Oberleutnant
German Army/Air Force rank Oberstleutnant (OF4), equivalent to lieutenant colonel. | |||
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| Rank insignia | German officer rank | ||
| Introduction | 1871 | ||
| Rank group | Commissioned officers | ||
| Army / Air Force | Oberleutnant | ||
| Navy | Oberleutnant zur See | ||
| NATO equivalent | OF-1a | ||
| Army | First lieutenant | ||
| Navy | *Lieutenant (junior grade) *Sub-Lieutenant | ||
Oberleutnant (OF-1a) is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and Military of Switzerland.
History
In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "senior lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty service.
Oberleutnant is used by both the German Army and the German Air Force. In the NATO military comparison system, a German Oberleutnant is the equivalent of a First lieutenant or Poruchik in the Army/Air Forces of Allied nations.
- Other uses
The equivalent naval rank is Oberleutnant zur See.
In Nazi Germany, within the SS, SA and Waffen-SS, the rank of Obersturmführer was considered the equivalent of an Oberleutnant in the German Army.[1][2]
| junior Rank Leutnant |
 
(German officer rank) |
senior Rank Hauptmann |
| Rank insignias Oberleutnant/Oberleutnant zur See (OF-1a) | |||||||||
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| Service uniform (basic form) (Armored corps) |
Field uniform (Armored infantry) |
San OA | Service uniform (basic form) |
Field uniform | San OA | Shoulder strap | Sleeve insignia | Mountain loop | San OA |
See also
- Comparative military ranks of World War I
- Comparative military ranks of World War II
- Ranks of the German Bundeswehr
- Rank insignia of the German Bundeswehr
- Yliluutnantti
Notes
- ↑ Flaherty 2004, p. 148.
- ↑ McNab 2009, p. 15.