Kapitan (rank)

Kapitan (derived from French: capitaine; before Latin: capitaneus – (military) leader, count, or chairman of a parish council; or from Latin: caput – head, main, chief, primary, principal, general, central, leading, etc.) is used manifold as rank, grade, or rank designation in the Army, Air Force or Navy of numerous countries and armed forces. In member countries of NATO-alliance Kapitan is a commissioned officer rank, rated OF-2 in line to the NATO officers rank system. The almost equivalent OF-2 officer, e.g. in the US Army, is the Captain rank.

This article describes Kapitan as military rank, not to be confused with the title of Kapitan. For the equivalent OF-2 rank in Anglophone armed forces, see Captain, and in Germany see Hauptmann.

Kapitain mil. engineering Netherlands ca. 1900.

Historical roots

Kapitan (appointment, later rank) was used first in the middle age in France in order to designate leaders of the military districts or regions. In the second half of the 16th century it came in use to specify commanding officers of company sized units. In 19th century it became gradually a military rank, and was used in combination with other noun, e.g. Stabs-kapitan (ru: штабс-капитан Russian Imperial Army) Kapitan-leytenant (naval forces). The rank designation Kapitan contains a common syllable and historical roots in a number of European countries at the one hand. Slight national variations of spelling are for the sake of the historical and heraldic tradition, at the other hand.

Different countries

Russia

Kapitan in the Russian Army
Rank insignia	Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Introduction	1935 to the Red Army
Rank group	Commanding staff
Army / Air Force	Kapitan
Navy	Kapitan-leytenant
NATO equivalent	OF-2

In Russia, the military rank Kapitan was introduced in the XVI century to foreign officers, appointed to commander of company sized units. In the XVII – XVII century this rank became open to all company commanders, serving in the regular army. In the cavalierly (in dragoon regiments and Special Corps of Gendarmes) the equivalent to Kapitan was Rotmister (derived from the German Rittmeister), and in the Cossacks corps it was Yesaul.

In the Russian Army (1855 –1917) and in the so-called White Army braid shoulder boards with one central stripe have been worn (see picture 1, below). As the Major-rank was abolished in May 1884, the Kapitan-rank was upgraded to level VIII in the rank table. However, the Guards kapitan became equivalent to generic Podpolkovnik in the Army.

In the civil administration Kapitan of the infantry was equivalent to the Council assessor (ru: Коллежский асессор; Kolleshsky assessor) from 1884, and Titular adviser (ru: Титулярный советник, Tituljarny sovetnik) until 1884.

Sequence of ranks RIA 1917

lower rank: Shtabs-kapitan (en: Staff captain)	Kapitan (en: Captain)	higher rank: Major (en: Major)

Some examples of rank insignia (epaulette, shoulder board), used by RIA IRA, are shown below:

• 
  Kapitan epaulette (1904)
• 
  ... shoulder board
• 
  ... fiel uniform

Soviet Union and Russian Federation

In the armed forces of the Soviet Union (later Russian Federation) the Kapitan´s rank (to Army, Air Force, and Navy land services) was introduced by disposal of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935.[1] It was equivalent to the rank Kapitan-leytenant (ru: Капитан-лейтенант) of the Navy.

If military personnel serves in a guards formation, or on a guards war ship, to the rank designation will be placed in front the noun guards (e.g. "Gurds kapitan"). Civil – or military personnel with a specific defined level of expertise or knowledge in medical or judicial professions, to the military rank will be added the noun "legal or the wording "medical service". Further adding to the military rank designation might be "retired" or "on retirement".

Personnel serving in the executive of the Russian Federation might be specified by rank designation as follows.

• Kapitan of the Police (until March 1, 2011 Kapitan of the Militsiya)
• Kapitan of the Internal Troops
• Kapitan investigation of tax offence

Sequence of ranks ascending

lower rank: Starshy leytenant (en: 1st lieutenant)	Kapitan (en: Captain)	higher rank: Major (en: Major)

Rank insignia

Some examples of rank insignia (shoulder, collar, and sleeve), used by Russia and the USSR, are shown below:

• 
  Gorget patch Kapitan RA USSR Land forces (1935—1943)
• 
  ... Air Force (1935—1943)
• 
  Shoulder board Land forces (1943—1955 гг.), corps colour «red», armoured troops.
• 
  parade uniform, Land forces (1955-1994), and since 2010
• 
  ... ABF, AF, Aviation of the ADF (1955-1994), and since 2010
• 
  everyday uniform, Ground forces until 2010
• 
  ... uniform, AF until 2010
• 
  ... uniform, ABF until 2010
• 
  field uniform until 2010
• 
  parade uniform shirt, Ground forces until 2010
• 
  Kapitan of the Police (until 2011 — Militsiya), also Internal Troops

Variants in different countries

Country		Language	Rank designation
			Army	Air Force	Navy
Azerbaijan		Azerbaijani	Kapitein		Kapitan-leytenant
Austria		German	Hauptmann		Linienschiffsleutnant (Austro-Hungarian Navy)
Belgium		Dutch	Kapitan		Luitenant-ter-zee
Belarus		Belarusian	Капітан (Kapitan)
Bulgaria		Bulgarian	Капитан (Kapitan)
Croatia		Croatian	Satnik		Poručnik bojnog broda
Czech Republic		Czech	Kapitán
Denmark		Danish	Kaptajn, Ritmester		Kaptajnløjtnant
Germany		German	Hauptmann, Stabshauptmann Rittmeister (until 1945)		Kapitänleutnant, Stabskapitänleutnant
Finland		Finnish	Kapteeni		Kapteeniluutnantti, Kaptenlöjtnant
Lithuania		Lithuanian	Kapitonas
Netherlands		Dutch	Kapitein/ Ritmeester		Luitenant ter zee der tweede klasse oudste
North Macedonia		Macedonian	Капeтан (Kapetan)
Norway		Norwegian	Kaptein, Rittmester		Kapteinløytnant
Poland		Polish	Kapitan		Kapitan marynarki
Serbia		Serbian	Капeтан (Kapetan)		Поручник бојног брода
Slovakia		Slovak	Kapitan		Poročnik bojne ladje
Sweden		Swedish	Kapten, Ryttmästare		Kapten
Switzerland		German	Hauptmann
Russia		Russian	Капитан (Kapitan)		Капитан-лейтенант (Kapitan-leytenant)
Ukraine		Ukrainian	Капітан (Kapitan)		Капітан-лейтенант (Kapitan-leytenant)

References

1. Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935, on introduction of individual military rank designation to commanding personnel of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.