Colonel General is a senior military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries. North Korea and Russia are two nations which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories. The rank is also closely associated with Germany, as Colonel General was originally created as a German rank between a full General and a Field Marshal.

Germany

Colonel General Insignia

A German Colonel General (known as a Generaloberst) was the designation of the second highest rank of General — below Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) — in the Prussian Army and later in the Army of Imperial Germany (1871–1918), the Reichswehr (1918–1935), and the Wehrmacht (1935–1945).

In cases where a Colonel General was acting in the capacity of a Field Marshal, the rank was referred to as Generaloberst mit dem Rang eines Generalfeldmarschalls. Such persons were entitled to wear four pips on a shoulder board, compared to the normal three. The only known situation where such a title would have been authorized was during the Battle of Stalingrad when Friedrich Paulus assumed the duties of a Field Marshal before he was actual promoted (Paulus would be promoted to the rank at the close of the Battle but never wore the Field Marshal insignia).

The equivalent of a Colonel-General in the Kriegsmarine was a General Admiral (Generaladmiral). The Schutzstaffel (SS) referred to the rank as Oberstgruppenführer.

East Germany's National People's Army retained this rank as its second-highest, second to the Armeegeneral. The Bundeswehr (first in West Germany and since 1990 in a unified Germany) does not use this rank. Since the German Army had no Brigadier Generals, the rank of Generaloberst is often considered to equate to a full General in the British or United States Armies.

Reichswehr Holders

• Hans von Seeckt (1866–1936)

Wehrmacht Holders

A complete list of Wehrmacht and SS Colonel-Generals except for those who later served as Field Marshals. As indicated, some of them had differently named (but equivalent) ranks, such as SS-Oberstgruppenführer.

1. Wilhelm Adam (1877–1949)
2. Hans-Jürgen von Arnim (1889–1962)
3. Ludwig Beck (1880–July 20, 1944), shot
4. Johannes Blaskowitz (1883–1948), suicide
5. Kurt Daluege (1897–1946), executed – SS-Oberstgruppenführer
6. Eduard Dietl (1890–1944), died in airplane crash
7. Sepp Dietrich (1892–1966) – SS-Oberstgruppenführer
8. Friedrich Dollmann (1882–1944)
9. Nikolaus von Falkenhorst (1885–1968)
10. Johannes Friessner (1892–1971)
11. Werner von Fritsch (1880–1939), suicide
12. Friedrich Fromm (1888–1945), executed
13. Heinz Guderian (1888–1954)
14. Curt Haase (1881–1943)
15. Franz Halder (1884–1972)
16. Kurt Freiherr (Baron) von Hammerstein-Equord (1878-1943)
17. Josef Harpe (1887–1968)
18. Paul Hausser (1880–1972) – SS-Oberstgruppenführer
19. Gotthard Heinrici (1886–1971)
20. Walter Heitz (1878–1944)
21. Carl Hilpert (1888–1947)
22. Wilhelm Heye (1869–1946)
23. Karl-Adolf Hollidt (1891–1985)
24. Hermann Hoth (1885–1971)
25. Erich Hoepner (1886–1944), executed
26. Hans Valentin Hube (1890–1944), died in airplane crash
27. Erwin Jaenecke (1890–1960)
28. Hans Jeschonnek (1899–1943), suicide
29. Alfred Jodl (1890–1946), executed
30. Georg Lindemann (1884–1963)
31. Eberhard von Mackensen (1889–1969)
32. Erhard Raus (1889–1956)
33. Georg-Hans Reinhardt (1887–1963)
34. Lothar Rendulic (1887–1963)
35. Richard Ruoff (1883–1967)
36. Hans von Salmuth (1888–1962)
37. Rudolf Schmidt (1886–1957)
38. Eugen Ritter von Schobert (1883–1941)
39. Franz Xaver Schwarz (1875–1947) – SS-Oberstgruppenführer (honorary)
40. Walter von Seydlitz-Kurzbach (1888–1976)
41. Adolf Strauß (1879–1973)
42. Karl Strecker (1884–1973)
43. Ernst Udet (1896–1941), suicide – Generalluftzeugmeister
44. Heinrich-Gottfried von Vietinghoff-Scheel (1887–1952)
45. Walter Weiß (1890–1967)
46. Kurt Zeitzler (1895–1963)

Austria

In Austria, Colonel General (Generaloberst) was also the second-highest rank in the Austrian Army, although it was not used between 1915 and 1918. Holders of this rank are as follows:

1. Archduke Josef Ferdinand (1872–1942)
2. Friedrich Graf (Count) von Beck-Rzikowsky (1830–1920)
3. Eduard Graf Paar (1837–1919)
4. Arthur Freiherr von Bolfras (1838–1922)
5. Friedrich Freiherr von Georgi (1852–1926)
6. Karl Freiherr von Pflanzer-Baltin (1855–1925)
7. Viktor Graf von Dankl (1854–1941)
8. Karl Tersztyánszky von Nádas (1854–1921)
9. Paul Freiherr Puhallo von Brlog (1856–1926)
10. Archduke Leopold Salvator (1863–1931)
11. Karl Graf von Kirchbach auf Lauterbach (1856–1939)
12. Adolf Freiherr von Rhemen zu Barenfels (1855–1932)
13. Karl Graf Huyn (1857–1938)
14. Hermann Kusmanek von Burgneustädten (1860–1934)
15. Karl Křitek (1861–1928)
16. Wenzel Freiherr von Wurm (1859–1921)
17. Samuel Freiherr von Hazai (1851–1942)
18. Leopold Freiherr von Hauer (1854–1933)
19. Viktor Graf von Scheuchenstuel (1857–1938)
20. Stephan Freiherr Sarkotić von Lovčen (1858–1939)
21. Josef Ritter Roth von Limanowa-Lapanów (1859–1927)
22. Arthur Freiherr Arz von Straussenburg (1857–1935)
23. Hugo Martiny von Malastów (1860–1940)
24. Rudolf Freiherr Stöger-Steiner von Steinstätten (1861–1921)
25. Alois Fürst Schönburg-Hartenstein (1858–1944)

Reference

This article draws heavily on the corresponding article in the German-language Wikipedia.