Generalmajor is the lowest
General officer rank in the
Heer and
Luftwaffe services of the
Wehrmacht. However, being a
General, it still commands much respect. The Generalmajor is one step up from an
Oberst, (a
Colonel by
US Military standards) who is still considered to be only a senior officer. The Generalmajor is equivalent to a
Kontreadmiral in the
Kriegsmarine. It is also on the same level as a
Waffen-SS,
SS-
Brigadeführer, who also held the fitting title
Generalmajor der SS. A Wehrmacht Generalmajor would equate to a
Brigadier General in the
United States Armed Forces.
The main insignia representing the rank of Generalmajor would be the General-level braided
shoulder boards with no
pip. However, other parts of the uniform changed in the transition between Oberst and Generalmajor. Buttons, the
breast eagle, and other items changed to a
gilded appearance, as opposed to the silver finish for other non-General officers.
Waffenfarben also sometimes changed to reflect status as a General.
For a complete rank chart of the Wehrmacht, see
Wehrmacht Ranks