page_title: Führer
section_title: Military usage
hierarchical_section_title: Führer / Military usage
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Führerstand der Baureihe 411. English: The driver's cab on a DB Class 411 (ICE with tilting technology). Polski: Stanowisko maszynisty w jednostce kolei niemieckich klasy 411 (ICE z wychylnym pudłem).
context_page_description: Führer is a German word meaning "leader" or "guide". As a political title it is associated with the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
  Nazi Germany cultivated the Führerprinzip, and Hitler was generally known as just der Führer.
  The word Führer in the sense of "guide" remains common in German, and it is used in numerous compound words such as Bergführer. The word Führer in the sense of "leader" remained common in numerous compound words such as Oppositionsführer. However, because of its strong association with Hitler, the isolated word usually has negative connotations when used with the meaning of "leader", especially in political contexts. The word Führer has cognates in the Scandinavian languages, spelled fører in Danish and Norwegian which have the same meaning and use as the German word, but without necessarily having political connotations.
context_section_description: Führer has been used as a military title (compare Latin Dux) in Germany since at least the 18th century. The usage of the term "Führer" in the context of a company-sized military subunit in the German Army referred to a commander lacking the qualifications for permanent command. For example, the commanding officer of a company was (and is) titled "Kompaniechef" (literally, Company Chief), but if he did not have the requisite rank or experience, or was only temporarily assigned to command, he was officially titled "Kompanieführer". Thus operational commands of various military echelons were typically referred to by their formation title followed by the title Führer, in connection with mission-type tactics used by the German military forces. The term Führer was also used at lower levels, regardless of experience or rank; for example, a Gruppenführer was the leader of a squad of infantry (9 or 10 men).
  Under the Nazis, the title Führer was also used in paramilitary titles (see Freikorps). Almost every Nazi paramilitary organization, in particular the SS and SA, had Nazi party paramilitary ranks incorporating the title of Führer. The SS including the Waffen-SS, like all paramilitary Nazi organisations, called all their members of any degree except the lowest Führer of something; thus confusingly, Gruppenführer was also an official rank title for a specific grade of general. The word Truppenführer was also a generic word referring to any commander or leader of troops, and could be applied to NCOs or officers at many different levels of command.
caption: The word Führerstand translates to a "driver's cab"
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