Unterarzt (military)

Unterarzt (short: UArzt or UA) was a military rank in the German Reichswehr and Wehrmacht until 1945.

It describes a qualified or licensed surgeon or dentist of the armed forces with the last or highest Officer Aspirant (O.A. or OA – de: Offizieranwärter) rank. According to the rank hierarchy it was comparable to Sergeant First Class (de: Oberfeldwebel) or Chief Petty Officer (de: Oberbootsmann) NATO-Rangcode OR7 in anglophone armed forces.

Wehrmacht

Heer

In the German Wehrmacht from 1933 until 1945 there were the OR7-ranks Unterarzt (physician), Unterapotheker (pharmacologist), and Unterveterinär (veterinarian). It was also comparable to the Oberfähnrich/Oberfähnrich zur See OR7-rank.

In line to the so-called (en: Reich's salary order), appendixes to the Salary law of the German Empire (de: Besoldungsgesetz des Deutschen Reiches) of 1927 (changes 1937 – 1940), the comparative ranks were as follows: C 15

• Oberfeldwebel (Heer and Luftwaffe)
• Unterarzt (medical service of the Wehrmacht, with voller ärztlicher Approbation, i.e. full medical license)
• Feldunterarzt, from 1940 (ranking below Unterarzt, with Physikum, i.e. first medical examination)
• Unterveterinär (veterinarian service of the Wehrmacht)

The corps colour of the military Health Service Support (HSS) 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 .

Address

The manner of formal addressing of military surgeons/dentists with the rank Unterarzt was, „Herr Unterarzt“.

References