Generaloberst


A Generaloberst was the second-highest general officer rank in the German Reichswehr and Wehrmacht, the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank was equal to a four-star full general but below a Generalfeldmarschall. The rank was equivalent to a Generaladmiral in the Kriegsmarine until 1945 or to a Flottenadmiral in the Volksmarine until 1990. It was the highest ordinary military rank and the highest military rank awarded in peacetime; the higher rank of general field marshal was awarded only in wartime by the head of state. In general, a Generaloberst had the same privileges as a general field marshal.
A literal translation of Generaloberst would be "uppermost general", but it is often translated as "colonel-general" by analogy to Oberst, "colonel", such as in countries in which the rank was adopted like Russia. "Oberst" derives from the superlative form of Germanic ober, cognate to English over and so "superior general" might be a more idiomatic rendering.
The rank was created in 1854, originally for then-Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, future King of Prussia and later German Emperor, because members of the royal family were traditionally not promoted to the rank of field marshal and it was limited to wartime.
In the 19th century, the rank was largely honorary and usually held only by members of the princely families or the Governor of Berlin. The regular promotion of professional officers to the grade did not begin until 1911.
Since the rank of Generalfeldmarschall was reserved for wartime promotions, the additional distinction of a "Colonel general with the rank of field marshal" was created. Such generals were entitled to wear three pips and a marshal's crossed batons on their shoulder boards, compared to the three pips of a Colonel General; however, this was changed to four pips in 1911.
Generaloberst was the second-highest general officer rank, below field marshal, in the Prussian Army as well as in the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany and the East German Nationale Volksarmee. As military ranks were often used for other uniformed services, the rank was also used by the Waffen-SS and the Ordnungspolizei of Nazi Germany and the Volkspolizei and Stasi of East Germany. In East Germany, the rank was junior to the general of the army, as well as to the briefly-extant and never-awarded rank of Marschall der DDR.

Austro-Hungarian Army

In 1915 the Generaloberst – Vezérezredes rank was introduced to the Austro-Hungarian Common Army. It was the second highest behind the Feldmarschall – Tábornagy rank.
;See also:
  1. Erzherzog Joseph Ferdinand von Österreich-Toskana
  2. Friedrich Graf von Beck-Rzikowsky
  3. Eduard Graf Paar
  4. Arthur Freiherr von Bolfras
  5. Friedrich Freiherr von Georgi
  6. Karl Freiherr von Pflanzer-Baltin
  7. Viktor Graf Dankl von Krasnik
  8. Karl Tersztyánszky von Nádas
  9. Adolf von Rhemen
  10. Paul Freiherr Puhallo von Brlog
  11. Erzherzog Leopold Salvator von Österreich-Toskana
  12. Karl Graf von Kirchbach auf Lauterbach
  13. Karl Georg Graf Huyn
  14. Hermann Kusmanek von Burgneustädten
  15. Karl Křitek
  16. Wenzel Freiherr von Wurm
  17. Samuel Freiherr von Hazai
  18. Leopold Freiherr von Hauer
  19. Viktor Graf von Scheuchenstuel
  20. Stephan Freiherr Sarkotić von Lovčen
  21. Josef Freiherr Roth von Limanowa-Łapanów
  22. Arthur Freiherr Arz von Straußenburg
  23. Hugo Martiny von Malastów
  24. Rudolf Freiherr Stöger-Steiner von Steinstätten
  25. Alois Fürst Schönburg-Hartenstein

German Empire

Rank insignia of the German Empire 1871 until 1918, here Shoulder board of the German Imperial Army: twisted of silver- and golden-braids with three stars to "Colonel general".

[Bavarian Army]

[Prussian Army]

[Royal Saxon Army]

[Army of Württemberg]

Weimar Republic

Reichswehr

Nazi Germany

Wehrmacht

The equivalent ranks of a colonel general were in the:Kriegsmarine – GeneraladmiralWaffen-SS – SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer und Generaloberst der Waffen-SSSchutzstaffel – Oberst-GruppenführerSturmabteilung – No equivalentOrdnungspolizei – ''Generaloberst der Polizei''

