Yliluutnantti
Encyclopedia
Finnish Defence Forces
rank of Yliluutnantti is comparable to Ranks of NATO armies officers
as OF-1
. The rank of yliluutnantti came to Finland from Germany with Jägers
in 1918, but General Mannerheim considered it being too German and encouraged holders of the rank to use more general rank of lieutenant instead since rank of yliluutnantti had not been confirmed as an official rank. In some regiments people with rank of yliluutnantti were considered to have been promoted to captain, and the rank fell in disuse until 1952 when it was taken to regular use, and ever since it has been in use in all three branches; Air force
, Navy
and the Army
.
Prior to the Second World War, graduates of the Defence College served with the rank of luutnantti. The rank of yliluutnantti was established in 1952, when it was felt that cadets graduating from the Defence College would be denied promotion avenues due to the large number of field-promoted company-grade officers in active service. As most of such officers held the rank of vänrikki
or luutnantti, and were unlikely to advance to field grade (due to their background as NCOs and lack of academic studies), the rank of yliluutnantti circumvented the seniority issue that would have appeared should the cadets have been promoted to luutnantti. Due to this revision, reservists who held the wartime rank of luutnantti did not receive a promotion to Captain, as would have been expected, but rather to yliluutnantti; promotions were not grandfathered.
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform...
rank of Yliluutnantti is comparable to Ranks of NATO armies officers
Ranks and insignia of NATO armies officers
Rank comparison chart of all armies of NATO member states.- Officers :- Warrant officers :Warrant officers rank below officers and above enlisted servicemen....
as OF-1
History and related ranks
The Army of the Finnish Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire had a rank of alikapteeni, similar in use as Prussian and Russian StabskapitänStabskapitän
Stabskapitän is a historic military rank, used in the Prussian and Russian armies. It ranked between the Premierleutnant and Hauptmann/Rittmeister in the Prussian army, and between lieutenant and captain in the Russian army...
. The rank of yliluutnantti came to Finland from Germany with Jägers
Finnish Jäger troops
The Jäger Movement were volunteers from Finland trained in Germany as Jägers during World War I. Supported by Germany to enable a Finnish sovereign state, it was one of many means by which Germany intended to weaken Russia and to cause Russia's loss of western provinces and...
in 1918, but General Mannerheim considered it being too German and encouraged holders of the rank to use more general rank of lieutenant instead since rank of yliluutnantti had not been confirmed as an official rank. In some regiments people with rank of yliluutnantti were considered to have been promoted to captain, and the rank fell in disuse until 1952 when it was taken to regular use, and ever since it has been in use in all three branches; Air force
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
, Navy
Finnish Navy
The Finnish Navy is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS" simply short for "Finnish Navy Ship"...
and the Army
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces.Today's Army is divided into six branches: the infantry , field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals, and materiel troops.-History of the Finnish Army:Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of...
.
Prior to the Second World War, graduates of the Defence College served with the rank of luutnantti. The rank of yliluutnantti was established in 1952, when it was felt that cadets graduating from the Defence College would be denied promotion avenues due to the large number of field-promoted company-grade officers in active service. As most of such officers held the rank of vänrikki
Vänrikki
Vänrikki is a Finnish military rank. In Finland, the rank vänrikki is used in active service by reserve officers who extend their term by 6 to 12 months and serve as sopimussotilas. In addition, it is the lowest reserve officer rank...
or luutnantti, and were unlikely to advance to field grade (due to their background as NCOs and lack of academic studies), the rank of yliluutnantti circumvented the seniority issue that would have appeared should the cadets have been promoted to luutnantti. Due to this revision, reservists who held the wartime rank of luutnantti did not receive a promotion to Captain, as would have been expected, but rather to yliluutnantti; promotions were not grandfathered.