Kapitan (rank)

Kapitan; in the Russian Army
Rank insignia	Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Introduction	1935 to the Red Army
Rank group	Commanding staff
Army / Air Force	Kapitan
Navy	Kapitan-leytenant
NATO; equivalent	OF-2

Kapitan (derived from French: capitaine; before Latin: capitaneus – (military) leader, count, or chairman of a parish council; or from Latin: caput – head, main, chief, primary, principal, general, central, leading, etc.) is used manifold as rank, grade, or rank designation in the Army, Air Force or Navy of numerous countries and armed forces. In member countries of NATO-alliance Kapitan is a commissioned officer rank, rated OF-2 in line to the NATO officers rank system. The almost equivalent OF-2 officer, e.g. in the US Army, is the Captain rank.

This article describes Kapitan as military rank, not to be confused with the title of Kapitan. For the equivalent OF-2 rank in Anglophone armed forces, see Captain, and in Germany see Hauptmann.

Kapitain mil. engineering Netherlands ca. 1900.

Historical roots

Kapitan (appointment, later rank) was used first in the middle age in France in order to designate leaders of the military districts or regions. In the second half of the 16th century, it came in use to specify commanding officers of company-sized units. In the 19th century it became gradually a military rank, and was used in combination with other noun, e.g. Stabs-kapitan (ru: штабс-капитан Russian Imperial Army) Kapitan-leytenant (naval forces). The rank designation Kapitan contains a common syllable and historical roots in a number of European countries at the one hand. Slight national variations of spelling are for the sake of the historical and heraldic tradition, at the other hand.

Russia

In Russia, the military rank Kapitan was introduced in the XVI century to foreign officers, appointed to commander of company-sized units. In the XVII – XVII century this rank became open to all company commanders, serving in the regular army. In the cavalierly (in dragoon regiments and Special Corps of Gendarmes) the equivalent to Kapitan was Rotmister (derived from the German Rittmeister), and in the Cossacks corps it was Yesaul.

In the Russian Army (1855–1917) and in the so-called White Army braid shoulder boards with one central stripe have been worn (see picture 1, below). As the Major-rank was abolished in May 1884, the Kapitan-rank was upgraded to level VIII in the rank table. However, the Guards kapitan became equivalent to generic Podpolkovnik in the Army.

In the civil administration Kapitan of the infantry was equivalent to the Council assessor (ru: коллежский асессор; kollezhsky assessor) from 1884, and Titular adviser (ru: титулярный советник, tituljarny sovetnik) until 1884.

**Sequence of ranks RIA 1917**
lower rank: Shtabs-kapitan (en: Staff captain)	Kapitan (en: Captain)	higher rank: Major (en: Major)

Some examples of rank insignia (epaulette, shoulder board), used by RIA IRA, are shown below:

Kapitan epaulette (1904)
... shoulder board
... fiel uniform

Soviet Union and Russian Federation

In the armed forces of the Soviet Union (later Russian Federation) the Kapitan´s rank (to Army, Air Force, and Navy land services) was introduced by disposal of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935.[1] It was equivalent to the rank kapitan-leytenant (ru: капитан-лейтенант) of the Navy.

If military personnel serves in a guards formation, or on a guards war ship, to the rank designation will be placed in front the noun guards (e.g. "Gurds kapitan"). Civil – or military personnel with a specific defined level of expertise or knowledge in medical or judicial professions, to the military rank will be added the noun "legal or the wording "medical service". Further adding to the military rank designation might be "retired" or "on retirement".

Personnel serving in the executive of the Russian Federation might be specified by rank designation as follows.

Kapitan of the Police (until March 1, 2011 Kapitan of the Militsiya)
Kapitan of the Internal Troops
Kapitan investigation of tax offence

**Sequence of ranks ascending**
lower rank: Starshy leytenant (en: 1st lieutenant)	Kapitan (en: Captain)	higher rank: Major (en: Major)

Rank insignia

Some examples of rank insignia (shoulder, collar, and sleeve), used by Russia and the USSR, are shown below:

Gorget patch Kapitan RA USSR Land forces (1935—1943)
... Air Force (1935—1943)
Shoulder board Land forces (1943—1955 гг.), corps colour «red», armoured troops.
parade uniform, Land forces (1955-1994), and since 2010
... ABF, AF, Aviation of the ADF (1955-1994), and since 2010
everyday uniform, Ground forces until 2010
... uniform, AF until 2010
... uniform, ABF until 2010
field uniform until 2010
parade uniform shirt, Ground forces until 2010
Kapitan of the Police (until 2011 — Militsiya), also Internal Troops

Variants in different countries

Country	Language	Rank designation
Country	Language	Army	Air Force	Navy
Azerbaijan	Azerbaijani	Kapitein		Kapitan-leytenant
Austria	German	Hauptmann		Linienschiffsleutnant (Austro-Hungarian Navy)
Belgium	Dutch	Kapitan		Luitenant-ter-zee
Belarus	Belarusian	Капітан (Kapitan)
Bulgaria	Bulgarian	Капитан (Kapitan)
Croatia	Croatian	Satnik		Poručnik bojnog broda
Czech Republic	Czech	Kapitán
Denmark	Danish	Kaptajn, Ritmester		Kaptajnløjtnant
Germany	German	Hauptmann, Stabshauptmann Rittmeister (until 1945)		Kapitänleutnant, Stabskapitänleutnant
Finland	Finnish	Kapteeni		Kapteeniluutnantti, Kaptenlöjtnant
Lithuania	Lithuanian	Kapitonas
Netherlands	Dutch	Kapitein/ Ritmeester		Luitenant ter zee der tweede klasse oudste
North Macedonia	Macedonian	Капeтан (Kapetan)
Norway	Norwegian	Kaptein, Rittmester		Kapteinløytnant
Poland	Polish	Kapitan		Kapitan marynarki
Serbia	Serbian	Капeтан (Kapetan)		Поручник бојног брода
Slovakia	Slovak	Kapitan		Poročnik bojne ladje
Sweden	Swedish	Kapten, Ryttmästare		Kapten
Switzerland	German	Hauptmann
Russia	Russian	Капитан (Kapitan)		Капитан-лейтенант (Kapitan-leytenant)
Ukraine	Ukrainian	Капітан (Kapitan)		Капітан-лейтенант (Kapitan-leytenant)

References

Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935, on introduction of individual military rank designation to commanding personnel of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.

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[1] Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars, from September 22, 1935, on introduction of individual military rank designation to commanding personnel of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.