In the
German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "first lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active-duty service. is used by both the
German Army and the
German Air Force. In the
NATO military comparison system, a German is the equivalent of a
first lieutenant in the Army/Air Forces of Allied nations. ;Other uses The equivalent naval rank is
Oberleutnant zur See. In
Nazi Germany, within the
SS,
SA and
Waffen-SS, the rank of
Obersturmführer was considered the equivalent of an in the German Army.
National People's Army In the GDR
National People's Army (NPA) the rank was the highest lieutenant rank, until 1990. This was in reference to Soviet military doctrine and in line with other armed forces of the Warsaw pact. The equivalent rank in the
Volksmarine (en: GDR Navy) was
Oberleutnant zur See. Later it was shortened to simply ; however, internally continued to be used. With reference to the Soviet armed forces and to other armed forces of the Warsaw pact was the second lowest officer rank until 1990. ==Switzerland==