was the highest senior officer rank () in the German ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

'', comparable to commodore in anglophone naval forces. There was no counterpart in the German '' Heer'' and''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

'', but ''Kommodore'' would have been comparable to '' Oberführer'' in the ''

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

''.

History

''Kommodore ''originated as a title used by some '' Kapitän zur See'' and ''

Korvettenkapitän (; ) is the lowest ranking Field officer, senior officer in the German navy. Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer military rank, rank () in the German Navy. Address The official manner, in li ...

'' of the Prussian Navy and the '' Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) during the 19th and early 20th centuries. A German ''Kommodore'' could hold any naval rank between

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and captain and the title of ''Kommodore'' was held by those officers who held tactical control over more than one vessel. This was most common with

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

commanders in charge of several

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s that were assigned to a single task force. In the 19th century, German officers of this rank were referred to as fleet captains (''Flottenkapitän''). By World War II, ''Kommodore'' had at last become an actual - though rarely used - rank in the ''

''. The position was considered that of a senior captain, with insignia being the shoulder boards of a '' Kapitän zur See'' with one thick admiral's rank stripe (52 mm) on the sleeve. German commodores also were permitted to wear greatcoat lapels and visor insignia of an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many 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. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

but were not officially members of the German admiralty. Probably the most prominent holder of this rank was Karl Dönitz, who became ''Kommodore'' and ''Führer der Unterseeboote'' (commander of submarines) on 28 January 1939; however, he held the rank for just over eight months until 1 October 1939, when he was promoted to '' Konteradmiral''. The World War II rank of ''Kommodore'' existed in a grey zone of seniority, since neither of the other two branches of the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'' ('' Heer'' and ''

'') had equivalent ranks; thus, it was very similar to the '' S.S.'' rank of '' Oberführer''. After the fall of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, and the rebuilding of the

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...

, ''Kommodore'' fell into disuse as a rank, effectively being replaced by the '' Flottillenadmiral'' which is the lowest flag rank. It reappeared as a title in the 1950s. In the modern age, a German commodore is a senior captain who holds the rank of captain but holds such positions as a naval squadron commander.

''Kriegsmarine'' rank insignia

The rank insignia consisted of shoulder strap and sleeve lace. Shoulder straps, corresponding to those of ''Kapitän zur See'', had to be worn on uniform jackets and consisted of twisted silver braids with two gold pips (stars) on padding in navy blue '' Waffenfarbe''. Cuff insignia consisted of one five-pointed star above a big gold lace. The sleeve rings encircled the lower cuffs. The sequence of ranks in decreasing order of seniority was: *'' Konteradmiral''/ '' Generalmajor'' *''Kommodore'' / no ''Heer'' or ''Luftwaffe'' equivalent *'' Kapitän zur See'' / '' Oberst''

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kommodore Naval ranks of Germany