Colonel General

Colonel General is a senior military rank which is used in some of the world?s militaries. North Korea and Russia are two nations which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories. The rank is also closely associated with Germany, as Colonel General was originally created as a German rank between a full General and a Generalfeldmarschall.

Germany

A Colonel General (Generaloberst) was the second highest General Officer rank — below Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) — in the Prussian Army and later in the Army of Imperial Germany (1871–1918), the Reichswehr (1918–1935), and the Wehrmacht (1935–1945).

Related Topics:
Prussia - Imperial Germany - Reichswehr - Wehrmacht

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In cases where a Colonel General was acting in the capacity of a Field Marshal, the rank was referred to as Generaloberst mit dem Rang eines Generalfeldmarschalls. Such persons were entitled to wear four pips on their shoulder boards, compared to the normal three.

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The equivalent of a Colonel-General in the Kriegsmarine was a General Admiral (Generaladmiral). The equivalent Schutzstaffel (SS) rank was Oberstgruppenführer.

Related Topics:
Kriegsmarine - General Admiral - Schutzstaffel - Oberstgruppenführer

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East Germany's National People's Army retained this rank as its second highest, behind Armeegeneral. The Bundeswehr (first in West Germany and since 1990 in a unified Germany) does not use the rank. Since the German Army had no Brigadier Generals, the rank of Generaloberst is often considered to equate to a full General in the British or United States Armies.

Related Topics:
East Germany - National People's Army - Armeegeneral - Bundeswehr - West Germany - Brigadier General

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