| Country: |  |
| Service Branch: | |
| Abbreviation: | GenOStArzt (Army & Air force) AdmOStArzt (Navy) |
| Rank: | German medical service rank |
| Nato Rank: | OF-8 |
| Higher Rank: | None |
| Lower Rank: | Generalstabsarzt Admiralstabsarzt |
and are the top Joint Medical Service OF8-ranks of the German . The equivalent to this ranks in the Heer is Generalleutnant and in the German Navy the Vizeadmiral.
In accordance with traditions in German armed forces, both ranks might be used in Bundeswehr medical service. Normally the Bundeswehr Surgeon General of the medical service (de: Inspekteur des Sanitätsdienstes), or the Chief of Medical Operation´s Command (de: Kommandeur Sanitätsführungskommando) might be assigned. However, in future the Chief position might remain vacant, because the Deputy Surgeon General is mandated to command the Medical Operation´s Command.
Equivalent to that three-star ranks (NATO-Rangcode OF-8) are Generalleutnant ("Lieutenant general") of the Heer or Luftwaffe, and the Vizeadmiral (en: Vice admiral) of the Marine.
The manner of formal addressing of military surgeons with the rank (OF-6, one-star rank), (OF-7, two-star rank) or is, "Herr/Frau Generalarzt". At the other hand, military surgeons with the rank (OF-6, one-star rank), (OF-7, two-star rank) or is, "Herr/Frau Admiralarzt". Although the grammatically female form of Arzt is Ärztin, the military does not have separate gendered ranks, so the correct form of address for a female doctor is "Frau Stabsarzt".[1] [2]
On the shoulder straps (Heer, Luftwaffe) there are three golden stars in golden oak leaves and the career insignia (de: Laufbahnabzeichen) as symbol of the medical standing, or course of studies. Regarding the Marine, the career insignia is in the middle of both sleeves, three centimeters above the cuff strips, and on the shoulder straps between strips and button.
| Senior Staff-Surgeon General | |
| Native Name: | Generaloberstabsarzt (GenOStArzt) |
| Nato Rank: | OF-8 |
| Higher Rank: | None |
| Lower Rank: | Generalstabsarzt |
| Equivalents: | See list |
The General of the branch grade Generaloberstabsarzt was the most senior ranks of the medical service of the German Wehrmacht 1933 to 1945.
Siegfried Handloser was assigned to Generaloberstabsarzt of the Wehrmacht. He was simultaneous "Chief of the Wehrmachts Medical Service in Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht" (Chef des Wehrmachtsanitätswesens im Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) as of July 28, 1942. Curt Schulze was Generaloberstabveterinär of the Wehrmacht.
Generaloberstabsarzt of the Wehrmacht was comparable to the General of the branch (OF8, three stars), as well as to the Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS.
In line to the so-called Reichsbesoldungsordnung (en: Reich's salary order), appendixes to the Salary law of the German Empire (de: Besoldungsgesetz des Deutschen Reiches) of 1927[3] (changes 1937 – 1940), the comparative ranks were as follows: C 1
| Ranks Wehrmacht until 1945[4] | Ranks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical service | en translation | Equivalent Heer | en equivalent | |
| Generaloberstabsarzt | Senior Staff-Surgeon General | General der Waffengattung | three star rank | OF-8 |
| Staff-Surgeon General | two star rank | OF-7 | ||
| Surgeon General | one star rank | OF-6 | ||
| Colonel (Dr.) | Colonel | OF-5 | ||
| Lieutenant colonel (Dr.) | Lieutenant colonel | OF-4 | ||
| Major (Dr.) | OF-3 | |||
| Captain (Dr.) | Captain (army) | OF-2 | ||
| First lieutenant (Dr.) | First lieutenant | OF-1a | ||
| Second lieutenant (Dr.) | Second lieutenant | OF-1b | ||
| Sergeant 1st Class (Dr.) | Fahnenjunker-Oberfeldwebel | Officer Aspirant | OR-7[5] | |
| Feldunterarzt (from 1940) | ||||
Rank designations of the Kriegsmarine as to Match 30, 1934, are contained in the table below.
| Ranks Kriegsmarine (medical service) | Ranks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical service | en translation | Equivalent Kriegsmarine | en equivalent | ||
| Surgeon general | three star rank | OF-8 | |||
| Rear admiral upper half (Dr.) | Vizeadmiral | two star rank | OF-7 | ||
| Rear admiral lower half (Dr.) | Konteradmiral | one star rank | OF-6 | ||
| Captain naval (Dr.) | Kapitän zur See | Captain (naval) | OF-5 | ||
| Geschwaderarzt | Commander (Dr.) | Fregattenkapitän | Commander | OF-4 | |
| Lieutenant commander (Dr.) | Korvettenkapitän | Lieutenant commander | OF-3 | ||
| Marinestabsarzt | Lieutenant naval (Dr.) | Kapitänleutnant | Lieutenant (naval) | OF-2 | |
| Marineoberarzt | Lieutenant junior grade (Dr.) | Oberleutnant zur See | Lieutenant (junior grade) | OF-1a | |
| Marineassistenzarzt | Ensign (Dr.) | Ensign | OF-1b | ||