Oberst

 ( Military Ranks Of Germany ) 

Oberst () is a senior field officer rank in several German language-speaking and countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army and of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Sweden rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finland rank eversti and the rank ofursti.

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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".

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 Feldhauptmann 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, Obersten were typically afforded Aide-de-camp or lieutenants, often titled Oberstleutnant. This led to formation of the modern German rank of the same name, translated as lieutenant colonel.

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

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Denmark The Danish rank of oberst is based around the German term. Ranked OF-5 within NATO and having the paygrade of M402, it is used in the Royal Danish Army and the Royal Danish Air Force. The equivalent rank in the Royal Danish Navy is Commander]].

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History The rank can be traced back to at least 1563, when Count Günther of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt was named feltøverste (; ) of the Danish troops during the First Northern War. By 1586, was named Rigets oberst ().

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 obersts. 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.

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

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

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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.

HA OS5 53 Oberst i.G..svg	HA OS5 53 Oberst HLog.svg	HA OS5 53 Oberst d.R. PzGren.svg	LA OS5 53 Oberst.svg	LA 5W5 53 Oberst.svg

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Oberst in East Germany Oberst was in the so-called armed organs of the GDR (), represented by Ministry of National Defence, and Stasi, 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.

Rank (GDR)
junior rank: Oberstleutnant	Oberst (Kapitän zur See)	senior rank: Generalmajor

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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.

junior rank: Oberstleutnant	(German officer rank) Oberst (Kapitän zur See)|width="30%" align="center" style="background:#afafaf;"senior rank: Generalmajor

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

Norway-army-OF-5.svg|Army Norway-air force-OF-5.svg|Air Force

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

Sweden-Field-OF-5 (2019).svg|Army OF-5 Överste AMF hylsa.jpg|Amphibious Corps OF-5 Överste FV hylsa.svg|Air Force

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Switzerland 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.

Citations

Bibliography

• (2025). 9788793229006, Historika. ISBN 9788793229006

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