Soldat is the lowest rank of enlisted men in the armies of some countries. In the land-based armed forces of Germany, Austria, Ukraine, and Switzerland it is usually grouped as OR-1 (pronounced as /de/ short: S, plural Soldaten) within the NATO ranking system, excluding the Swiss armed services which does not follow NATO standards.[1]
| Soldat | |
| Country: |  Germany |
| Service Branch: | |
| Abbreviation: | S |
| Rank: | German enlisted rank |
| Nato Rank: | OR-1 |
| Non-Nato Rank: | E-1 |
| Formation: | 1955 |
| Higher Rank: | Gefreiter |
| Lower Rank: | None |
| Equivalents: | Matrose |
The German term Soldat (equivalent to Soldier in English) has its roots as far back as the 16th-century, where it was a common designation for a paid or remunerated ordinary-rank member of a military infantry, especially one who was not an officer. In the German language Sold implies "pay", and as such the term Soldat designated a person in pay (being paid) for providing armed service.
In the Federal armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr) it can be the collective term to any person in uniform, e.g. Officers (de: Offiziere), Non-Commissioned Officers (de: Unteroffiziere), and enlisted men (de: Mannschaften).
In the Bundeswehr it is used to describe conscripts (de: Wehrpflichtiger), short/long term serving volunteers (de: Zeitsoldat, or Soldat auf Zeit), and career or regular servicemen (de: Berufssoldat).[2]
It is grade A3 in the pay rules of the Federal Ministry of Defence.
The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group is as follows:
The designation of the particular OR1-rank depends on the individual branch and career of the soldier as regulated in the Zentrale Dienstvorschrift 14/5. The sole OR1-rank designation in the Marine is Matrose, and Sanitätssoldat in the Bundeswehr medical service. Other OR1-designations are described in the table below.
| Rank designation | Abbrev.[3] | Carrier grout (e.g.[4]) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flieger | Flg |
| |
| Funker | Fu | soldiers with the lowest OR1-rank
| |
| Gren | Heer uniformed personnel with the lowest OR1-rank serving in the Wachbataillon beim Bundesministerium der Verteidigung since 1991 (until 1991 Jäger) | ||
| Jg | soldiers with the lowest OR1-rank in the units of Jägertruppe, Fallschirmjägertruppe and Gebirgsjägertruppe | ||
| Kanonier | Kan | soldier with the lowest OR1-rank
| |
| Matr | German Navy uniformed personnel with the lowest OR1-rank | ||
| Panzerfunker | PzFu | soldiers with the lowest OR1-rank of signal troops, integrated to units of the Armoured Corps | |
| PzGren, PG |
| ||
| PzJg | This OR1-rank was discontinued in line with the abolishment of the Panzerjägertruppe (Anti-tank troops) in 2006.
| ||
| Panzerkanonier | PzKan | soldier with the lowest OR1-rank of Artillery Corps batteries equipped with armored self-propelled howitzers (de: Panzerhaubitze) | |
| Panzerpionier | PzPi |
| |
| Panzerschütze | PzSchtz | soldier with the lowest OR1-rank of units of the Panzertruppe (en: Armoured corps) | |
| Pionier | Pi |
| |
| Sanitätssoldat | SanSdt |
| |
| Schtz | Normally all military personnel with the lower OR-1 rank serving in Heer that is not mentioned above. |
Soldat is the lowest rank of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Marine Corps, and Air Force. It was introduced in 1991, replacing the former rank of private.