Appropriate Rank for Heer Machine Gunner?

[Jason2K]

Hello,

I hope this is the appropriate section of the forum for this post.

I'm trying to put together an early war (41-42ish) Heer machine gunnner display. Can anyone enlighten me to the general rank range of an Heer Infantry machinegunner of the time?

For instance (I'm in the US Army), a current American Army Infantry machine gunner is most likely a E-4 SPC. Possibly a PV1, more likely a PV2, more likely yet a PFC, but most likely a SPC.

Thank You Much in advance!

[Johnny R]

The actual gunner would usually be a gefreiter or obergefreiter with a little more experience etc. I was a M60 gunner as a later E-3 though early E-4 and my AGs were usually E-2 or E-3.

[Fred Green]

Hello,

I have a schutzenschnurr award document for a Schutze qualifying with a light machine gun in 1937.

Fred

[Jason2K]

Johnny R, Fred Green, a sincere Thank You to you both. Appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge. Looks like the answer is Schutze to Obergefreiter. Probably will do Grefreiter to represent the probable most common......

Johnny R, I never qualified on the pig - though of course we had them in the PLT until about 2000. A good unit will usually have PFCs and SPCs as machine gunners with a good BN driven MG training program. A not so good unit might just shaft the newest PV1 with the MG cause it sucks to carry. Of course if that PV1 is just a big ol corn feed one, it might not be a terrible call.

Fred Green, Thanks for posting a pic of your exemplary display. I wonder if the 1936 Heer had time and resources to qualify all Infantry soldiers on the machinegun or just the machine gunners and assistant gunners? My guess would be that even in the '36 Heer only the machine gunners and AGs qualified and the rest of the Platoon fam (familiarization) fired.