Oberstabsarzt


Oberstabsarzt is a military rank in German speaking armed force. It describes a medical staff officer surgeon or medical staff officer dentist comparable to major or lieutenant commander NATO-Rangcode OF3 in anglophone armed forces.

Germany

Bundeswehr

In the Joint Medical Service of the German Bundeswehr
Oberstabsarzt, Oberstabsapotheker, and Oberstabsveterinär comparable in NATO to the OF-3 ranks Major, and to Korvettenkapitän.

Address

The manner of formal addressing of military surgeons/dentists with the rank Oberstabsarzt is "Herr/Frau Oberstabsarzt", with the rank Oberstabsapotheker, "Herr/Frau Oberstabsapotheker", and veterinaries with the rank Oberstabsveterinär "Herr/Frau Oberstabsveterinär".

Rank insignias

On the shoulder straps there is one silver star in silver oak leaves and the career insignia as symbol of the medical standing, or course of studies. The piping on shoulder straps shows the Waffenfarbe, corresponding to the appropriate military service, branch, or special force. The corps colour of the "Bundeswehr Joint Medical Service" is dark blue.
In the Marines, the career insignia is in the middle of both sleeves, 3 cm above the cuff strips, and on the shoulder straps between strips and button.

junior Rank
Stabsarzt
Rank insignia of the German Bundeswehr#Commissioned officers |German medical officer rank
Oberstabsarzt		senior Rank
Oberfeldarzt
Flottillenarzt

Wehrmacht

Oberstabsarzt of the German Wehrmacht was comparable to the Major / Korvettenkapitän, as well as to the Sturmbannführer and Major of the Waffen-SS.
In line to the so-called , appendixes to the Salary law of the German Empire of 1927, the comparative ranks were as follows: C 6
During wartime, regular assignments of Oberstabsarzt were commander of a medical company, or chief of a, field-, evacuation-, or war hospital. However, a field hospital could be managed by an Oberfeldarzt as well. An Oberstabsarzt was assisted by first lieutenants, second lieutenants, and help surgeons.
The corps colour of the military Health Service Support in German armed forces was traditional dark blue, and of the veterinarian service. This tradition was continued by the medical service corps in Heer and Luftwaffe of the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht. However, the corps colour of the Waffen-SS and Kriegsmarine HSS was.

Kriegsmarine

Rank designations of the Kriegsmarine as to Match 30, 1934, are contained in the table below.

Austria-Hungary

In the Austria-Hungarian Common Army there was the OF3-rank Stabsarzt until 1918, equivalent to the OF3-rank Oberstabsarzt in Germany. That particular rank was comparable to the Major OF3-rank as well.