Gefreiter

Gefreiter is the German, Swiss and Austrian equivalent for Private (OR-2) in the armed services. Gefreiter was the lowest rank to which an ordinary soldier could be promoted. As a military rank it has existed since at least the 16th century. From the 1920s on Gefreiter has expanded into several additional ranks, those being Obergefreiter, Hauptgefreiter, Stabsgefreiter and Oberstabsgefreiter.

Efreitor (Template:Lang-ru, transliterated: [Yefreytor] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) is the Russian rank what is similar to Gefreiter.

Germany

In today's German Bundeswehr, almost every soldier or sailor successfully passing the 12 weeks basic training is promoted to Gefreiter. Following the NATO ranking system, Gefreiter ranks as Private (OR-2), Obergefreiter as PFC (OR-3 lower half), Hauptgefreiter as Lance-Corporal (OR-3 upper half), Stabsgefreiter and Oberstabsgefreiter as Corporal (OR-4). The German equivalent of Private (OR-1) is Schütze or another unit type-specific term (like Kanonier, "gunner") in the Heer (German Army), Matrose in the German Navy, Flieger in the Luftwaffe, or simply Soldat ("[ordinary] soldier").

During World War I and World War II, Gefreiter was considered more to be a lance corporal, with the rank of full corporal known as Unteroffizier (lowest grading Junior Non-Commissioned Officer), which ranked between an American sergeant and corporal and approximately equivalent to a British corporal in responsibility.

The German Navy, Kriegsmarine, has also periodically maintained a rank known as Matrosengefreiter, translated as "Seaman Corporal", and equivalent to an Able Seaman or Leading Seaman.

One of the best known holders of the rank of Gefreiter was Adolf Hitler, who held the rank in the Bavarian Infantry during World War I. (Note: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a book written by William L. Shirer, a U.S. journalist and correspondent who reported from Berlin during the World War II, states that Adolf Hitler was examined for military service on February 5, 1914, and found unfit to serve by cause and or reason of poor health. When the World War I started, he petitioned King Ludwig III of Bavaria for permission to enter military service in a Bavarian regiment and was accepted.)

Switzerland

Swiss rank insignia

See Swiss army ranks.

Austria

Austrian rank insignia (field dress)

Russia, Ukraine, Belarus

In Russia, the rank of efreitor was introduced by Peter I in 1716 for infantry, cavalry and engineer forces. However, the rank wasn't used since 1722. During the reign of Paul I was given an equivalent rank of Private senior salary, which after the reign of Alexander I was saved only for the Imperial Guard, as an element of encouragement. Efreitor was re-introduced in the course of military reform of 1826.

In the armed forces of the USSR (and later Russia) Efreitor is higher on Private and less Junior Sergeant. In independent Ukraine this rank was changed to "Senior soldier".

See Russian military ranks.