(abbreviated OStGefr, on lists OSG; "Senior Staff

Gefreiter Gefreiter (, abbr. Gefr.; plural ''Gefreite'') is a German, Swiss and Austrian military rank that has existed since the 16th century. It is usually the second rank or grade to which an enlisted soldier, airman or sailor could be promoted.Duden; D ...

") was the highest

enlisted rank An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States m ...

in the German

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 ...

before the new ranks Korporal and

Stabskorporal ''Stabskorporal'' () will be the highest enlisted rank in the German Bundeswehr, that might be comparable to (senior) corporal (OR-4) in Anglophone armed forces. However, as distinguished from the corporal in Anglophone armed forces, the ''Stab ...

were introduced in October 2021. The rank can be comparable to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

in Anglophone armed forces.Official Website (Bundeswehr): Dienstgrade und Uniformen der Bundeswehr
(Service Ranks and Uniforms of the German Federal Defence Forces)

History

The rank was first introduced by the Kriegsmarine in 1940 and was named Matrosenoberstabsgefreiter ("Seaman Senior Staff ''Gefreiter''"). In Heer and Luftwaffe, the rank did not exist.

Bundeswehr

A private of the German Bundeswehr might be promoted to that OR4-rank after a regular service time of 48 months.Soldatenlaufbahnordnung (soldier´s career order) of the Bundsewehr, § 9.1 service time.

External links

Rank-insignia learning at simsso.de

Uniformen

References

Military ranks of Germany {{germany-mil-stub