Gefreiter (, abbr. Gefr.; plural ''Gefreite'') is a

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 **Ger ...

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

and

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 ...

military rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...

that has existed since the 16th century. It is usually the second rank or grade to which an

enlisted Enlisted may refer to: * 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 ...

soldier, airman or sailor could be promoted. Duden; Definition of Gefreiter, in German

/ref>Official Website (Bundeswehr): Dienstgrade und Uniformen der Bundeswehr (Service Ranks and Uniforms of the German Federal Defence Forces), in German

/ref> Within the combined Ranks and insignia of NATO, NATO rank scale, the modern-day rank of ''Gefreiter'' is usually equivalent to the NATO-standard rank scale OR-2. The word has also been lent into the Russian language (''russian: yefreytor/ефрейтор''), and is in use in several Russian and post-Soviet militaries.

History

Historically the military rank of ''Gefreiter'' (female and plural form: ''Gefreite'') emerged in 16th-century Europe for the German '' Landsknechte'' foot soldiers, Duden; Origin and meaning of "Landsknecht", in German

/ref> predominantly made up of German and Swiss

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

men and supporting

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

foot soldiers."Gefreiter" - Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste, Erste Section, A-G, (Universal Encyclopaedia of the Sciences and Arts, First Section, A-G), Author: Johann Samuel Ersch and Johann Gottfried Gruber, Publisher: F. A. Brockhaus, Leipzig, 1852, Page 471-472, in German

/ref>Corpus Juris Militaris Des Heiliges Römisches Reich (Military Law of the Holy Roman Empire), Volume 2, Author: Johann Christian Lünig, Leipzig, 1723, in German.The Landsknechts, Author: Douglas Miller, Publisher: Osprey Publishing, Great Britain, 1976, .Landsknecht Soldier 1486-1560, Author: John Richards, Publisher: Osprey Publishing, Great Britain, 2002, . Those soldiers who proved especially reliable and experienced were appointed to ''gefreyten Knechten'' (exempted/freed Servants/Soldiers; a cognate to '

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

') and were installed in critical

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

field positions; along with their extra rank privileges they were exempted in general from sentry duties. From the 18th century, ''Gefreite'' were the first line members of a military company, and every ''Gefreiter'' led and commanded a section or

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...

of ''Gemeine'' Duden; Origin and meaning of "Gemeine", in German

/ref> (ordinary-rank soldiers). The rank existed in the

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

, pioneers, and

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

where the ''Gefreiter'' rank received a greater rank-class status. ''Gefreiter'' was the only

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 ...

until 1918 within the Royal

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

and respectively the imperial army of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

to which an exceptional enlisted soldier could be promoted on the recommendation of the '' Hauptmann'' (

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

) or '' Rittmeister'' (Cavalry-Master otherwise Captain) and ultimately endorsed by the ''Regiments-Commandeur'' (Regimental

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 of ...

), with exception of the rank '' Obergefreiter'' (since 1859) in the

foot artillery The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...

which later replaced the artillery ''Bombardier'' (Corporal) rank. The ''Gefreiter'' rank was also considered a transition rank for promotion to and wherefrom replacements were selected to the ''Unteroffizier'' (Corporal) Duden; Origin and meaning of "Korporal", in German

/ref> rank. Within the Royal Prussian Army and respectively the imperial army of the German Empire, the rank ''Gefreiter'' was a deputy to the ''Unteroffizier'' (Corporal), and were distinguished by the wearing of a ''Auszeichnungsknopf'' (''rank'' Distinction-button) known as the ''Gefreitenknopf'' (Gefreiter-button) on each side of their uniform collar, similar to the slightly larger rank collar side-buttons worn by both the ''Sergeant'' and ''Feldwebel'' ranks. In the Royal Prussian Army until its reorganization after 1806, there existed along with ''Gefreiter'' the rank of ''Gefreite-Korporale'' who wore a silver ''Portepee'' (sword lanyard). These were officer cadets specifically selected for higher advancement, they stood equal with their officer cadet counterpart the ''Portepee- Ensign (rank), Fähnriche''. The ''Gefreite-Korporale'' was a rank that also existed along with ''Gefreiter'' in the Austrian Army during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. From the 1920s the German rank of ''Gefreiter'' has expanded into several additional ranks and duties, those being ''Obergefreiter'' (Senior Lance Corporal otherwise Second Corporal in the Prussian Army since 1859); ''Hauptgefreiter'' (Leading Lance Corporal in the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

during 1935–1944, the

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

during 1938–1945, and the

Heer Heer may refer to: People * Jeet Heer, Canadian author and journalist * Jeffrey Heer (born 1979), American computer scientist and entrepreneur * Kamal Heer (born 1973), Punjabi singer and musician * Oswald Heer (1809–1883), Swiss botanist and ...

