General of The Infantry (Germany)

General Of The Infantry (Germany)

General of the Infantry (German: General der Infanterie) is a former General officer rank in the German land forces (Imperial Army, Reichswehr and Wehrmacht) and the Austro-Hungarian Army. It was the third-highest General officer rank, subordinate only to Colonel General and Field Marshal. It is equivalent to a three-star rank today. The same rank was adopted by the Imperial Russian Army (Russian: генерал от инфантерии, transliterated General ot Infaterii) and the Finnish Army (Finnish: Jalkaväenkenraali) between the world wars. The rank was not used in Russia after the Russian Revolution of 1917.

German cavalry officers of equivalent rank were called General der Kavallerie and those in the artillery corps were General der Artillerie. In 1935 the Wehrmacht added the ranks of General der Panzertruppe (tank troops), General der Gebirgstruppen (mountain troops), General der Fallschirmtruppen (parachute troops), and General der Nachrichtentruppen (communications troops). In the Luftwaffe, the equivalent rank was General der Flieger. The rank was generally referred to only in the form of General, without specifying the specific forces the wearer commanded.

In the modern German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, the rank of Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) corresponds to the traditional rank of General der Infanterie. There was no equivalent rank in the army of East Germany, where it was merged into that of Generaloberst.

1. in the Bundeswehr, the position of an infantry officer responsible for certain questions of troop training and equipment, usually with the rank of Brigadegenerals. The position of general of the infantry is connected with that of commander of the infantry school. Corresponding service positions also exist for other branches of the army. Since in this usage it refers to a position not a rank, an Oberst is sometimes "General of" his respective type of troops. The form of address is usually Herr General and/or Herr Oberst; the form of address Herr General der Infanterie is unorthodox, since it does not refer to a rank.