Last modified: 2003-01-11 by rob raeside
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Rank Flags
In 1914, there were four general officer ranks: Field-Marshal ("Feldmarschall"),
General, Lieutenant-General ("Feldmarschalleutnant") and Major-General ("Generalmajor").
Full generals added the name of their parent arm of service to their rank title:
"General der Infantrie," "General der Kavallerie," and the old
title "Feldzeugmeister"--Master General of Ordnance--for artillery generals.
Tom Gregg, 20 July 2002
![[Austria-Hungary Fieldmarshall]](../images/a/ah-cgen.gif)
8:9, by Zeljko Heimer, 9 October 2000
![[Austria-Hungary Fieldmarshall]](../images/a/ah-lgen.gif)
8:9, by Zeljko Heimer, 9 October 2000
![[Austria-Hungary Fieldmarshall]](../images/a/ah-gener.gif)
8:9, by Zeljko Heimer, 9 October 2000
![[Austria-Hungary Fieldmarshall]](../images/a/ah-bgen.gif)
8:9, by Zeljko Heimer, 9 October 2000
According to the Rank
Insignia site there was, at least in 1918 an additional rank "Generaloberst" just
below "Feldmarschall". This is not described by Siegel
(1912) - however, it may be that it was added to the rank system after 1912 when Siegel was writing.
Zeljko Heimer, 15 October 2001
In 1915, the new rank of Colonel-General ("Generaloberst") was introduced. A
Colonel-General ranked below a Field-Marshal and above a full general. This
brought the Austro-Hungarian Army's rank structure for generals into line with
the German Army practice.
Tom Gregg, 20 July 2002
In 1914, only the Emperor held the rank of Field-Marshal (though by 1918
several other generals had been promoted to this rank). The rank flag with
eagles instead of stars was used by full generals in command of field armies,
whereas a full general in command of a corps or in some other subordinate
appointment would use the flag with three stars. During the war, the flag with
eagles was probably used by the top three ranks, who would typically have
commanded armies,
army groups and fronts. As far as I know, specific flags for the ranks of
Field-Marshal and Colonel-General were never introduced.
Tom Gregg, 20 July 2002
![[Austria-Hungary Fieldmarshall]](../images/a/ah-commo.gif)
4:9
by Zeljko Heimer, 9 October 2000
Pennant in the same colours and design as the Ensign since 1786, forked and with a shortened middle stripe, ratio 4:9:
Seniority Standard since 1880, probably.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg
Also used as Commodore flag.
Initially I assumed all these flags were adopted after 1867, but as far as I
can see today, I have no special reason for concluding that date. The year 1828 could also be one possibility when a similar starless flag was adopted for
the Admiral (of any rank) but I don't actually see why it couldn't have been used before.
Zeljko Heimer, 15 October 2001
The information I have on Austro-Hungarian rank flags is virtually all from Baumgartner's Die Entwicklung der Österreichischen Marineflagge: He gives the adoption date of 1894 (source: Flaggen-Normale der k.u.k Kriegsmarine 1896 (supp.1902)--in use to 1918).
The flag change of October 1915 created flags of different design for:
However although the 1915 changes were published in the following year, it appears that they probably never actually came into use - or at least, never came into general use (with the exception of the new standards for the Imperial family).
Baumgartner quotes Lehnert (1886) regarding the change in command after 1853-54 as being dated 1880, but claims that it actually was published by the State Publishing House in 1874. This change involved:
The next change was in 1894 and provided for special flags for various ranks of admirals and generals but does
not mention "Grossadmiral". In referring to the 1874(1880?)-1894 flags Baumgartner
refers to the three ranks of admiral so that perhaps there were no Grossadmirals between 1874 and
1915.
Norman Martin, 16 October 2001