Colonel general
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Colonel generalis a military rank used in some armies. The rank originates from theOld European Systemand it is particularly associated withGermany,where historicallygeneral officer rankswere one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, andGeneraloberstwas a rank above fullGeneral,but belowGeneralfeldmarschall.The rank of colonel general also exists in the armed forces organized along the lines of the Soviet model, where it is comparable to that of alieutenant general.
Austria-Hungary
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In theAustro-Hungarian Army,the second-highest rank was colonel general (German:Generaloberst,Hungarian:vezérezredes). The rank was introduced in 1915, following the German model. The rank was not used afterWorld War Iin theAustrian Armyof the Republic.
Hungary
[edit]The rank ofvezérezredes(lit. 'Chief regimental commander') is still used inHungary.The rank replaced the ranks ofgyalogsági tábornok(general of infantry),lovassági tábornok(general of cavalry), andtáborszernagy(general of artillery) in the early 1940s.[citation needed]
Since 1991,vezérezredeshas been the highest rank in theHungarian Defence Forces,and is officially translated asGeneral.[1]
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Royal Hungarian Army colonel general rank insignia
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Hungarian colonel general rank insignia
Czechoslovakia
[edit]The rank of colonel general (generálplukovník) was created in the Czechoslovak army in 1950; it was dropped after the 1993 dissolution of the state.
France
[edit]In theFrench Army,under theAncien régime,the officer in nominal command of all the regiments of a particular branch of service (i. e. infantry, cavalry, dragoons, Swiss troops, etc.) was known as the colonel general. This was not a rank, but anoffice of the Crown.
Georgia
[edit]The Republic of Georgia adopted Soviet designations after its independence in 1991 so that the rank of colonel-general (Georgian:გენერალ-პოლკოვნიკი,general-polkovniki) exists, yet it is only used as highest possible rank in the Patrol Police and Border Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the Defence Forces it is the highest possible rank for all general officers and the Chief of Defence Forces (who currently holds minimum rank of major general).
Germany
[edit]The rank ofGeneraloberstwas introduced in thePrussian Armyin 1854, originally as Colonel General with the rank of Field Marshal (Generaloberst mit dem Rang als Generalfeldmarschall) as field marshal was a wartime promotion and excluded members of the royal family. It later was split into said two ranks and eventually was adopted by the other state forces of theGerman Empire.
It was also used in theReichswehrof theWeimar Republic,and more prominently within theWehrmacht.The rank continued in theNational People's ArmyofEast GermanyuntilGerman reunificationin 1990. TheBundeswehr,first inWest Germanyand since 1990 in unified Germany, does not use it and hasGeneralas highest rank.
Mongolia
[edit]In 1961, J.Lkhagvasuren was awarded the title of Colonel General of the People's Republic of Mongolia. There are 9 people in Mongolia who have been promoted to colonel general. Currently, one person is currently living. He isSonomyn Luvsangombo.Since 2006, this rank has been removed from the ranks of the Mongolian Armed Forces.
North Korea
[edit]TheNorth Korean rankofsangjangtranslates as "colonel general".Sangjangis senior to that ofjungjang(usually translated as "lieutenant general" ) and junior to that ofdaejang(usually translated as "general" ).
This rank is typically held by the commanding officer of units along theKorean DMZand the North Korean security zone atPanmunjom.It is also the rank held by the KPAPyongyang Defense Command's commanding general.
Russia
[edit]The rank of colonel general (Russian:генерал-полковник,romanized:general-polkovnik) was first established in theRed Armyon 7 May 1940, as a replacement for the previously existingKomandarm 2nd rank(kommandarm vtorovo ranga,"army commander of the second rank" ).[4]DuringWorld War II,about 199 officers were promoted to colonel general. Before 1943, Soviet colonel generals wore four stars on their collar patches (petlitsy). Since 1943, they have worn three stars on their shoulder straps, making the rank equivalent to a United Stateslieutenant general.[5]
Unlike the GermanGeneraloberst(which it most probablycalqued)[according to whom?],the Soviet and Russian colonel general rank is neither an exceptional nor a rare one, as it is a normal step in the "ladder" between a two-starlieutenant generaland a four-stararmy general.[citation needed]
Other than that, the Soviet and Russian rank systems sometimes cause confusion in regard to equivalence of ranks, because the normal Western title forbrigadierorbrigadier generalceased to exist for the Russian Army in 1798. Thekombrigrank that corresponded to one-star general only existed in the Soviet Union during 1935–1940. Positions typically reserved for these ranks, such asbrigadecommanders, have always been occupied bycolonels(polkovnik) or, very rarely,major generals(seeHistory of Russian military ranks).
The rank has usually been given to district, front and army commanders, and also to deputy ministers of defense, deputy heads of the general staff and so on.[citation needed]
In some post-SovietCommonwealth of Independent Statesarmies (for example inBelarus), there are no generals of the army ormarshals,and so colonel general is the highest rank, usually held by the minister of defense.
The corresponding naval rank isadmiral,which is alsodenoted by three stars.
Sweden
[edit]Colonel general (generalöverste) has also been a senior military rank in Sweden, used principally before the 19th century.
Ukraine
[edit]In Ukraine, colonel general (Ukrainian:Генерал-полковник,romanized:general-polkovnik) is now an obsolete military rank of general officers of theGround Forces,Air Force,Navy(only Marine Corps, Naval Aviation and Shore Establishment). It was first introduced in 1920 as part of a rank system inUkrainian People's Armyreplacing such terms asSotnykgeneralandBunchukgeneral.
