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''General'' () is the highest rank of the
German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwa ...
and
German Air Force The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War ...
. As a
four-star rank A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general, colonel general, army ge ...
it is the equivalent to the rank of
admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
in the
German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mar ...
. The rank is rated
OF-9 A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general, colonel general, army ge ...
in
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two Nor ...
. It is grade B8 in the pay rules of the Federal Ministry of Defence.


Rank insignia

On the shoulder straps (Heer, Luftwaffe) there are four golden pips (stars) in golden oak leaves. ;''
Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
'' sequence of ranks:


Early history

By the 16th century, with the rise of standing armies, the German states had begun to appoint generals from the nobility to lead armies in battle. A standard rank system was developed during the
Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, with the highest rank of ''General'' usually reserved for the ruling sovereign (e.g. the
Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for " emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly a ...
or Elector) and the actual field commander holding the rank of ''Generalleutnant''. ''Feldmarschall'' was a lower rank at that time, as was ''Generalwachtmeister''. By the 17th and 18th centuries, the rank of general was present in all the militaries of the German states, and saw its greatest usage by the militaries of
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
and
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was '' de facto'' dissolved by an ...
. It was these two militaries that created the concept of the “
general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military u ...
”, which was often manned entirely by members of the nobility. To be a general often implied membership in the noble class.


19th century

During the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, the ranks of German generals were established in four grades, beginning with ''Generalmajor'', followed by ''Generalleutnant'', ''General'' and ''
Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...
''. The standard uniforms and insignia, used for over a century, also developed during this period. The title of ''General'' (three stars) included the officer's branch of service, leading to the titles of ''General der Infanterie'' ("
general of the infantry General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Imper ...
"), ''General der Kavallerie'' ("general of the
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...
") and ''General der Artillerie'' ("
general of the artillery General of the Artillery is/was a general officer of artillery, and may be: *General of the Artillery (Germany) and Austria-Hungary *General of the Artillery (Imperial Russia) * General of the Artillery (Poland) *Feldzeugmeister (OF-8) of the Austri ...
"). In 1854, Prussia introduced the rank of ''
Generaloberst A ("colonel general") 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 ...
'' (supreme general, usually (mis)translated colonel-general) so that officers could be promoted further than ''General'' without becoming a ''Generalfeldmarschall'', as this rank was usually bestowed only for extraordinary achievements during wartime service. Later, another special grade known as ''Generaloberst im Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls'' (supreme general in the rank of a
field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
) was first used in Bavaria to denote supreme generals who were given the authority of field marshals without the actual rank. During the
German Empire The German Empire (), Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditar ...
, the insignia of German generals was established as a heavy golden shoulder board with up to four pips (stars) denoting seniority as a general. The rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' displayed a crossed set of marshal's batons on the shoulder board. German generals also began wearing golden ornaments (''Arabeske'') on their collars, in contrast to the collar bars (''Doppellitzen'') worn by elite units, or the plain colored collars of the rest of the German military forces. The grade of "supreme general in the rank of a field marshal" (''Generaloberst im Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls'') was introduced in the Prussian/Imperial army in 1871. It was bestowed on senior generals usually holding the appointment of an army inspector and therefore army commanders designate in the case of hostilities. The shoulder board rank was crossed batons with three pips. The rank of supreme general proper (with three pips only) was created in 1901. In the Prussian army, the rank of field marshal could be awarded only to active officers in wartime if they had won a battle or stormed a fortress. In times of peace, the rank was awarded as an honorary rank to friendly princes and as Charakter (honorary) to generals of merit when they retired — "general with the honorary rank of field marshal" (''General mit dem Charakter eines Generalfeldmarschall'') - which was cancelled in 1911. At the same time, the rank insignia for supreme general with the rank of field marshal was changed to four pips without batons.


World War II

The German rank of ''General'' saw its widest usage during World War II. Due to the massive expansion of the German armed forces ('' Wehrmacht''), a new “wave” of generals was promoted in the 1930s that would lead Germany into war.


''Generalfeldmarschall''

In 1936, Hitler revived the rank of field marshal.


''Generaloberst'' (Colonel general / Supreme general)

The rank of ''Generaloberst'' is usually translated as "
colonel general Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a r ...
", but perhaps better translation would be "supreme general". A ''Generaloberst'' was usually an
army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
commander.


General of the branch (Full general)

In WW2 the German
three-star rank An officer of three-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-8. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, three-star officers hold the ...
''
General of the branch A general of the branch, general of the branch of service or general of the ... (where instead of the ellipsis an appropriate name of the military branch is being put) is a three or four-star general officer rank in some armies. Several nations di ...
'' (de: ''General der Waffengattung'', or short ''General'') was formally linked to the branch of the army '' Heer'', or air force
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegera ...
, in which the officer served, and (nominally) commanded: in addition to the long established '' General der Kavallerie'', ''
General der Artillerie General der Artillerie ( en: General of the artillery) may mean: 1. A rank of three-star general, comparable to modern armed forces OF-8 grade, in the Imperial German Army and its contingency armies of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg. ...
'' and ''
General der Infanterie General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Imper ...
'', the Wehrmacht also had ''
General der Panzertruppe General der Panzertruppe () was a General of the branch OF8 rank of the German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a Lieutenant General, above Major General (Generalleutnant), commanding a Panzer corps. Rank and rank ...
n'' (armoured troops), ''
General der Gebirgstruppe General der Gebirgstruppe (Literally: General of the Mountain Troops) was a category of German Army three-star, a new example of the traditional German 'General der' rank introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1940, comparable to the NATO grade OF-8. ...
n'' (mountain troops), ''
General der Pioniere ''General der Pioniere'' (en: ''General of the engineers'') was a General of the branch rank of the German Army in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level (OF-8), equival ...
'' (engineers), ''
General der Fallschirmtruppe ''General der Fallschirmtruppe'' (en: ''General of the parachute corps'') was a General of the branch rank of the Deutsche Luftwaffe (en: German Air Force) in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer ...
n'' (parachute troops), ''
General der Flieger ''General der Flieger'' ( en, General of the aviators) was a General of the branch rank of the Luftwaffe (air force) in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level (OF-8), ...
'' (aviators), ''
General der Flakartillerie ''General der Flakartillerie'' (en: ''General of anti-aircraft artillery'') was a General of the branch rank of the Luftwaffe (en: German Air Force) in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank wa ...
'' (anti-aircraft), ''
General der Nachrichtentruppe General der Nachrichtentruppe (Literally: General of the Communications Troops) was a General of the branch OF8-rank of German Army, introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1940. The rank was equivalent to the long established '' General der Kavalleri ...
n'' (communications troops) and ''
General der Luftnachrichtentruppe ''General der Luftnachrichtentruppe'' (en: ''General of air force communications troops'') was a General of the branch rank of the Deutsche Luftwaffe (en: German Air Force) in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular ...
n'' (air communications troops). A ''General of the branch'' was usually a corps commander.


