(
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
for 'recruit') is a military designation in German-speaking countries. It was also used historically in the 18th- and 19th-century
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
(see
Conscription in the Russian Empire). In
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, it characterizes newly recruited or sought personnel during an initial period of basic military training. However, in Austria, Switzerland, and some other countries, is the lowest rank of enlisted soldier, comparable to
NATO OR-1.
Etymology
was derived from the
French (to seek new soldiers), and (recruit). The noun entered the German language in the 17th century.
[Word and tradition in the German Army (de: Heer), by Transfeldt – v. Brand – Quenstedt, 6th increased edition, Hamburg 11 H.G. Schulz 1967, p. 9/§12, definition: ''Rekrut'']
Germany
In the German
Bundeswehr
The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...
, is the generic term for military personnel during basic training. In most cases it refers to the lowest rank of
enlisted men, e.g. a ''
Soldat'' of the
German Army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
, of the
German Air Force
The German Air Force (, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Ger ...
, or 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 ...
.
Austria
In the Austrian
Bundesheer, (known as , until 1998) is the lowest rank in the Heer and Luftwaffe. It belongs to the so-called rank group and is comparable to NATO OR-1.
During United Nations missions and in NATO's Partnership for Peace, the rank is designated in English as
Private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
and is equivalent to NATO OR-1b.
Military of Switzerland
In the
Swiss Armed Forces
The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...
, (abbreviated ) is the lowest rank in the Heer and Luftwaffe, comparable to NATO OR-1b. However, it is also the generic term for newly recruited military personnel during basic training.
References
* BROCKHAUS, The encyclopedia in 24 volumes (1796–2001), Volume 18: 3-7653-3678-5, page 231; definition «Rerkrut».
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rekrut
Military insignia
Military ranks of Austria
Military ranks of Germany
Military ranks of Switzerland