From October 1, 2020, the rank of colonel general in Ukraine was no longer assigned and the highest rank of general was introduced. Until 2020, it was a higher rank than alieutenant general,but a lower rank thangeneral of the Army of Ukraine.
Although the rank of colonel general has not been awarded since 2020, it remains with its current bearers until they receive the military rank of general. Despite the fact that the military rank of colonel-general was withdrawn from circulation, after the next version of the order, the insignia of this rank were indicated. A colonel general has shoulder straps with four four-rayed stars above the maces. To distinguish the holders of the rank of colonel general from the holders of the newly introduced rank of general (have the same number of stars on the shoulder straps), it was decided to apply different schemes of star placement. The stars on the shoulder straps of the generals are located along the axis of the shoulder strap, and the stars of the colonel generals are arranged in a diamond.
Equivalent to the ranks of colonel general and general in the navy is the rank ofadmiral.Until 2020, the ranks of colonel general and admiral weredenoted by three stars.Since 2020, the ranks of general, colonel general and admiral have becomefour-star ranks(with existing colonel generals slotted below generals of the Armed Forces).
Insignia of the rank of colonel general, Ukraine:
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United Kingdom
[edit]The title of colonel general was used before and during theEnglish Civil Warin bothRoyalistandParliamentarianarmies. In these cases, it often appears to have meant a seniorcolonelas opposed to a senior general.
Colonel generals' insignia
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^Andrea, Kánya (6 May 2009)."A gallér és az ötágú csillag".honvedelem.hu(in Hungarian). Hungarian Defence Forces.Retrieved26 May2021.
- ^Davis, Brian Leigh (1980).German Uniforms of the Third Reich 1933–1945(1st ed.). Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press. pp. 219–220.ISBN0-7137-0881-6.
- ^Stumpf, Reinhard (2017).Die Wehrmacht-Elite: Rang- und Herkunftsstruktur der deutschen Generale und Admirale 1933–1945(in German).De Gruyter.p. 139.ISBN9783486817683.
- ^Charles D. Pettibone (2009).Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.Trafford On Demand Pub. p. 905.ISBN978-1-4269-2251-0.
- ^Ziemke 1968,p. 505.
- ^"ԶԻՆՎՈՐԱԿԱՆ ԾԱՌԱՅՈՒԹՅԱՆ ԵՎ ԶԻՆԾԱՌԱՅՈՂԻ ԿԱՐԳԱՎԻՃԱԿԻ ՄԱՍԻՆ".arlis.am(in Armenian). Legal information system of Armenia. 15 November 2017.Retrieved3 June2021.
- ^"Azərbaycan Respublikası Silahlı Qüvvələri hərbi qulluqçularının hərbi geyim forması və fərqləndirmə nişanları haqqında Əsasnamə"(PDF).mod.gov.az(in Azerbaijani). Ministry of Defense. 25 June 2001. pp. 64–70.Retrieved16 February2021.
- ^"Указ Президента Республики Беларусь от 21.07.2009 N 388" О военной форме одежды, знаках различия по воинским званиям и внесении дополнений в Указ Президента Республики Беларусь от 9 июня 2006 г. N 383 "".pravo.levonevsky.org/(in Russian). Government of Belarus.Retrieved30 May2021.
- ^"OBILJEŽJA I ČINOVI OS BIH".os.mod.gov.ba(in Bosnian). Oružane snage Bosne i Hercegovine. Archived fromthe originalon 6 May 2019.Retrieved30 September2019.
- ^"Oznake činova".osrh.hr(in Croatian). Republic of Croatia Armed Forces. 1 April 2019.Retrieved26 May2021.
- ^"Қазақстан Республикасының Қарулы Күштері, басқа да әскерлері мен әскери құралымдары әскери қызметшілерінің әскери киім нысаны және айырым белгілері туралы".adilet.zan.kz(in Kazakh). Ministry of Justice (Kazakhstan). 25 August 2011.Retrieved29 May2021.
- ^"IV. Izgled Činova u Vojsci".Official Gazette of Montenegro(in Montenegrin). 50/10: 22–28. 16 August 2010.Retrieved17 September2021.
- ^"Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 11 марта 2010 года № 293" О военной форме одежды, знаках различия военнослужащих и ведомственных знаках отличия "".rg.ru(in Russian). Российской газеты. 12 March 2010.Retrieved26 May2021.
- ^"ҚОНУНИ ҶУМҲУРИИ ТОҶИКИСТОН ДАР БОРАИ ЎҲДАДОРИИ УМУМИИ ҲАРБӢ ВА ХИЗМАТИ ҲАРБӢ".majmilli.tj(in Tajik). The National Assembly of the Republic of Tajikistan. 13 April 2017.Retrieved2 June2021.
- ^"TÜRKMENISTANYŇ KANUNY Harby borçlulyk we harby gulluk hakynda (Türkmenistanyň Mejlisiniň Maglumatlary 2010 ý., № 3, 58-nji madda) (Türkmenistanyň 01.10.2011 ý. № 234-IV Kanuny esasynda girizilen üýtgetmeler we goşmaçalar bilen)"[LAW OF TURKMENISTAN On military service and military service (Information of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, 2010, No. 3, Article 58) (as amended by the Law of Turkmenistan of October 1, 2011 No. 234-IV)](PDF).milligosun.gov.tm(in Turkmen). Ministry of Defense (Turkmenistan). pp. 28–29.Retrieved2 June2021.
- ^"O'zbekiston Respublikasi fuqarolarining harbiy xizmatni o'tash tartibi to'g'risida".lex.uz(in Uzbek). Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan. 12 September 2019.Retrieved3 June2021.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ziemke, Earl F. (1968) [1968].Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East.Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History.OCLC1013364845.