Army general (German: Armeegeneral), was the highest peacetime general officer rank in the so-called armed organs of the GDR (Bewaffnete Organe der DDR), that is, the Ministry of National Defence, the Stasi, and the Ministry of the Interior. It is comparable to the four-star rank in many NATO armed forces. It was aligned with Soviet military doctrine and other armed forces of the Warsaw Pact.
| Army general Armeegeneral | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Country |  German Democratic Republic |
| Service branch | |
| Rank | Four-star |
| NATO rank code | OF-9 |
| Formation | 1 March 1956 |
| Abolished | 2 October 1990 |
| Next higher rank | Marshal of the German Democratic Republic |
| Next lower rank | Generaloberst |
| Equivalent ranks | Flottenadmiral |
The rank was reserved to minister level exclusively. Consequently, in the National People's Army service branches, Landstreitkräfte, Luftstreitkräfte/Luftverteidigung, Border troops, and Volksmarine there was no equivalent. However, if a Navy flag officer was designated or appointed Minister of National Defence he would be promoted to Flottenadmiral. When the armed organs of the GDR were disbanded in October 1990, the rank was abolished.
Rankholders
editEast German officers who achieved the rank were:
| Name | Portrait | Position | Year of Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willi Stoph | 
|
Minister of National Defence | 1959 |
| Heinz Hoffmann | .jpg)
|
Minister of National Defence | 1961 |
| Erich Mielke | .jpg)
|
Minister for State Security | 1980 |
| Friedrich Dickel | 
|
Minister of Interior | 1984 |
| Heinz Kessler | 
|
Minister of National Defence | 1985 |
Insignia
edit| Armeegeneral / Flottenadmiral (OF-9) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 GDR MFS
|
 GDR MOD
|
GDR Ministry of Interior
| |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
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| Armeegeneral | Flottenadmiral | Armeegeneral | |||||||
Army general in other countries
editThe four-star rank OF-9 was widely used in other armed forces of socialist countries, such as:
- Bulgaria: Армейски генерал (Armeyski general)
- Czechoslovakia: Armádní generál / Armádny Generál[1]
- Hungary: Hadseregtábornok
- Poland: Generał armii
- Romania: General de armată
- Soviet Union: Генерал армии (General armii)
- Yugoslavia: Генерал армије
| Junior Rank Generaloberst |
GDR Armeegeneral (Flottenadmiral) |
Senior rank Marshal of the GDR (wartime only) |
See also
editReferences
editBibliography
edit- Keubke, Klaus-Ulrich; Kunz, Manfred (2005). Militärische Uniformen in der DDR 1949–1990 (in German). E.S. Mittler & Sohn. ISBN 978-3-8132-0915-0.
- Wollert, Günter (1984). NVA Kalender 1985 (in German). Militärverlag der DDR.