For obvious reasons, “Führer” has become a less appreciated title after 1945. Nevertheless, it is still present in some words, especially in the Road Traffic Order that was written before 1933 and used “Fahrzeugführer” for “vehicle leader/operator/driver”, hence “Führerschein” for “driver’s certificate/licence”. There’s also the “Führernatur” or natural leader, but in most contexts, you’d use “Leiter”, as in “Marktleiter” for a supermarket boss or “Abteilungsleiter” for a department head. The leader of a group or gang would be their “Anführer”.
In most cases, however, nowadays one would speak of one’s “Chef” (with the culinary version being the “Chefkoch”!) or “Vorgesetzter”, superior, colloquially also “Boss”.
(For completeness’ sake: “Bürgermeister” is and always was “mayor”, also in Nazi times.)
Peter
1 Like
“Chef” was also used during the Third Reich, as a sort of affectionate but respectful term for leaders and officers, a bit like “Boss” in the modern British Army. The company commander was frequently referred to as “Chef”, both by his soldiers, but also in official documents (e.g. listings of decorations; a recipient would be referred to as say, “Chef, 1/SSPR9”). There was also the position of “Regimental Chef”, an honorary title, like a royal colonel, or “Colonel in Chief” in the British Army. The best known example being von Rundstedt, who was “Regimental Chef” of IR18. He usually wore the full dress collar patches appropriate to a full colonel, rather than his unique Generalfeldmarshall collar patches, but with the crossed batons and gold braided shoulders straps of his true rank, with the “18” of the regiment of which he was “Chef”.
1 Like