General (with the addition of the branch of arms)

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The article seems to go in the direction of theory. The author should therefore please provide evidence for the historical resp. cite scientific use of the lemma (which, despite a long search, has not yet succeeded due to lack of such ) - Uldra ( discussion ) 18:40, Aug. 8, 2015 (CEST)

General (with the addition of the branch of service) or general of the troops genus name of a historical, applicable to 1945 rank group of generals in the imperial army , in the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht and in the imperial army of Austria-Hungary or the Imperial Russian Army .

In the German armed forces, the general was usually also the commanding general of a corps , army corps or a comparable large military group . In the Imperial Navy and in the Kriegsmarine this rank corresponded to the admiral , in the Waffen-SS to the SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS .

According to today's NATO rank codes , this rank would be comparable to OF-8 ( Lieutenant General ).

history

In the 18th century it became customary in Prussia and other German states to award the rank of general with the addition of the branch of arms from which the general had emerged and which originally also determined the character of the troops he commanded. In some cases, the older terms, such as “ Feldzeugmeister ”, were also used in the armed forces of Austria-Hungary into the 20th century. These rank designations were also introduced in the Russian Army , first by Peter I.

Until the mid-1930s, there were only general infantry , cavalry and artillery in the German armed forces . It was not until the Wehrmacht that this rank was introduced for generals of other branches of the armed forces.

Army generals in this rank group were designated for the command level of the army corps . Anyone who actually exercised this function was given the additional designation of corps commander or commanding general (e.g. general of the infantry and commanding general of the X Army Corps ). This functional designation was introduced in Prussia in 1816 with the permanent division of the army corps. The general field marshal stood above the general, and it was not until 1854 that the intermediate rank of colonel general was introduced in Prussia .

The equivalent of the general (with the addition of the branch of service) in the navy was the admiral .

Wehrmacht

The rank designations General of the Panzer Troops , General of the Pioneers and General of the Intelligence Forces were introduced on October 29, 1935. The "n" of the "troops" was dropped later, probably on June 29, 1938. On November 1, 1935, Oswald Lutz became the first general of the armored troops . On February 10, 1938, Walter Kuntze became the first general of the pioneers , and on August 1, 1940, Erich Fellgiebel became the first general of the intelligence service . Eduard Dietl was promoted to general of the infantry in 1940 , this was changed in 1941 to the newly introduced general of the mountain troops .

Rank
lower: Lieutenant General	General of ...	higher: Colonel General

Armed SS

→ Main article : Table showing the ranks and insignia of the Waffen-SS

In the Waffen-SS , the higher SS ranks were put on an equal footing with the general ranks of the Wehrmacht and the corresponding shoulder boards were worn. The SS-Obergruppenführer with the addition "and General of the Waffen-SS" was equated with the general of a branch of service . There was also the rank of "SS-Obergruppenführer and Police General".

Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces

In the Austro-Hungarian Army there were the following general ranks with the addition of the weapon category until 1918:

• General of the Infantry ( hu: Gyalosági Tábornok)
• General of the cavalry (hu: Lovassági Tábornok)
• Feldzeugmeister (hu: Táborszernagy)

→ Main article : Badges of rank of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces

armed forces

This rank no longer exists in the Bundeswehr , as it took over the rank of generals according to NATO standards.

In the Bundeswehr, similar to that used in earlier German armies, the designation of certain positions ( office ) with a prominent task, function or responsibility, e.g. B. for training, equipment or security of the Bundeswehr, such as General Aviation Safety in the Bundeswehr (GenFlSichhBw), General Armaments of the Bundeswehr (GenRüstBw) or General of the armored forces , is not tied to a certain rank or grade. The GenFlSichhBw can also be an officer with the rank of colonel .

Poland

→ Main article : Ranks of the Polish Armed Forces

There are similar rank designations in other countries, such as Poland. There, the weapons general ( Polish: Generał broni - gen.bron. ) Is the second highest military rank or rank to which an officer can be promoted in peacetime in the Polish armed forces . The rank is comparable to the lieutenant general in other NATO armed forces.

Russia

→ Main article : Ranks of the Russian armed forces until 1917

The Imperial Russian Army used traditional, independent ranks and badges of distinction, which were based on those of German-speaking - and Anglophone - armed forces. So there was also the OF-8 rank general of the branch of service . The successor armed forces , the Red Army , rigorously abolished all previous ranks and this rank in 1917, while parts of the old army that were transferred to the White Army still used them in the years of the civil war up to 1923.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ General of the - . In: Dictionary of German military history . 1st edition. Military Publishing House of the GDR, Berlin 1985, p. 232.
2. ↑ Reinhard Stumpf : The Wehrmacht Elite. Structure of rank and origin of the German generals and admirals 1933-1945. Harald Boldt Verlag, Boppard am Rhein 1982, pp. 165–172 ISBN 3-7646-1815-9 .