from 1955); ''Stabsgefreiter'' (Staff Lance Corporal in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

since 1927, the Kriegsmarine until 1945, the Luftwaffe from 1944 temporarily replacing ''Hauptgefreiter'' rank); and ''Oberstabsgefreiter'' (Senior Staff Lance Corporal in the Kriegsmarine since 1940, not in the Heer or Luftwaffe until 1996). All ''Gefreiter'' ranks are now in use with the German army, air force, and navy. The female form, ''Gefreite'', is not used by the military; the formal address is "''Frau Gefreiter''".

Germany

Bundeswehr

''Gefreiter'' (abbr. ''Gefr.'' or ''G.'') is the second

grade within the modern-day Army (''Heer''), Air Force (''Luftwaffe'') and Navy (''Marine'') of the

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 ...

. Following the NATO ranking system, Gefreiter equates to OR-2 on the NATO-standard rank scale, the rank is thus equivalent to either private, private first class, vice corporal or corporal rank depending on the chosen NATO-allied force used for the comparison. It is grade A4 in the pay scale of the Federal Ministry of Defence. The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in this particular group is as follows: *OR-4a: ''

Oberstabsgefreiter (abbreviated OStGefr, on lists OSG; "Senior Staff Gefreiter") was the highest enlisted rank in the German Bundeswehr before the new ranks Korporal and Stabskorporal were introduced in October 2021. The rank can be comparable to corporal Cor ...

'' *OR-4b: '' Stabsgefreiter'' *OR-3a: ''

Hauptgefreiter 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 ...

'' *OR-3b: '' Obergefreiter'' *OR-2: Gefreiter *OR-1: '' Soldat/Schütze'' (Army), ''Flieger'' (Air Force), '' Matrose'' (Navy) In line with Bundeswehr rank advancement conditions, enlisted personnel OR-1 may be promoted to OR-2 level after passing primary recruit training (usually after three months) to the rank of ''Gefreiter''.

''Wehrmacht''

Throughout the periods of the Royal Prussian Army, Imperial Army of the German Empire, ''

'' and the German ''

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 previous ...

'', the rank of ''Gefreiter'' was considered the equivalent to a junior Lance Corporal rank, with ''Obergefreiter'' as senior lance corporal or rather second corporal in the artillery, and a full corporal rank known as ''Unteroffizier'' (subordinate

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

) which replaced the ''Korporal'' rank from 1856. Within the army branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'', a rank of ''

Oberschütze Oberschütze (, ) was a German military rank first used in the Bavarian Army of the late 19th century. Usage The rank and its equivalents (''Oberkanonier, Oberpionier'' etc.) was in generally introduced into the German ''Reichswehr'' from ci ...

'' (senior rifleman) once existed between the ranks of ''Gefreiter'' and '' Schütze/Soldat'' (" nlistedordinary-rank rifleman/soldier"). A Gefreiter was considered an "exempted man", who was not normally assigned more menial duties, such as guard detail. A soldier promoted to Gefreiter was seen as showing some promise of leadership capability, while those who did not were promoted to Oberschütze.

Bohemian corporal

The best-known holder of the rank of ''Gefreiter'' was

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, who held the rank in the Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment 16 of the Royal Bavarian Army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. ''Bohemian corporal'' was a derogatory term used (privately) in World War II for

by German generals (many of whom were Prussian aristocrats: ''

von The term ''von'' () is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means ''of'' or ''from''. Nobility directories like the ''Almanach de Go ...

'') dissatisfied with Hitler's military leadership and detailed control, e.g. Gerd von Rundstedt, Erich von Manstein and

Friedrich Paulus Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German field marshal during World War II who is best known for commanding the 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 to February 1943). The battle ended ...

