Germany
| Wehrmacht | |
A Supreme General or Senior General (Generaloberst, sometimes mistranslated "Colonel-General" by analogy to Oberst, "Colonel") was the second highest general officer rank—below field marshal (Generalfeldmarschall)—in the Prussian army and later in the army of Imperial Germany (1871-1919), the Reichsheer (1921-1935), the Heer and the Luftwaffe (1935-1945).
The rank was created originally for Emperor William I—then Prince of Prussia—because traditionally members of the royal family were not promoted to the rank of a field marshal.
Since the rank of Generalfeldmarschall was also reserved for wartime promotions, the additional rank of a "supreme general in the capacity of a field marshal" — the Generaloberst im Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls — was created for promotions during peace. Such generals were entitled to wear four pips on their shoulder boards, compared to the normal three.
The equivalent ranks of a colonel general were in the:
- Kriegsmarine - Generaladmiral ("general admiral")
- Schutzstaffel (SS) - SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer
- Sturmabteilung (SA) - no equivalent
- Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) - Generaloberst der Polizei ("colonel general of police")
| NVA | People's police |
Read more about this topic: Colonel General
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