is the Germanic variant of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, used in a number of

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

an countries.

Austria

Belgium

Denmark

is the second lowest

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

rank in the

Royal Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures ...

and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star rank it is the equivalent to the rank of counter admiral in the Royal Danish Navy. The rank is rated OF-7 within

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. It has the grade of M404 within the Ministry of Defence's pay structure. The rank of major general is reserved for the Chief of the army and

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

History

On 25 May 1671, the ranks were codified, by

King Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...

, with the publication of the

Danish order of precedence The Danish order of precedence is a symbolic hierarchy of Danish officials used to direct protocol. It has no official status and entails no special privileges, but has been established in practical use, e.g. determining seating arrangements at f ...

. Here generals of the branch were placed below

Lieutenant field marshal Lieutenant field marshal, also frequently historically field marshal lieutenant (german: Feldmarschall-Leutnant, formerly , historically also and, in official Imperial and Royal Austrian army documents from 1867 always , abbreviated ''FML''), was ...

( da, Feltmarskal Lieutenant), and above the noble rank of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

and the military rank of

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. As part of the Army Reform of 1867, the ranks of Major, Lieutenant colonel were removed and only a single "General" rank was kept. After the 1880 reform, the general officer ranks were reintroduced. Commanding generals of the 1st and 2nd General Command were made Lieutenant generals while everyone else were made Major general.

Insignia

The first official uniform was instituted on 29 September 1737. The first few uniform designs have not survived, though they were likely red, highly ornamented coats without collar. The red coat remained until 1768, when

Comte de Saint-Germain The Comte de Saint Germain (; – 27 February 1784) was a European adventurer, with an interest in science, alchemy and the arts. He achieved prominence in European high society of the mid-18th century. Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel considere ...

instituted white uniforms for generals, these were however removed shortly after, in 1769. In 1772, the first real ranks were introduced to the Danish Army; these were gold rings on the cuffs, with three for full generals, two for Lieutenant generals, and one for major generals. This uniform saw a number of changes until 1785, when the cuff ranks were removed. In 1801, new uniforms were introduced for the whole army. Along with the new uniforms, epaulette ranks were introduced for officers, with generals wearing six-pointed stars on their epaulettes. The general ranks remained largely unchanged from their introduction until 1979, and the adoption of NATO STANAG 2116. The adoption created the new rank of Brigadier general, which would receive the one star, meaning the major general would receive two stars.

Rank insignia

Denmark-Army-OF-7 1801.svg, Army uniform Blank.svg, Full dress
Field uniform Blank.svg, Full dress
Field uniform Blank.svg, Full dress Denmark-Army-OF-7-1911 sleeve.svg, Field uniform Danish-Army-OF-7-M15.svg, ... Danish-Army-OF-7-M23.svg, ... Danish-Army-OF-7-M58.svg, ... Rank insignia of brigadegeneral of the Royal Danish Army.svg, ... Rank insignia of generalmajor of the Royal Danish Army.svg, ... Blank.svg, Full dress Denmark-Army-OF-7-M11.svg, Field uniform RDAF Maj Gen.svg, Air Force File:RDAF-OF-7 Sleeve.svg, Air Force sleeve

Finland

Germany

It is the third-highest

rank 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 ...

(''Heer'') and

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 ...

(''Luftwaffe''). This rank is also used in the Austrian Armed Forces, but is abbreviated as ''GenMjr''. Historically, German Army ranks for its generals prior to 1945 were offset by one from those of most other major

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

armies. Thus, prior to 1945, the ''Generalmajor'' rank in the German Army was equivalent to the

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

rank in other armies, and so forth.

''Generalmajor'' in modern Germany

The rank is rated OF-7 in

, and is grade B7 in the pay rules of the Federal Ministry of Defence. It is equivalent to '' Konteradmiral'' in the German Navy (''Marine'') or to '' Generalstabsarzt'', and '' Admiralstabsarzt'' in the '' Zentraler Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr''. On the shoulder straps (''Heer'', ''Luftwaffe'') there are two golden pips (stars) in golden oak leaves. ;''

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 ...

'' sequence of ranks ascending:

''Generalmajor'' in East Germany

''Generalmajor'' was in the so-called "armed organs of the GDR" (german: Bewaffnete Organe der DDR), represented by

Ministry of National Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, and Ministry for State Security, the lowest

rank, comparable to the

one-star rank An officer of one-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-6. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, one-star officers hold the rank o ...

in many NATO-Armed forces (Rangcode OF-6). 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 republic ...

. The equivalent rank of the '' Volksmarine'' (GDR Navy) was the '' Konteradmiral'', often called simply ''Herr Admiral'' for short.

''Generalmajor'' of the ''Wehrmacht''

''Generalmajor'' was in the German Reich and

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 ...

the lowest

rank, comparable to the

in many NATO-Armed forces (Rangcode OF-6). It was equivalent to '' Konteradmiral'' in 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 ...

'', and '' SS-Brigadeführer'' in the '' Waffen-SS'' until 1945. ;Rank insignia ''Generalmajor'' / ''Konteradmiral'': ;Sequence of ranks ascending:

Norway

Sweden

References

;Bibliography * * * * * * * Military ranks of Germany {{mil-rank-stub de:Generalmajor