Generalarzt
Generalarzt (short: GenArzt or GA) is the designation of a military rank as well as the official title in German speaking armed forces. It is equivalent to the Admiralarzt / Generalapotheker and Brigadegeneral / Flottillenadmiral.
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| Rank insignia | German medical service ranks | ||
| Introduction | 1956 | ||
| Rank group | Commissioned officers | ||
| Army / Air Force | *Generalarzt *Generalapotheker | ||
| Navy | * Admiralarzt * Admiralapotheker | ||
| Abbreviation | * GenArzt (GA) * GenAp (GAP) * AdmArzt (AA) * AdmAp (AAP) | ||
| NATO equivalent | OF-6 | ||
Bundeswehr
Generalarzt, Admiralarzt, Generalapotheker, and Admiralapotheker are the lowest general ranks of the Joint Medical Service or the military medical area of the Bundeswehr.
Promoted to that senior rank might be assignments or appointments as follows:
- Chief surgeon of the Federal Armed Forces Hospital Berlin, – Hamburg, – Koblenz, and – Ulm
- Inspector dental medicine of the Bundeswehr (de: Inspizient Zahnmedizin der Bundeswehr)
- Inspector military pharmaceutics of the Bundeswehr – Generalapotheker (de: Inspizient Wehrpharmazie der Bundeswehr)
- Surgeon Admiral of the Marine (de: Admiralarzt des Heeres)
Equivalent to this one-star rank (NATO-Rangcode OF-6) are Brigadegeneral (en: Brigadier general) of the Heer or Luftwaffe, and the Flottillenadmiral (en: Flotilla admiral) of the Marine.
Address
The manner of formal addressing of military surgeons with the rank Generalarzt (OF6, one-star), Generalstabsarzt (OF7, two stars) or Generaloberstabsarzt is, „Herr/Frau Generalarzt“. At the other hand, military surgeons with the rank Admiralarzt (OF6, one-star), Admiralstabsarzt (OF7, two stars) or Admiraloberstabsarzt is, „Herr/Frau Admiralarzt“. Military persons with the rank Generalapotheker (OF6, one-star), will be addressed „Herr/Frau Generapotheker“, and with the rank Admiralapotheker (OF6, one-star), will be addressed „Herr/Frau Admiralrapotheker“,.
Rank insignias
On the shoulder straps (Heer, Luftwaffe) there is one golden star in golden oak leaves and the career insignia (de: Laufbahnabzeichen) as symbol of the medical standing, or course of studies. Regarding the Marine, the career insignia is in the middle of both sleeves, tree cm above the cuff strips, and on the shoulder straps between strips and button.
| Heer | Luftwaffe | Marine |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
- Sequence of ranks ascenting
| junior rank: Oberstarzt Flottenarzt |
 German medical officer rank Generalarzt Admiralarzt |
senior rank: Generalstabsarzt Admiralstabsarzt |
Wehrmacht 1933 – 1945
Generalarzt of the Wehrmacht was comparable to the Generalmajor (OF-6, one star), as well as to the Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS.
In line to the so-called Reichsbesoldungsordnung (en: Reich's salary order), appendixes to the Salary law of the German Empire (de: Besoldungsgesetz des Deutschen Reiches) of 1927[2] (changes 1937 – 1940), the comparative ranks were as follows: C 3
- Generalmajor (Heer and Luftwaffe)
- Konteradmiral (Kriegsmarine)
- Generalarzt from 1934 (medical service of the Wehrmacht)
- Admiralarzt, introduced June 26, 1935 (medical service of the Kriegsmarine)
- Generalveterinär from 1934 (veterinarian service of the Wehrmacht)
Comparative military ranks
| Ranks Wehrmacht until 1945[3] |  Ranks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical service | en translation | Equivalent Heer | en equivalent | |
| Generaloberstabsarzt | Senior Staff-Surgeon General | General der Waffengattung | three star rank | OF-8 |
| Generalstabsarzt | Staff-Surgeon General | Generalleutnant | two star rank | OF-7 |
| Generalarzt | Surgeon General | Generalmajor | one star rank | OF-6 |
| Oberstarzt | Colonel (Dr.) | Oberst | Colonel | OF-5 |
| Oberfeldarzt | Lieutenant colonel (Dr.) | Oberstleutnant | Lieutenant colonel | OF-4 |
| Oberstabsarzt | Major (Dr.) | OF-3 | ||
| Stabsarzt | Captain (Dr.) | Hauptmann | Captain (army) | OF-2 |
| Oberarzt | First lieutenant (Dr.) | Oberleutnant | First lieutenant | OF-1a |
| Assistenzarzt | Second lieutenant (Dr.) | Leutnant | Second lieutenant | OF-1b |
| Unterarzt | Sergeant 1st Class (Dr.) | Fahnenjunker-Oberfeldwebel (Oberfähnrich) |
Officer Aspirant | OR-7[4] |
| Feldunterarzt (since 1940) | ||||
Kriegsmarine
Rank designations of the Kriegsmarine as to Match 30, 1934, are contained in the table below.
