() is the highest lieutenant officer rank in 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 **Ger ...

-speaking armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces.

Austria

Germany

In the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

, 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. is used by both the

and the

German Air Force The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War a ...

. In the NATO military comparison system, a German is the equivalent of a First lieutenant in the Army/Air Forces of Allied nations. ;Other uses The equivalent naval rank is ''

Oberleutnant zur See ''Oberleutnant zur See'' (''OLt zS'' or ''OLZS'' in the German Navy, ''Oblt.z.S.'' in the ''Kriegsmarine'') is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as OF-1 in NATO. The rank was introduced in the Imper ...

''. In Nazi Germany, within the SS, Sturmabteilung, SA and Waffen-SS, the rank of Obersturmführer was considered the equivalent of an in the German Army.

National People's Army

In the GDR National People's Army (NPA) the rank was the highest lieutenant rank, until 1990. This was in reference to Soviet military doctrine and in line with other armed forces of the Warsaw pact. The equivalent rank in the Volksmarine (en: GDR Navy) was

. Later it was shortened to simply ; however, internally continued to be used. With reference to the Soviet armed forces and to other armed forces of the Warsaw pact was the second lowest officer rank until 1990.

Switzerland

References

Bibliography