Oberst (German pronunciation:[ˈoːbɐst]^ⓘ) is a seniorfield officer rank in severalGerman-speaking andScandinavian countries, equivalent toColonel.^[1] It is currently used by both theground andair forces ofAustria,Germany,Switzerland,Denmark, andNorway. TheSwedish ranköverste is a direct translation, as are theFinnish rankeversti and theIcelandic rankofursti.

Oberst is a German word. Spelled with a capital O, "Oberst" is a noun and defines the military rank of colonel orgroup 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 thesuperlative ofober(e), "the upper" or "the uppermost".^{[citation needed]}

As afamily 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 ofOberst is spelledObrist. The name first appeared in the thirteenth century in the German-Swiss border area, and early forms wereZoberist andOberist. 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".^{[citation needed]}

Translated as "superior" or "supreme", the rank ofOberst can trace its origins to theMiddle Ages where the term most likely described the seniorknight on a battlefield or thesenior captain in a regiment. With the emergence of professional armies in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, anOberst became the commander ofregiment orbattalion-sized formations.^{[citation needed]}

By the eighteenth century,Obersten were typically affordedaides orlieutenants, often titledOberstleutnant. This led to formation of the modern German rank of the same name, translated aslieutenant colonel.^{[citation needed]}

Oberst is the fifth highest rank in theAustrian Armed Forces.

• Rank insignia foroberst
•  
  Army

The Danish rank ofoberst is based around the German term.^[2] Ranked OF-5 within NATO and having the paygrade of M402,^[3] it is used in theRoyal Danish Army and theRoyal Danish Air Force.

The rank can be traced back to at least 1563, when CountGünther of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt was namedfeltøverste (transl. Field colonel) of the Danish troops during theFirst Northern War.^[4]By 1586,Steen Maltesen Sehested [da] was namedRigets oberst (transl. Colonel of the kingdom).[5]

On 25 May 1671, the ranks were codified, byKing Christian V, with the publication of theDanish order of precedence. Here there were two types ofobersts. The colonel of theLife Guards placed belowmajor general, and above colonels of the infantry and cavalry, which in turn was placed above the ranklieutenant colonel of the Life Guards.^[6]

As part of the Army Reform of 1867, the ranks of Major, Lieutenant colonel were removed, makingoberst the onlysenior officer.^[7]

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

The rank is ratedOF-5 inNATO, and is grade A16 or B3 in the pay rules of theFederal Ministry of Defence. It is equivalent to:

• Oberstarzt,Oberstapotheker, andOberstveterinär in theJoint Medical Service of the GermanBundeswehr;
• Kapitän zur See andFlottenarzt in theGerman Navy.

On the shoulder straps (Heer, Luftwaffe) there are three silver pips (stars) in silver oak leaves.

Oberst was in the so-calledarmed organs of the GDR (German:Bewaffnete Organe der DDR), represented byMinistry of National Defence, andMinistry for State Security, the highestfield officer rank, comparable to thecolonel in many NATO-Armed forces(Rangcode OF-5). This was in reference to Soviet military doctrine and in line with other armed forces of theWarsaw Pact.

Oberst was in theGerman Reich andNazi Germany the highestfield officer rank, comparable to theOF-5 rank in many NATO-Armed forces. It was equivalent toKapitän zur See in theKriegsmarine, andSS-Standartenführer in theWaffen-SS until 1945.

The rank ofoberst was introduced around the same time asDenmark, as Norway at the time was part ofDenmark–Norway.^[8]

• Rank insignia foroberst
•  
  Army
•  
  Air Force

The Swedish variantöverste, is the most seniorfield grade militaryofficerrank in theSwedish Army and theSwedish Air Force, immediately above the rank oflieutenant colonel and just below the rank ofbrigadier general. It is equivalent to the naval rank ofcaptain in theSwedish Navy.^[9]

• Rank insignia for överste
•  
  Army
•  
  Amphibious Corps
•  
  Air Force

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

• danmarkshistorien.dk (17 May 2017)."Rangforordningen, 25. maj 1671" (in Danish). danmarkshistorien.dk. Retrieved15 March 2021.
• "Grads-Betegnelserne i Hæren".Danske Soldater (in Danish).2 (2). 12 February 1935.
• Klint, Helge (1965). "Træk af Hærstabens historie".Hærkommandoens Årsskrift (in Danish). Nyt Nordisk Forlag:5–11.
• Madsen, Emil (1904)."De nationale Tropper, samt Hærvæsenets Styrelse i det 16. Aarhundrede" [The National Troops, as well as the Administration of the Army in the 16th Century](PDF).Historisk Tidsskrift (in Danish).5 (7):199–200. Retrieved6 August 2023.
• Military Committee Land Standardization Board (13 January 2021).STANAG 2116 (7th ed.). NATO Standardization Agency.
• Ministry of Defence (9 January 2017)."Historik".forpers.dk (in Danish). Forsvarsministeriets Personalestyrelse. Archived fromthe original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved8 April 2021.
• Petersen, Karsten Skjold (2014).Kongens klæder - Hærens uniformer og udrustning i Danmark-Norge (in Danish) (1st ed.). Slovenia: Historika.ISBN 9788793229006.