Oberst (German pronunciation: [ˈoːbɐst]) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel.[1] 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
Oberst is a German word. Spelled with a capital O, "Oberst" is a noun and defines the military rank of colonel or group captain. Spelled with a lower case o, or "oberst", it is an adjective, meaning "superior, top, topmost, uppermost, highest, chief, head, first, principal, or supreme". Both usages derive from the superlative of ober(e), "the upper" or "the uppermost".[citation needed]
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".[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
By the eighteenth century, Obersten were typically afforded aides or lieutenants, often titled Oberstleutnant. This led to formation of the modern German rank of the same name, translated as lieutenant colonel.[citation needed]
Austria
Oberst is the fifth highest rank in the Austrian Armed Forces.
- Rank insignia for oberst
Denmark
The Danish rank of oberst is based around the German term.[2] Ranked OF-5 within NATO and having the paygrade of M402.,[3] it is used in the Royal Danish Army and the Royal Danish Air Force.
- Rank insignia for oberst
Germany
Oberst | |
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Country | ![]() |
Service branch | ![]() ![]() |
Abbreviation | O |
Rank group | Commissioned officer |
NATO rank code | OF-5 |
Pay grade | A16 or B3 |
Formation | 1956 (current) |
Next higher rank | Brigadegeneral |
Next lower rank | Oberstleutnant |
Equivalent ranks | Kapitän zur See |
Oberst (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 |
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Oberst in East Germany
Oberst 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 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 | Stasi | Land forces | Air Force | Border troops | Volksmarine | |
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Shoulder | ![]() |
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Rank designation |
Oberst |
Kapitän zur See |
junior rank Oberstleutnant |
![]() National People's Army rank Oberst (Kapitän zur See) |
senior rank Generalmajor |
Oberst in the Wehrmacht
Oberst 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 |
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Collar | ![]() |
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None |
Shoulder | ![]() |
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Sleeve | ![]() |
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Rank designation |
Oberst |
Standartenführer der Waffen-SS |
Kapitän zur See |
junior rank: Oberstleutnant |
![]() (German officer rank) |
senior rank: Generalmajor |
Norway
The rank of oberst was introduced around the same time as Denmark, as Norway at the time was part of Denmark–Norway.[4]
- Rank insignia for oberst
Sweden
The Swedish variant överste, 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.[5]
- Rank insignia for oberst
Switzerland
- Rank insignia for oberst
Swiss Guard
- Rank insignia for oberst
References
- Citations
- ^ STANAG 2116, pp. A-2, A-5, C-2, C-5.
- ^ Editors 1935, p. 3.
- ^ Ministry of Defence 2017.
- ^ Petersen 2014, p. 493.
- ^ "Förordning om ändring i officersförordningen (1994:882)" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Code of Statutes. 26 June 2000. p. 2. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- Bibliography
- "Grads-Betegnelserne i Hæren". Danske Soldater (in Danish). 2 (2). 12 February 1935.
- Military Committee Land Standardization Board (13 January 2021). STANAG 2116 (7th ed.). NATO Standardization Agency.
- Ministry of Defence (9 January 2017). "Historik". forpers.dk (in Danish). Forsvarsministeriets Personalestyrelse. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- Petersen, Karsten Skjold (2014). Kongens klæder - Hærens uniformer og udrustning i Danmark-Norge (in Danish) (1st ed.). Slovenia: Historika. ISBN 9788793229006.