German and US navies ranks

[frontkampfer]

Is there a table of rank equivalents between the German and US navies during WWII? My father was a FC2 (Fire Controlman 2nd class) on the USS Missouri for the 16in guns and I would like to know ther German equivalent. Any help appreciated!

[RF]

I believe there is a table of German, British and US military ranks on the feldgrau website, but as I haven't been able to access this site for sometime I don't know if it is still there.

[crew33]

I believe the appropriate Kriegsmarine equivalent for the USN Fireman, 2nd Class, is Maschinenobergefreiter. I compiled a listing of Kriegsmarine, USN, and RN rank equivalents for my book Neither Sharks Nor Wolves: The Men of Nazi Germany's U-Boat Arm 1939-1945; I relied on original U.S. Navy and Royal Navy reports of interrogations of captured U-boat crewmen that provided these rank equivalents.

[José M. Rico]

Is there a table of rank equivalents between the German and US navies during WWII? My father was a FC2 (Fire Controlman 2nd class) on the USS Missouri for the 16in guns and I would like to know ther German equivalent.

Have you checked the table of ranks here on this site?

http://www.kbismarck.com/ranks.html

I think the Kriegsmarine equivalent for FC2 (Fire Controlman 2nd class) is Marineartilleriegefreiter.

[frontkampfer]

I did check that table and saw the rank of Oberfeuerwerksmaat. Would that include gunners (men who service the guns). I kind of thought that it would be Marineartilleriegefreiter too. The Maschinenobergefreiter would be a machinist I would assume.

I am sure the germans would have had to have this kind of rank/position even on their smaller surface ships such as destroyers. If there was a gun directory on a ship there had to be fire control.

My dad always said that the german capital ships like Bismarck, Tirpitz and even Prinz Eugen were very close in design to the Iowa's. Thanks for all who responded!

[trapperP]

In the US Navy, a Fire Control Man was responsible for the maintanence and operation of the equipment that 'aimed the guns or the torpedos as the case might be. I was an FT[M] 2 this being a Fire Control Techhnician, Missiles. The rating was changed from FC to FT sometime after WWII and was then further divided into 3 categories, these being FT[G] (Guns) FT[M] (Missiles) and finally, FT (Underwater) I'm not really sure about today but I believe the FC rating has been restored - not really sure about the classifications within the rating.
IF possible, tell your father I would die a happy man if I could just one time run the systems to lay one broadside with those 16" guns. Did you know that the FC 'computer' for those guns actually calulated and corrected for the pull of the moon's gravitational pull while the projectile was in flight?
I checked with my nephew and the present day US Navy has both the FC and the FT. The FC rate is concerned with the electronics - computers, etc. - while the FT works on the mechanical devices - directors, etc. As an FT in the 60's we worked on all of it but did not have so much in the way of electronics as now.


The Fire Controlman [FC] rating badge.

The Fire Control Technican [FT] rating badge.