Germany Armed Forces Ranks

After the second World War, and the twin invasions by France and Poland, the German Military was in ruins, its equipment either seized by Poland and France, or destroyed, and its personnel either killed, captured, or forced into labor camps. As part of the rebuilding efforts, the United States and the United Kingdom sent both money and military aid to Germany to help it defend itself from invasion by modernizing its equipment, which also helped American and British manufacturers. The ranks of the German military were adapted to the ranking structures that were more regular for the Americans, with the aid of the British.
==Ranks of the German Armed Forces==
The Bundeswehr was restructured to have five components: an army, air force, navy, coast guard, and marine corps, and later a uniformed health service was added, and still later, the weather service. The last two are not armed, just uniformed services.
Enlisted Ranks
Pay Grade	Navy 	Coast Guard 	Army 	Air Force 	Marine Corps
E-1 	Matrose 	Matrose 	Soldatrekrut 	Flieger 	Soldat
E-2 	Obermatrose 	Obermatrose 	Gefreiter 	Gefreiter 	Gefreiter
E-3 	Hauptmatrose 	Hauptmatrose 	Obergefreiter 	Obergefreiter 	Obergefreiter
E-4 	Untermaat 	Untermaat 	KorporalSpezialist 	air force 	Hauptgefreiter
E-5 	Maat 	Maat 	Wachtmeister 	Wachtmeister 	Wachtmeister
E-6 	Obermaat 	Obermaat 	Stabswachtmeister 	Stabswachtmeister 	Stabswachtmeister
E-7 	Bootsmann 	Bootsmann 	Hauptwachtmeister 	Hauptwachtmeister 	Schießwachtmeister
E-8 	Oberbootsmann 	Oberbootsmann 	Oberwachtmeister 	Oberwachtmeister 	Oberwachtmeister
E-9 	HauptbootsmannStabsbootsmannFlotte-/TruppeoberstabsbootsmannOberstabsbootsmann	HauptbootsmannStabsbootsmannFlotte-/TruppeoberstabsbootsmannOberstabsbootsmann	Oberstabswachtmeister	Oberstabswachtmeister	Oberstabswachtmeister
Based on the urgent need for technical experts, as the US and UK, warrant officers were authorized to serve in specialized fields from the former enlisted or from outside the military who would then go to warrant officer training.
Warrant Ranks
Pay Grade	Navy 	Coast Guard 	Army 	Air Force 	Marine Corps
W-1 	Feldwebel 	Feldwebel 	Feldwebel 	Feldwebel 	Feldwebel
W-2 	Obereldwebel 	Obereldwebel 	Obereldwebel 	Obereldwebel 	Obereldwebel
W-3 	Hauptfeldwebel 	Hauptfeldwebel 	Hauptfeldwebel 	Hauptfeldwebel 	Hauptfeldwebel
W-4 	Stabsfeldwebel 	Stabsfeldwebel 	Stabsfeldwebel 	Stabsfeldwebel 	Stabsfeldwebel
W-5 	Oberstabsfeldwebel	Oberstabsfeldwebel	Oberstabsfeldwebel	Oberstabsfeldwebel	Oberstabsfeldwebel
Commissioned Ranks
Pay Grade	Navy 	Coast Guard 	Army 	Air Force 	Marine Corps
O-1 	Fähnrich 	Fähnrich 	Leutnant 	Leutnant 	Leutnant
O-2 	Leutnant 	Leutnant 	Oberleutnant 	Oberleutnant 	Oberleutnant
O-3 	Oberleutnant 	Oberleutnant 	Hauptmann 	Hauptmann 	Hauptmann
O-4 	Kommandantleutnant	Kommandantleutnant	Major 	Major 	Major
O-5 	Kommandant 	Kommandant 	Oberstleutnant 	Oberstleutnant 	Oberstleutnant
O-6 	Kapitän 	Kapitän 	Oberst 	Oberst 	Oberst
O-7 	Kommodorenadmiral 	Kommodorenadmiral 	Brigadegeneral 	Brigadegeneral 	Brigadegeneral
O-8 	Konteradmiral 	Konteradmiral 	Generalmajor 	Generalmajor 	Generalmajor
O-9 	Vizeadmiral 	Vizeadmiral 	Generalleutnant	Generalleutnant	Generalleutnant
O-10 	Admiral 	Admiral 	General 	General 	General