() is a senior

field officer A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...

rank in several

German 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 **Ge ...

-speaking and

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

n countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

s of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Switzerland,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. The

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

rank is a direct translation, as is the

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

rank .

Austria

Austria's armed forces, the ''Bundesheer'', uses the rank Oberstleutnant as its sixth-highest officer rank. Like in Germany and Switzerland, Oberstleutnants are above Majors and below Obersts. The term also finds usage with the Austrian Bundespolizei (federal police force) and

Justizwache The Justizwache ( en, Judicial Guard, literally ''Justice Watch'') is the prison guards corps of Austria. The corps is a department of the Ministry of Justice. Their tasks are the safeguarding of penitentiaries, the safeguarding of inmates, and th ...

(prison guards corps). These two organizations are civilian in nature, but their ranks are nonetheless structured in a military fashion.

Belgium

File:Army-BEL-OF-04.svg, nl-BE, Luitenant-kolonel
german: Oberstleutnant

Denmark

The Danish rank of is based around the German term. Ranked OF-4 within NATO and having the paygrade of M401, it is used in the

Royal Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures ...

and the

Royal Danish Air Force The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...

. Denmark-Army-OF-4-M11.svg, Army RDAF Lt Col.svg, Air Force

Germany

Typically, suffixes can be applied to the word Oberstleutnant to specify the individual type of officer. Retired officers that are not incapacitated (i.e. theoretically available for reactivation) from service continue to use their title with the suffix ''a.D.'' (Germany) or ''aD'' (Switzerland), an abbreviation of ''außer Dienst'', 'out of service'. Suffixes that specify military specialization in active service include ''Oberstleutnant i.G.'' ('im Generalstabsdienst') for general staff officers or ''Oberstleutnant d.R.'' ('der Reserve') for reservists. The suffix ''i.R.'' ('im Ruhestand'), implying retirement without the legal specification of a.D., is unofficial.

Bundeswehr

The armed forces of

West Germany 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 O ...

and unified

since 1955, the ''Bundeswehr'' uses the Oberstleutnant rank in the German Army and German Air Force. Equivalents in the other branches are ''Fregattenkapitän'' for 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 Mari ...

, ''Oberfeldarzt'' for medical staff, ''Flottillenarzt'' for naval medical staff, ''Oberfeldapotheker'' for apothecary staff, ''Flottillenapotheker'' for naval apothecary staff, and ''Oberfeldveterinär'' for veterinary medical staff. Within the German state employee paygrade system, the Oberstleutnant is placed within ''Besoldungsgruppe A'' and receives either the A14 or A15 paygrades, depending on individual seniority. Thus, the Oberstleutnant is paid an equivalent wage to that of first-class consuls and legates in the foreign service (A14) or state-employed school directors, ambassadors and general consuls (A15). The age limit for Oberstleutnant-rank officers is 61. The Oberstleutnant's shoulder straps in Army and Air Force are marked by two vertically aligned stars above oak leaves.

Bundesgrenzschutz

The Bundesgrenzschutz police force used the rank Oberstleutnant until 1976, and was subsequently replaced by the terms ''Polizeioberrat'' and ''Polizeidirektor'' during the government's effort to differentiate between West Germany's police and armed forces.

Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS

The

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

(1935-1945) of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

used the rank of Oberstleutnant for Army and Air Force, much in the same style the Bundeswehr does. 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 Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

(1933-1945) used the rank ''

Obersturmbannführer __NOTOC__ ''Obersturmbannführer'' (Senior Assault-unit Leader; ; short: ''Ostubaf'') was a paramilitary rank in the German Nazi Party (NSDAP) which was used by the SA ('' Sturmabteilung'') and the SS (''Schutzstaffel''). The rank of ''Oberstu ...

'' as an equivalent.

Nationale Volksarmee (NVA)

The

National People's Army 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) a ...

(1956-1990) of

East Germany 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 ...

used the rank Oberstleutnant (abbr. OSL) for its army and air force, whereas the

Volksmarine The ''Volksmarine'' (VM, ; en, People's Navy) was the naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The ''Volksmarine'' was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a coasta ...

used the term ''Fregattenkapitän''.

Norway

The rank of was introduced around the same time as

, as Norway at the time was part of Denmark–Norway. Norway-army-OF-4.svg, Army Norway-air force-OF-4.svg, Air Force

Sweden

The Swedish variant , is a senior

field grade A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...

military

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

in the Swedish Army and the Swedish Air Force, immediately below the rank of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and just above the rank of Major. It is equivalent to the naval rank of Commodore captain in the Swedish Navy. Sweden-Army-OF-4 (M1987).svg, Army OF-4 Överstelöjtnant AMF hylsa.jpg, Amphibious Corps OF-4 Överstelöjtnant FV hylsa.svg, Air Force

Switzerland

CHE OF4 Oberstlt2.svg, Army

Swiss Guard

Rank insignia of Oberstleutnant (OF-4) Pontifical Swiss Guard.svg, Army

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * Military ranks of Germany {{mil-rank-stub de:Oberstleutnant