() is the lowest
Junior officer rank in the armed forces the
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 of
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 betwee ...
(
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 ...
),
Austrian Armed Forces, and
military of Switzerland.
History
The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum tenens» (in English "place holder") was derived from the French word about 1500. In most German-speaking armies it is the lowest officer rank (in German-speaking navies (English "Lieutenant at sea")). In the German Bundeswehr the ranks and belong to the rank group. In some other armed forces (such as the former
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 ...
) there is the lower grade of
Unterleutnant
Unterleutnant (NPA-original abbreviation ''Ultn.''; en: translation "Under-lieutenant" or "sub-lieutenant") was an officer of the armies of East Germany and other nations. The rank was first introduced in 1662-74 by France and was also adopted ...
.
From about 1500 until the middle of the 17th century the designation of was commonly used for any deputy to a commanding officer. So at the army level there was the appointment of (English "lieutenant-general"), at the regimental level there was that of (English "lieutenant-colonel"), and at the company level the was deputy to a (English "captain").
With the formation of standing armies in the second half of the 17th century, the term commonly came to designate the rank of the least senior commissioned officer.
In the 18th and 19th century, at the unit level several served as platoon leaders. At that time the ranks of and came into existence. With effect from January 1, 1899, in the German Empire these ranks were renamed as and .
Austria
In Austria the (short: Lt) is the second lowest
CO rank. Mandatory to be promoted to that rank is a six terms course of high school studies (until August 2008 eight terms) with 180 ECTS points on the
Theresian Military Academy in the
Wiener Neustadt. The studies are focused on "Military Command and Control" (C2) and the academy-leaver graduate to
Bachelor.
The career in the
Militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
is structured in a different way. Here the modular education comprises the so-called
one-year volunteer year (
de: F as well as several courses, seminars, and exercises with a final aptitude test. After an overall service time of five years the promotion to «Leutnant» is possible.
Moreover, the appointment designation is possible for leading officials (E1) of the Austrian executive, e.g. the Austrian
Federal Police (ge: ) and prison authority personnel (de: ).
Austro-Hungarian Army
Until 1918 ( hu, Hadnagy) was in the Austria-Hungarian Army the lowest CO-rank as well, equivalent to .
Germany
The rank of has been used in the German armed forces since 1899.
Bundeswehr
In the today, a will be normally appointed as
platoon leader. However, the rank of might also be held while a junior officer is studying at the
University of the German Federal Armed Forces or at another training or education establishment. The of the belongs to the " rank group" (also: subaltern officer rank group).
Rank
In Germany, (short.: Lt / on lists also: L) is the designation of a soldier of the lowest officer rank. The equivalent in the
German Navy () is the .
Soldiers with that particular rank, are mandated and authorized to provide military orders as to the so-called
Superior-subordinate relations to
private ranks (de: Mannschaften), NCOs without port épée (de: Unteroffiziere ohne port épée), as well as to Senior NCOs with port épée (de: Unteroffizier mit port épée).
National People's Army
In the GDR
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 ...
(NPA) the rank was the second lowest commissioned offer (CO) rank until 1990. This was in reference to Soviet military doctrine and in line with other armed forces of the
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republi ...
.
The equivalent rank of the (en: GDR Navy) was the , often called simply for short. In reference to the Soviet armed forces and to other armed forces of the Warsaw pact was the second lowest officer rank until 1990.
Nazi Germany
In
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 ...
, within the
SS and
Waffen-SS, the rank of was considered to be the equivalent of an in the German Army. However, in the
SA the equivalent to was .
Switzerland
In the
military of Switzerland the (, ) is the lowest commissioned officer rank. Promotion to the next highest rank, , occurs after three refresher courses (contingent upon good performance) or automatically after six years' service.
[''Regellaufbahnen'', https://www.vtg.admin.ch/content/vtg-internet/de/organisation/kdo-ausb/_jcr_content/infotabs/items/dokumente/tabPar/downloadlist/downloadItems/186_1591883129631.download/200710_Brosch_Ausbildungs_Dienstleistungsmodell_40_100_d.pdf ]
For missions outside of Switzerland, the rank will be designated in English as
Second lieutenant.
Swiss Guard
Rank insignia of Leutnant (OF-1b) Pontifical Swiss Guard.svg, Army
References
* ''Die Streitkräfte der Republik Österreich, 1918-1968'', Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Militärwissenschaftliches Institut, 1968.
{{German military ranks
Military ranks of Austria
Military ranks of Switzerland
Austro-Hungarian Army
Military ranks of Germany