| Obergefreiter | |
|---|---|
  Heer shoulder andMarine sleeve insignia | |
| Country |  Germany |
| Service branch |  German Army German Navy German Air Force |
| Abbreviation | OGefr. |
| Rank | German enlisted rank |
| NATOrank code | OR-3 |
| Non-NATO rank | E-3 |
| Formation | 1955 |
| Next higher rank | Hauptgefreiter |
| Next lower rank | Gefreiter |
Obergefreiter (abbr.OGefr.) is anenlisted rank of theGerman andSwiss militaries which dates from the 19th century.
In today'sBundeswehr, everyGefreiter is normally promotedObergefreiter after six months. The NATO-Code is OR-3 which would makeObergefreiter the equivalent toprivate /airman /seaman first class in most forces or, e.g.,lance corporal in theAustralian/New Zealand Forces. Like all enlisted personnel in the GermanBundeswehr, soldiers of this rank have no military authority over lower ranking enlisted personnel (for instanceSchütze orGefreiter), except given by a higher rank.[clarification needed]
In theBundeswehr the lower rank isGefreiter while the next rank isHauptgefreiter. The lower rank in the Swiss Army is alsoGefreiter; the next rank isKorporal.
The rank was only used in the German army's heavy artillery branch (Fußartillerie)[1] before 1919 and commonly established with the founding of theReichswehr. Translated as "senior lance-corporal", inWorld War II the rank was normally given to soldiers who had command over small squads or to those soldiers who held the rank ofGefreiter and below. Soldiers that had performed a significant feat of achievement were given this title. AnObergefreiter was considered an Enlisted Man in the German Wehrmacht, equivalent to the Schutzstaffel's Sturmmann.[citation needed]
A somewhat large portion of the German Army in the Second World War consisted of enlisted men, especially during the later years of the war with conscription laws being increased to fight off the advancing Soviet Army. Of the 13 million soldiers in Germany's fighting force, 7.5 million were enlisted men, with 2.2 million of the enlisted men being Obergefreiters.[citation needed]
| Waffen-SS | Heer(Army) | Luftwaffe(Air Force) | Kriegsmarine(Navy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SS-Schütze | Schütze | Flieger | Matrose |
| SS-Oberschütze | Oberschütze | ||
| SS-Sturmmann | Gefreiter | Matrosengefreiter | |
| SS-Rottenführer | Obergefreiter | Matrosenobergefreiter | |
| No equivalent | Hauptgefreiter | Matrosenhauptgefreiter | |
| No equivalent | Stabsgefreiter | Matrosenstabsgefreiter | |
| No equivalent | Matrosenoberstabsgefreiter | ||
In theSwiss Armed Forcesthe rank of Obergefreiter (short: Obgfr) was introduced after a long debate on 1 January 2004. They are specialists, who take over tasks of responsibility or hold the position of a group commander.[citation needed]
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