Unteroffizier

Unteroffizier is a military rank of the "Bundeswehr" and of former German-speaking armed forces ("Heer" and "Luftwaffe"), OR-5b on the NATO scale of ranks. There is no equivalent in the British Army, Royal Marines and various Commonwealth armies (it is senior to an OR-4 Corporal and junior to an OR-6 Sergeant), although the Canadian Army equivalent is OR-5 Master Corporal. The equivalent in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps is OR-5 sergeant. However, "Unteroffizier" is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers.
Germany.
In German military, "Unteroffizier" ("subordinate officer") is both a specific military rank as well as a generic term for any non-commissioned officer (NCO) in the army and air force, while in the navy the term "Deckoffizier" is used. It has existed since the 17th century.
"Unteroffizier" means a specific junior NCO rank of both the Heer and Luftwaffe. It is placed between Gefreiter and Feldwebel, roughly equivalent to a Corporal in the English-speaking world. 
Until the end of German Reich, the equivalent of "Unteroffizier" rank in Jäger units was "Oberjäger".
The term "Unteroffizier" continues to be used by the German "Bundeswehr".
Informally, the non-commissioned officers ""mit Portepee" are often called "Feldwebel" ranks", which creates confusion as the collective term "Unteroffizier" already exists. The word "Unteroffizier", in turn, is getting a third meaning, namely: non-commissioned officer "ohne Portepee", as opposed to ""Feldwebel" ranks".
"Unteroffizier" translates as "subordinate-officer" and, when meaning the specific rank, is in modern-day usage considered the equivalent to sergeant under the NATO rank scale. Historically the "Unteroffizier" rank was considered a corporal and thus similar in duties to a British Army corporal. In peacetime an "Unteroffizier" was a career soldier who trained conscripts or led squads and platoons. He could rise through the ranks to become an "Unteroffizier mit Portepee", i.e. a "Feldwebel", which was the highest rank a career soldier could reach. Since the German officer corps was immensely class conscious a rise through the ranks from a NCO to become an officer was hardly possible except in times of war.
The "Unteroffizierskorps" was made up of professional soldiers which formed the backbone of German armies. This tradition has not been changed by the "Bundeswehr" where all ranks of "Unteroffizier" and up consist only of professional soldiers who sign up for a period extending conscription.
"Unteroffizier" is one of the few German military ranks whose insignia has remained unchanged over the past one hundred years. The shoulder boards of a modern "Unteroffizier" are relatively similar to the World War I and World War II designs. 
A modern-day German "Bundeswehr" "Unteroffizier" typically commands squad sized formations or acts as an assistant platoon NCO. The rank is also used in the modern-day German Air Force. In the "Bundeswehr" the grade of "Stabsunteroffizier" (a junior NCO) ranks between "Unteroffizier" and "Feldwebel".
East Germany.
By the East German National People's Army (NP's A) and the Border troops the grade was introduced in 1956, comparable to NATO OR-6b. The rank insignia remained almost identically to these Wehrmacht and Reichswehr. There designation of the two classes of non-commissioned officers, i.e. "Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee" and "Unteroffiziere mit Portepee", was generally disapproved by the East German communist military leadership, and consequently uncustomary. 
There sequence of grades was as follows:
Austria.
Unteroffizier(e), also Unteroffizier corps (en: Non-commissioned officer(s)), is the collective name to all junior NCO-ranks in the modern day's Austrian "Bundesheer". It comprises the ranks of the assignment group M BUO 2 (professional NCO 2; de: Berufsunteroffizier 2) with the rank Oberwachtmeister (OR6), and M ZUO 2 (time serving NCO 2; de: Zeitunteroffizier 2) with the rank Wachtmeister (OR5).
Training and education of the "Unteroffizier corps" was reformed in 1995 and until 2000 finally introduced to the armed forces. First effected were professional NCOs of the assignment group M BUO 1 (Stabsunteroffiziere, staff NCO's), followed by the assignment group M BUO 2 (Unteroffiziere, NCO's). 
In the result of a positive entrance examination aspirants attended the NCO trainings course (new) on the (HUAk) in Enns. After positive HUAk-graduation regular assignments to a "Unteroffizier" might be squad leader (de: "Gruppenkommandant"), or service in a military staff or headquarters.