. Von Rundstedt said often during and after the war: ''Without Hitler’s consent, I can’t even move my own sentry from my front door around to the back!'' Wilhelm Keitel once said to Hitler ''Do you realise that Rundstedt called you a Bohemian corporal''; Hitler replied ''Yes, but he’s the best field marshal I have''. Von Rundstedt used the term ''Dieser böhmische Gefreiter'' which he got in the 1930s from World War I hero,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (; abbreviated ; 2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German field marshal and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later became President of Germany fro ...

. Hindenburg (he and Hitler took an instant dislike to each other on first meeting) mistook Hitler's home town of Braunau in Austria ( Braunau am Inn) for another town of the same name (

Broumov Broumov (; german: Braunau) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monu ...

; "Braunau" in German) in Bohemia; initially he said that ''Austrian corporal'' but later used ''Bohemian corporal''; a pejorative term as he regarded Bohemians as ''essentially gypsies'' unlike the more cultured Prussians or even Austrians.

Switzerland

Austria

''Gefreiter'' (abbr. Gfr) is a

of the Austrian Bundesheer. It might be comparable to enlisted men OR2/ private 1st Class ranks in Anglophone armed forces. However, in the Bundesheer it belongs to the so-called

charges Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

rank group (OR2 to OR4).

Austro-Hungarian Army

In the k.u.k. Austro-Hungarian Army (1867–1918) ''Gefreiter'' ( hu, Őrvezetö) was corresponding to

Patrouilleführer ''Patrouilleführer'' (en: patrol leader) was a military rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military ...

, and Vormeister. It was used by the k.u.k. Kaiserjäger as well as the Feldjäger, Standschützen troops, k.u.k. Cavalry, Medical corps, and Infantry. Then rank insignia was a single white celluloid-star on the stand-up collar of the so-called ''Waffenrock'' (en: Tunic) on gorget patch (de: Paroli). Stand-up collar and background of the gorget patch showed a particular egalisation colour. ; Rank insignia: ;Gefreiter in adjustation of the infantry Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 7.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 25.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 33.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 37.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 41.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 50.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 62.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 69.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 77.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 87.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 92.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 99.png, Gefreiter im k.u.k. InfRgt 101.png, ; See also:

Russia

''Yefreytor'' (russian: Ефрейтор) is a

loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...

in Russian and denotes a similar rank in the

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...

. In Russia, the rank of ''yefreytor'' was introduced by

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...

in 1716 to the infantry, cavalry and engineer forces. The rank was not used after 1722. During the reign of

Paul I Paul I may refer to: *Paul of Samosata (200–275), Bishop of Antioch *Paul I of Constantinople (died c. 350), Archbishop of Constantinople *Pope Paul I (700–767) *Paul I Šubić of Bribir (c. 1245–1312), Ban of Croatia and Lord of Bosnia *Paul ...

it was made an equivalent rank to

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 recorde ...

, which after the reign of

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...

was used only for the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, in ...

. ''Yefreytor'' was re-introduced in the course of the military reforms of 1826. In the armed forces of the Soviet Union (and later the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

) ''yefreytor'' is the highest rank of enlisted personnel. According to NATO-rank system the rank might be comparable to OR-4 in Anglophone armed forces.

Rank insignia

Imperial Russian Army

1908ur03-e02.png, 1911-ir001-p02-1.png, 1914 Gefreiter of Russian Life Guards Uhlan Regiment of Her Majesty p02 (re-enlistee 2nd category in Guard).png,

Red Army (RA) and Soviet Armed Forces (SA)

RA A R2PVT col 1943.PNG, 1943avia-p19-1.png, Rank insignia of ефрейтор of the Soviet Army.svg, Rank insignia of ефрейтор of the Soviet Air Force.svg,

Russian Liberation Army

File:ROA-Gefreiter h.svg,

Russian Armed Forces

RAF AF-ABTr R2Kursant 2010.png, Rus efreitor.png, Rus efreitor field.svg, Russia-Army-OR-2-2010.svg, Russia-Airforce-OR-2-2010.svg, 2efr.png,

References

{{Authority control Military ranks of Germany Military ranks of Switzerland Military ranks of Austria Military ranks of the Soviet Union Military ranks of Russia