies me to the platoons, to convey talks with the signallers. As the signalling Corporal I am accountable for the communications of the whole company.
AntwortenLöschenFirst we visit the 4th platoon at Kitzhaus, then on the 1st platoon at Friesenrath and to the 3rd platoon at Walheim. In the evening we return via Kornelimünster and Breinig to Venwegen.
Thomas, I think you may be doing Dieter an injustice. Subject to Sven's guidance, I think that Unteroffizier is best translated as Sergeant.
AntwortenLöschenCertainly in this case, Nachrichtenunteroffizier is best translated as signals sergeant, meaning the senior ranking non-commissioned officer in charge of radios, telephones and any other communications tools (including semaphore flags, on which I believe Dieter was trained in the first world war).
I've struggled for years trying to work out equivalences between English, French and German ranks for NCOs (non-commissioned officers). Sven alerted me to the fact that inevitably NATO had do deal with this problem, and drew up a table of equivalences to which I don't have a direct link, but here's a wikipedia article based on it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_armies_enlisted
The terminology in the first and second world wars may have differed from the modern-day Bundeswehr, but broadly speaking I think Soldat (and its service-arm equivalents like Schütze, Jäger, Kanonier - rifleman, gunner, trooper etc.) and Gefreiter are best translated as private.
Obergefreiter corresponds to lance-corporal (US pfc).
As far as I recall, Dieter uses the term Korporal for our corporal, which allows us to sidestep the minefield of Stabsgefreiter etc.
Unteroffizier seems to correspond to sergeant, though I suspect that it may be also used as a generic term for NCO as well (?).
Feldwebel and its variants can be generically translated as sergeant-major (in the British system, there are company, batallion and regimental sergeants-major).
Just to give an idea of how complex it all is, I noted in one Wikipedia article that in the British army, warrant officers are regarded as NCOs, whereas in the American they are regarded as officers!
And now, for $64,000, a question that has been bugging me for nearly fifty years. On at least one occasion (as portrayed in the film "The Longest Day", but I believe historically correctly), von Rundstedt referred to Hitler as "that Bohemian corporal". What German rank did he refer to?
Another vomit-inducing headline in the Freiburger Zeitung: Poland violated the Soviet frontier (!)
AntwortenLöschenhttp://az.ub.uni-freiburg.de/show/fz.cgi?cmd=showpic&ausgabe=01&day=15&year=1939&month=09&project=3&anzahl=10
Hi Roger,
AntwortenLöschensorry for the late answer, I did not see the comment any earlier.
Thank you for the comments on the complex topic of translating military ranks. I appreciate any help on this since it is very difficult to find the matching translation. Especially if there are not really ranks referred but positions like Stabsfeldwebel etc. As a result, I stopped translating the rank but would rather like to have a list of translations that accomodates also translations into other armies. Hence, it makes sense to keep the original term. Dieter will probably appreciate any help on providing such a list to make it available to everyone.
And then, to comfort you with your question, your first translation is correct. Von Rundstedt referred to "Der böhmische Gefreite". It is meant as an insult by pointing out the virtually inexistent experience in military leadership.