Oberst

Oberst () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel.Template:Sfn It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti and the Icelandic rank ofursti.

History and origins

is a German word. Spelled with a capital O, "" is a noun and defines the military rank of colonel or group captain. Spelled with a lower case o, or "", it is an adjective, meaning "superior, top, topmost, uppermost, highest, chief, head, first, principal, or supreme". Both usages derive from the superlative of , "the upper" or "the uppermost".

As a family name, Oberst is common in the southwest of Germany, in the area known as the Black Forest (Schwarzwald). The name is also concentrated in the north-central cantons of Switzerland (Aargau & Zürich). Here the Swiss version of Oberst is spelled Obrist. The name first appeared in the thirteenth century in the German-Swiss border area, and early forms were Zoberist and Oberist. The name most likely refers to the "tribe that lives the highest on the mountain" or "the family that lives the highest in the village".

Translated as "superior" or "supreme", the rank of Oberst can trace its origins to the Middle Ages where the term most likely described the senior knight on a battlefield or the senior captain in a regiment. With the emergence of professional armies in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, an Oberst became the commander of regiment or battalion-sized formations.

By the eighteenth century, were typically afforded aides or lieutenants, often titled . This led to formation of the modern German rank of the same name, translated as lieutenant colonel.

Austria

Oberst is the fifth highest rank in the Austrian Armed Forces.

• Rank insignia for oberst
• Army
  Army

Denmark

Template:Infobox military rank The Danish rank of is based around the German term.Template:Sfn Ranked OF-5 within NATO and having the paygrade of M402,Template:Sfn it is used in the Royal Danish Army and the Royal Danish Air Force. The equivalent rank in the Royal Danish Navy is .

History

The rank can be traced back to at least 1563, when Count Günther of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt was named (Template:Translation; Template:Literally) of the Danish troops during the First Northern War.Template:Sfn By 1586, Template:Ill was named (Template:Translation).Template:Sfn

On 25 May 1671, the ranks were codified, by King Christian V, with the publication of the Danish order of precedence. Here there were two types of s. The colonel of the Life Guards placed below major general, and above colonels of the infantry and cavalry, which in turn was placed above the rank lieutenant colonel of the Life Guards.Template:Sfn

As part of the Army Reform of 1867, the ranks of Major, Lieutenant colonel were removed, making the only senior officer.Template:Sfn By 1889, was reintroduced.

Germany

(short: O) is the highest staff officer rank in the German Army (Heer) and the German Air Force (Luftwaffe).

Oberst in the Bundeswehr

The rank is rated OF-5 in NATO, and is grade A16 or B3 in the pay rules of the Federal Ministry of Defence. It is equivalent to:

• Oberstarzt, Oberstapotheker, and Oberstveterinär in the Joint Medical Service of the German Bundeswehr;
• Kapitän zur See and Flottenarzt in the German Navy.

On the shoulder straps (Heer, Luftwaffe) there are three silver pips (stars) in silver oak leaves.

Heer	Luftwaffe
Oberst i.G. (Gen. staff service) Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Oberst i.G. (Gen. staff service) Oberst (Logistics troops) Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Oberst (Logistics troops) Oberst a.D. (Mech. infantry ret.) Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Oberst a.D. (Mech. infantry ret.)	Oberst (field suit) Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Oberst (field suit) Oberst (Flecktarn) Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Oberst (Flecktarn)

Oberst in East Germany

was in the so-called armed organs of the GDR (Template:Langx), represented by Ministry of National Defence, and Ministry for State Security, the highest field officer rank, comparable to the colonel in many NATO-Armed forces (Rangcode OF-5). This was in reference to Soviet military doctrine and in line with other armed forces of the Warsaw Pact.

Branch	Land forces Armored corps / Medical service		Air Force	Border troops	Volksmarine
Shoulder board	File:GDR Army OF5 Oberst Pz.png	File:OF-5 Oberst NVA MedDienst.jpg	File:OF-5 Oberst LSK.gif	File:Blank.svg	File:OF-5 Kapitän zur See VM.png	File:OF-5 Kapitän zur See VM, Ärmelstreifen.png
Rank designation	OberstTemplate:Hr				Kapitän zur See

Rank (GDR)
junior rank: Oberstleutnant	File:Flag of NVA (East Germany).svg Oberst (Kapitän zur See)	senior renk: Generalmajor

Oberst in the Wehrmacht

was in the German Reich and Nazi Germany the highest field officer rank, comparable to the OF-5 rank in many NATO-Armed forces. It was equivalent to Kapitän zur See in the Kriegsmarine, and SS-Standartenführer in the Waffen-SS until 1945.

Branch	German Army	Luftwaffe	Waffen-SS	Kriegsmarine
Collar	File:Collar tabs of Offiziere of the Heer.svg	File:Luftwaffe collar tabs Oberst 3D.svg	File:SS-Standartenführer Collar Rank.svg	None
Shoulder	File:WMacht H OF5 Oberst Inf h.svg	File:Wehrmach Lw Oberst 1945h.svg	File:SS-Standartenführer h.svg	File:Kriegsmarine KptzS.svg
Sleeve	File:Oberst Staf OF5 cam slv 1945.svg	File:Luftwaffe flightsuit Oberst.svg	File:Oberst Staf OF5 cam slv 1945.svg	File:Kriegsmarine-Kapitän zur See.svg
Rank designation	OberstTemplate:Hr		Standartenführer der Waffen-SS	Kapitän zur See

junior rank: Oberstleutnant

File:Balkenkreuz.svg (German officer rank) Oberst (Kapitän zur See)

senior rank: Generalmajor

Norway

The rank of was introduced around the same time as Denmark, as Norway at the time was part of Denmark–Norway.Template:Sfn

• Rank insignia for oberst
• Army
  Army
• Air Force
  Air Force

Sweden

The Swedish variant , is the most senior field grade military officer rank in the Swedish Army and the Swedish Air Force, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. It is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in the Swedish Navy.

• Rank insignia for överste
• Army
  Army
• Amphibious Corps
  Amphibious Corps
• Air Force
  Air Force

Switzerland

Template:Template other Template:Infobox military rank In the Swiss Army, the Oberst ranks above the lieutenant colonel ("Oberstleutnant") and below the brigadier general ("Brigadier"). In peacetime, it is the fourth highest officer rank.

The Oberst is the commander of a Kommando (Gren Kdo, Flpl Kdo), the army engineer staff, or an antiaircraft  (Flab) cluster. These formations are comparable to regiments. As a staff officer, the Oberst performs various specialized functions in the staffs of the Army, Air Force, and territorial regions. In the brigades, the Oberst (in the general staff - "Oberst i Gst") performs the role of deputy commander and/or chief of staff. In the military justice system, the presidents of the military courts hold the rank of Oberst.

References

Citations

Bibliography