What is "generaloberst"

Generaloberst (en: colonel general) was, in Germany and Austria-Hungary—the German Reichswehr and Wehrmacht and the Austro-Hungarian Common Army—the second highest general officer rank, ranking above full general but below general field marshal. It was equivalent to Generaladmiral in the Kriegsmarine until 1945, or to Flottenadmiral in the Volksmarine until 1990. The rank was the highest ordinary military rank and the highest military rank awarded in peacetime; the higher rank of general field marshal was only awarded in wartime by the head of state. In general, a Generaloberst had the same privileges as a general field marshal.

A supreme general or senior general (Generaloberst, often translated as "colonel-general" by analogy to Oberst, "colonel," although, because "Oberst" derives from the superlative form of Germanic ober (upper), cognate to English over, then "Superior General" might be a more idiomatic rendering) was the second highest general officer rank—below field marshal (Generalfeldmarschall)—in the Prussian army as well as in the Deutsches Heer of the German Empire (1871–1918), the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic (1921–33), and the Wehrmacht (which included the Luftwaffe, established in 1935) of Nazi Germany (1933–45). Together with the higher rank of general field marshal, Generaloberst was generally reckoned as the equivalent of a five-star general in the American and British armies.

The rank was created originally for Emperor William I—then Prince of Prussia—because traditionally members of the royal family were not promoted to the rank of a field marshal.

Since the rank of Generalfeldmarschall was also reserved for wartime promotions, the additional rank of a "supreme general in the capacity of a field marshal" — the Generaloberst im Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls — was created for promotions during peacetime. Such generals were entitled to wear four pips on their shoulder boards, compared to the normal three. As such, Generaloberst could be a peacetime equivalent of the general field marshal rank.