Heer

  1. August 31, 1933 – Werner von Blomberg
  2. January 1, 1934 – Kurt Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord
  3. April 20, 1936 – Werner Freiherr von Fritsch
  4. February 1, 1938 – Walther von Brauchitsch
  5. March 1, 1938 – Gerd von Rundstedt
  6. March 1, 1938 – Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
  7. March 1, 1938 – Fedor von Bock
  8. November 1, 1938 – Ludwig Beck
  9. November 1, 1938 – Wilhelm Keitel
  10. January 1, 1939 – Wilhelm Adam (general)
  11. April 1, 1939 – Wilhelm List
  12. October 1, 1939 – Günther von Kluge
  13. October 1, 1939 – Johannes Blaskowitz
  14. October 1, 1939 – Walter von Reichenau
  15. November 1, 1939 – Erwin von Witzleben
  16. July 19, 1940 – Franz Halder
  17. July 19, 1940 – Friedrich Dollmann
  18. July 19, 1940 – Ewald von Kleist
  19. July 19, 1940 – Maximilian von Weichs
  20. July 19, 1940 – Georg von Küchler
  21. July 19, 1940 – Eugen Ritter von Schobert
  22. July 19, 1940 – Erich Hoepner
  23. July 19, 1940 – Heinz Guderian
  24. July 19, 1940 – Hermann Hoth
  25. July 19, 1940 – Adolf Strauß
  26. July 19, 1940 – Ernst Busch
  27. July 19, 1940 – Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
  28. July 19, 1940 – Curt Haase
  29. July 19, 1940 – Friedrich Fromm
  30. January 1, 1942 – Rudolf Schmidt
  31. February 1, 1942 – Erwin Rommel
  32. February 1, 1942 – Walter Model
  33. March 7, 1942 – Erich von Manstein
  34. March 16, 1942 – Georg-Hans Reinhardt
  35. June 1, 1942 – Richard Ruoff
  36. June 1, 1942 – Eduard Dietl
  37. November 30, 1942 – Friedrich Paulus
  38. December 3, 1942 – Hans-Jürgen von Arnim
  39. January 1, 1943 – Hans von Salmuth
  40. January 30, 1943 – Gotthard Heinrici
  41. January 30, 1943 – Walter Heitz
  42. July 6, 1943 – Eberhard von Mackensen
  43. September 1, 1943 – Heinrich von Vietinghoff
  44. September 1, 1943 – Karl-Adolf Hollidt
  45. February 1, 1944 – Alfred Jodl
  46. February 1, 1944 – Erwin Jaenecke
  47. February 1, 1944 – Walter Weiß
  48. February 1, 1944 – Kurt Zeitzler
  49. March 1, 1944 – Ferdinand Schörner
  50. April 1, 1944 – Lothar Rendulic
  51. April 1, 1944 – Hans-Valentin Hube
  52. April 20, 1944 – Josef Harpe
  53. July 1, 1944 – Johannes Frießner
  54. September 20, 1944 – Erhard Raus
  55. May 1, 1945 – Carl Hilpert

Luftwaffe

  1. April 20, 1936 – Hermann Göring
  2. November 1, 1938 – Erhard Milch
  3. July 19, 1940 – Ulrich Grauert
  4. July 19, 1940 – Hans-Jürgen Stumpff
  5. July 19, 1940 – Ernst Udet
  6. July 19, 1940 – Hubert Weise
  7. July 19, 1940 – Alfred Keller
  8. May 3, 1941 – Alexander Löhr
  9. February 1, 1942 – Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
  10. April 1, 1942 – Hans Jeschonnek
  11. November 1, 1942 – Günther Rüdel
  12. February 16, 1943 – Bruno Loerzer
  13. February 16, 1943 – Robert Ritter von Greim
  14. March 1, 1944 – Otto Deßloch
  15. July 13, 1944 – Kurt Student
  16. July 22, 1944 – Günther Korten

Waffen-SS

SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer and Generaloberst of the Waffen-SS:

German Police

SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer and Generaloberst of the Police:

German Democratic Republic (East Germany)

National People's Army

In the Land Forces and Air Forces of the National People's Army, as well as the Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic Generaloberst was in line to Soviet military doctrine third general officer rank in that particular general's rank group. Pertaining to the NATO-Rangcode it might have been comparable to the three-star rank.
The equivalent to the Generaloberst was Admiral of the Volksmarine .
;See also:
  1. March 1, 1966 Kurt Wagner
  2. March 1, 1972 Herbert Scheibe
  3. March 1, 1976 Horst Stechbarth
  4. October 7, 1977 Werner Fleißner
  5. July 14, 1979 Erich Peter
  6. October 7, 1979 Wolfgang Reinhold
  7. October 7, 1979 Fritz Streletz
  8. March 1, 1986 Joachim Goldbach
  9. March 1, 1987 Horst Brünner
  10. October 7, 1988 Klaus-Dieter Baumgarten
  11. October 7, 1989 Fritz Peter

Ministry of State Security">Stasi">Ministry of State Security

  1. February 1980 Bruno Beater
  2. May 1986 Markus Wolf
  3. February 1987 Rudi Mittig
  4. 1989 Werner Großmann

Deutsche Volkspolizei (DVP)

  1. 1962 Karl Maron
  2. 1987 Karl-Heinz Wagner