Vizeadmiral

Vizeadmiral
shoulder board / cuff title / mounting loop
Rank insignia	German officer rank
Introduction
Rank group	Commissioned officers
Navy	Vizeadmiral
Army / Air Force	Generalleutnant
NATO equivalent	OF-8
Army	Lieutenant general
Navy	Vice admiral

Vizeadmiral, short VAdm in lists VADM, (en: Vice admiral) is a senior naval flag officer rank in the German Navy. It is equivalent to Generalleutnant in the Heer and Luftwaffe or to Admiraloberstabsarzt and/or Generaloberstabsarzt in the Zentraler Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr.

In the German Navy Vizeadmiral is, as in many navies, a three-star rank with a NATO code of OF-8. However, in other German speaking naval forces, e.g. Kaiserliche Marine, Kriegsmarine, Volksmarine, and the Austro-Hungarian K.u.K. Kriegsmarine, Vizeadmiral was an OF-7 two-star flag officer rank.

Address

The official manner of formal addressing of military people with the rank Vizeadmiral (OF-8) is "Herr/Frau Vizeadmiral". However, as to German naval traditions the “Vizeadmiral“ will be addressed "Herr/Frau Admiral".

Rank insignia and rating

Its rank insignia, worn on the sleeves and shoulders, are one five-pointed star above a big gold stripe and two normal once (without the star when rank loops are worn). It is grade B8 in the pay rules of the Federal Ministry of Defence.

German Navy officer rank
junior rank Konteradmiral	Vizeadmiral (Admiraloberstabsarzt) Generalleutnant	senior rank Admiral

The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group is as follows:

• OF-9:^[1] Admiral (Germany) / General (Germany)
• OF-8: Vizeadmiral / Generalleutnant
• OF-7: Konteradmiral / Generalmajor
• OF-6: Flottillenadmiral / Brigadegeneral

History

National People´s Army

Vizeadmiral (OF-7) was the second lowest flag officer grade of the Volksamarine, equivalent to the two-star rank Generalleutnant (OF-7 as well).

In the GDR Volksmarine there were 3 flag officer ranks: Konteradmiral, Vizeadmiral, and Admiral. The GDR State Council decided from 25 March 25, 1982 to introduce the rank of Flottenadmiral.

Vizeadmirals of the GDR Volksmarine

Name	Dates		Name	Dates
Born, Hendrik	1944-		Neukirchen, Heinz	1915-1986
Hesse, Gustav	1931-2001		Nordin, Wilhelm	1924-1993
Hofmann, Hans	1933-		Wansierski, Bruno	1904-1994
Kutzschebauch, Günter	1930-1996

Insignia of a Konteradmiral of the Volksmarine
Arabesques	Lampasse	Shoulder strap	Cuff title	Command flag

Junior rank Konteradmiral

(NPA rank) Vizeadmiral

Senior rank Admiral

Imperial German Navy and Kriegsmarine

Nazi Kriegsmarine

Shoulder strap

Sleeve lace

Command flag

Vizeadmiral

In the Kaiserliche Marine and Kriegsmarine, Vizeadmiral was an OF-7 one-star flag officer rank equivalent to a Heer or Luftwaffe Generalleutnant, and to an SS-Gruppenführer and Generalleutnant of the Waffen-SS.

The rank insignia consisted of shoulder strap and sleeve stripes. Shoulder straps had to be worn on uniform jackets and consisted of twisted gold-braids (one pip or star) on padding in navy blue weapon color.

Cuff insignia consisted of one golden big stripe, two normal stripes, and a five-point naval star above. The sleeve rings encircled the lower cuffs.

Junior rank Konteradmiral

(Kriegsmarine ranks) Vizeadmiral

Senior rank Admiral

K.u.K. Kriegsmarine

In the Austro-Hungarian K.u.K. Kriegsmarine (1849 to 1918) there were the flag-officer ranks Kontreadmiral (also spelled Konterdmiral in the 20th century), Viceadmiral , and Admiral, as well as Großadmiral.

K.u.K. Kriegsmarinerank

Command flag

Cuff title

K.u.K. Konteradmiral

See also

References

1. The abbreviation "OF" stands for de: "Offizier / en: officer / fr: officier / ru: офицер"