| Ranks Kriegsmarine (medical service) | Ranks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical service | en translation | Equivalent Kriegsmarine | en equivalent | |
| Admiraloberstabsarzt | Surgeon general | Admiral (Germany) | three star rank | OF-8 |
| Admiralstabsarzt | Rear admiral upper half (Dr.) | Vizeadmiral | two star rank | OF-7 |
| Admiralarzt | Rear admiral lower half (Dr.) | Konteradmiral | one star rank | OF-6 |
| Flottenarzt | Captain naval (Dr.) | Kapitän zur See | Captain (naval) | OF-5 |
| Geschwaderarzt | Commander (Dr.) | Fregattenkapitän | Commander | OF-4 |
| Marineoberstabsarzt | Lieutenant commander (Dr.) | Korvettenkapitän | Lieutenant commander | OF-3 |
| Marinestabsarzt | Lieutenant naval (Dr.) | Kapitänleutnant | Lieutenant (naval) | OF-2 |
| Marineoberarzt | Lieutenant junior grade (Dr.) | Oberleutnant zur See | Lieutenant (junior grade) | OF-1a |
| Marineassistenzarzt | Ensign (Dr.) | Leutnant zur See | Ensign | OF-1b |
Germany before 1933
In Germany before 1933 Generalstabsarzt was normally the chief of the medical service of an Army corps (Corps surgeon, de: Korpsarzt), and in some cases of a Division (Division surgeon, de: Divisionsarzt).
In Prussian Army Generalarzt, in sense of general surgeon as a staff position, was a senior military official (de: oberer Militärbeamter) with a definite rank, in the first instance Major (OF3). Since 1856 he could rise to Oberstleutnant (OF4) or even to Oberst (OF5). Senior Generalstabsärzte were often promoted to Generalmajor.[5]
Equivalent authority, mandate and competence were with the Admiralarzt of the Imperial German Navy. Regular assignments to that staff position were the Medical Offices on Baltic Sea and North Sea, e.g. Kiel and Wilhelmshaven. An Admiralarzt of the Navy's Medical corps could normally be promoted up to the OF5-rank Kapitän zur See.
Officers with that rank
- Walther Asal (1891–1987)
- Erwin Angermeyer (1888–1963)
- Karl Arndt (1909–1943)
- Rudolf Attig (1893–1981), Genralarzt (July 1, 1944)
- Hermann Bach (1870–1941)
- Ernst Baader (1894–1953)
- Paul Baethke (1895–1953)
- Hans-Joachim Barnewitz (1892–1965)
- Wilhelm Baumeister (1887–1963)
- Alfred Bayer (1888–1952)
- Paul Baethke (1895–1953)
- Hermann Bach (1870–1941)
- Ernst Becker (1884–1962)
- Rudolf von Burk (1841–1924)
- Walter Groth (1883–1947)
- Stanislaus von Mielecki (1851–1938)(O.Pusch), Königl. Preußicher Generalarzt, Balley Brandenburg Ehrenritter 1917 und Rechtritter 1926 des Johanniter Ordens
- Dirk Raphael (born 1953)
- Ferdinand Sauerbruch (1875–1951), Generalarzt des Heeres 1942
- Verena von Weymarn (born 1943), Generalarzt der Luftwaffe
- Eugen Wullen (1892–1967)
- Arno Roßlau (born 1948)
References
- Afterwards specialist general officers wore branch-specific colours; the background being cornflower blue for medical and crimson for veterinary services.
- Besoldungsgesetz vom 16. Dezember 1927 (RGBl. I …, C Soldaten S. 391), changes 1937 to 1940
- F. Altrichter: “The reserve officer”, fourteenth checked addition, Berlin 1941, pages 158-159. (Original title: F. Altrichter: „Der Reserveoffizier“, vierzehnte durchgesehene Auflage, Berlin 1941, Seiten 158-159.)
- The abbreviation "OR" stands for "Other Ranks / fr: sous-officiers et militaires du rang / ru:другие ранги, кроме офицероф"
- Krieg und Sieg 1870-71, Kulturgeschichte, Herausgeber Julius von Pflugk-Harttung.
Further reading
- Neumann, Alexander: Arzttum ist immer Kämpfertum - Die Heeressanitätsinspektion und das Amt "Chef des Wehrmachtsanitätswesens" im Zweiten Weltkrieg (1939–1945), 2005. ISBN 3-7700-1618-1
- Süß, Winfried: Der "Völkskörper" im Krieg: Gesundheitspolitik, Gesundheitsverhältnisse und Krankenmord im nationalsozialistischen Deutschland 1939-1945, 2003. ISBN 3-486-56719-5