''Generalleutnant''

The German ''Generalleutnant'' was usually a senior
division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
commander.


''Generalmajor''

The German ''Generalmajor'' was usually a junior
division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
commander The staff corps of the ''Wehrmacht'', medical, veterinary, judicial and chaplain, used special designations for their general officers, with ''Generalarzt'', ''Generalveterinär'', ''Generalrichter'' and ''Feldbischof'' being the equivalent of ''Generalmajor''; ''Generalstabsarzt'', ''Generalstabsveterinär'' and ''Generalstabsrichter'' the equivalent of ''Generalleutnant''; and (the unique) ''Generaloberstabsarzt'', ''Generaloberstabsveterinär'' and ''Generaloberstabsrichter'' the equivalent of ''General''. With the formation of the
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegera ...
, air force generals began to use the same general ranks as the German army. The shoulder insignia was identical to that used by the army, with the addition of special collar patches worn by Luftwaffe general officers. The supreme rank of ''
Reichsmarschall (german: Reichsmarschall des Großdeutschen Reiches; ) was a rank and the highest military office in the ''Wehrmacht'' specially created for Hermann Göring during World War II. It was senior to the rank of , which was previously the highes ...
'' (Reich Marshal) was created in 1940 for
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
.


Waffen-SS

In 1941, the ''
Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands. The grew from th ...
'' began using general ranks in addition to standard SS ranks. An '' Oberst-Gruppenführer'' of the ''Waffen-SS'', for example, would be titled ''Oberst-Gruppenführer und Generaloberst der Waffen-SS''. The ''
Ordnungspolizei The ''Ordnungspolizei'' (), abbreviated ''Orpo'', meaning "Order Police", were the uniformed police force in Nazi Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo organisation was absorbed into the Nazi monopoly on power after regional police jurisdiction ...
'' (Orpo) also used similar
police ranks Police ranks are a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships in police organizations. The rank system defines authority and responsibility in a police organization, and affects the culture within the police force. Police ranks, dependent on ...
. The ''Waffen-SS'' had no field marshals, but the rank of ''
Reichsführer-SS (, ) was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the (SS). ''Reichsführer-SS'' was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest rank of the SS. The longest-servi ...
'' held by
Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
was considered to be the equivalent of a field marshal (''Generalfeldmarschall'') during the war years. The senior colonel rank of ''SS-
Oberführer __NOTOC__ ''Oberführer'' (short: ''Oberf'', , ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) dating back to 1921. An ''Oberführer'' was typically a NSDAP member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographic ...
'' has sometimes been considered to be a brigadier general equivalent; however, this is incorrect. The rank (in particular among the ''Waffen-SS'') was not considered equivalent to a general officer, was not entitled to the grey
lampasse Lampasse(s) () are ''trouser stripes'' adorning the dress uniforms of many armed forces, police, fire and other public uniformed services. In German speaking countries as general staff–qualified officers, their uniform featured these distincti ...
s and lapel facings of a general, and wore the shoulderboards of an army full-colonel or ''Oberst''.Miller, Michael (2006). ''Leaders of the SS and German Police, Vol. 1'', R. James Bender Publishing, p. 521.


Modern usage

After World War II, the
West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...
''
Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
'' and the
East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
''
Nationale Volksarmee The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...
'' adopted the rank systems of their respective military blocs. In the ''Bundeswehr'', the rank of ''Brigadegeneral'' was inserted below the rank of ''Generalmajor''. While the rank titles of ''Generalmajor'', ''Generalleutnant'' and ''General'' were retained, each of those titles now denotes a higher rank than before (e.g. the ''Generalleutnant'' is now a three-star general). Prior to the
reunification of Germany German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
, general officer rank designations in the
German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...
were based on the Soviet model. ''Generalmajor'' was still the lowest general officer grade, followed by ''Generalleutnant'', ''Generaloberst'' (now three stars instead of four) and '' Armeegeneral''. In 1982, the GDR government established the rank of '' Marschall der DDR'', although no one was ever promoted to this rank.


See also

*
Comparative military ranks of World War I The following table shows comparative officer ranks of several Allied and Central powers during World War I. Table } , colspan=1, ) , colspan=2, , colspan=2, ) , colspan=2, , - style="text-align:center;" , rowspan=2, , colspan=2, ...
*
Comparative military ranks of World War II The following table show comparative officer ranks of World War II, with the ranks of Allied powers, the major Axis powers and various other countries and co-belligerents during World War II. Table The rank insignia of commissioned officers. Se ...


Notes and references

{{German military ranks Military ranks of Germany de:General