Kriegsmarine Ranks

Kapitänleutnant

Lieutenant-Commander


Kapitaenleutnant

Kapitaenleutnant

The Oberleutnant zur See usually needed 3 to 4 years to be promoted to this rank, but is was also possible to reach this rank in 2 years, depending on position and obtained successes.

The Kapitänleutnant wear the plain shoulder-strap with two stars, the Kapitänleutnant (Ing.) had a cog-wheel on the shoulder-strap (see left).

They had one stripe on the shade of cap. On the arm they wear two broad strips, in the middle one narrow and over it the star (engineer officers also wore the cog-wheel).

Usual abbreviations were 'Kaleunt' or 'Kaleu'.


Kapitaenleutnant
Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien
Kapitaenleutnant Kptlt. Otto Kretschmer
after patrol
Kapitaenleutnant
Kptlt. Helmut Rosenbaum
Commander of U-73
Kapitaenleutnant
Kptlt. Herbert Sohler
Commander of the 7th Flotilla


Oberleutnant zur See - Kapitänleutnant - Korvettenkapitän


Kriegsmarine Ranks