is the Germanic variant 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 th ...
, used in some
German speaking countries
The following is a list of the countries and territories where German is an official language (also known as the Germanosphere). It includes countries that have German as (one of) their nationwide official language(s), as well as dependent te ...
.
Austria
Generalleutnant is the second highest
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 ...
rank in the
Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the
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 N ...
rank of
OF-8.
Belgium
Germany
''Generalleutnant'', short ''GenLt'', ('lieutenant general') is the second highest
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 ...
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 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 as ...
(''Luftwaffe''). This
three-star rank in other countries is
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 th ...
.
Rank in modern Germany
The rank is rated
OF-8 in
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 N ...
, and is grade B9 in the pay rules of the
Federal Ministry of Defence. It is equivalent to ''
Vizeadmiral'' in the
German Navy
The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...
(''Marine''), or to
Generaloberstabsarzt, and
Admiraloberstabsarzt in the ''
Zentraler Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr''. On the shoulder straps (Heer, Luftwaffe) there are three golden pips (stars) in golden oak leaves.
History
German armies and air forces until 1945
=Generalleutnant of the Wehrmacht
=
''Generalleutnant'' was in the
German Reich
German ''Reich'' (lit. German Realm, German Empire, from german: Deutsches Reich, ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty ...
, 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 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 ...
rank, comparable to the
two-star rank in many NATO-armed forces
(Rangcode OF-7). It was equivalent to ''
Vizeadmiral'' 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-Gruppenführer in the
Waffen-SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
until 1945.
;Rank insignia Generalleutnant/ Vizeadmiral:
National People's Army
was in the so-called ''armed organs of the GDR'' (german: Bewaffnete Organe der DDR), represented by
Ministry of National Defence, and
Ministry for State Security, 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 ...
rank, comparable to the
two-star rank in many NATO-Armed forces. 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 ...
.
Insignia
See also
*
Comparative military ranks of World War I
The following table shows comparative officer ranks of several Allied and Central powers during World War I.
Table
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, colspan=1, )
, colspan=2,
, colspan=2, )
, colspan=2,
, - style="text-align:center;"
, rowspan=2,
, colspan=2, ...
*
Comparative military ranks of World War II
*
Ranks of the National People's Army
Notes
References
Military ranks of Germany
Two-star officers of Nazi Germany
Three-star officers of the Bundeswehr
{{German military ranks
de:Generalleutnant