Podporuchik

This article is about the variant of the rank junior lieutenant used in some Slavophone countries. For the use in other Slavophone countries, see Junior lieutenant.

Podporuchik (Serbo-Croatian: потпоручник, potporučnik, Czech: podporučík, Polish: podporucznik, Russian: подпору́чик, Macedonian: потпоручник, Slovak: podporučík) is the most junior officer in some Slavic armed forces, and is placed below the rank of lieutenant, typically corresponding to rank of second lieutenant in English-speaking countries.

Countries which use Podporuchik

Russia and Russian imperial armed forces

The rank was introduced first by Peter the Great in 1703^[1] as an officer rank of the so-called ober-officer rank group. It belonged to rank class XIII (infantry), class XII (artillery, and engineer troops), and class X (guards) until 1884. In line with the military reforms in 1884, podpraporshik became in peace time. However, in the guards and the cossacks armed forces Cornet and Chorąży remained the lowest officer rank.^{[citation needed]}

The equivalent to podpraporshik was Michman in the Imperial Russian Navy, and governmental secretary (Russian: губернский секретарь, romanized: gubernsky sekretar) in the civil administration.^{[citation needed]}

Poland

In Poland, the rank of Podporucznik (lit. 'sub-lieutenant'; abbreviated "ppor.") is the lowest officer rank used within the Polish Army.^[2] It is roughly equivalent to the military rank of the Second lieutenant in the armed forces of English-speaking countries.

Graduates of military schools are awarded the rank of podporucznik by the office of the President of Poland upon the request of the Ministry of National Defence (Poland). The rank may also awarded by the way of a promotion provided certain conditions.^{[citation needed]}

The rank of podporucznik also exists in the Border Guard, Prison Service, the State Protection Service, Foreign Intelligence Agency, Military Intelligence Service [pl], the Military Counterintelligence Service, the Internal Security Agency, and in the Polish Navy.^{[citation needed]}

Variants

• Prison Service: Podporucznik Służby Więziennej (lit. 'Sub-lieutenant of the Prison Service')
• Navy: Podporucznik marynarki (lit. 'Sub-lieutenant of the Navy')

Possible rank sequence

A possible sequence of ranks (ascending) might be as follows:

• Podporuchik (sub / junior poruchik / lieutenant)
• Poruchik (lieutenant)
• Nadporuchik (senior poruchik / lieutenant)
• Kapitan (captain)

Podporuchik insignia

Army

• 
  Podporučnik
  (Bosnian Ground Forces)^[3]
• 
  Потпоручник
  Potporučnik
  (Macedonian Ground Forces)^[4]
• 
  Potporučnik
  (Montenegrin Ground Army)^[5]
• 
  Podporucznik
  (Polish Land Forces)^[6]
• 
  Потпоручник
  Potporučnik
  (Serbian Army)^[7]

Navy

• 
  Podporucznik marynarki
  (Polish Navy)^[8]
• 
  Потпоручник
  Potporučnik
  (Serbian River Flotilla)^[7]

See also

• Lieutenant (Eastern Europe)
• Lieutenant colonel (Eastern Europe)
• Colonel (Eastern Europe)
• Lieutenant colonel general
• Comparative army officer ranks of Europe
• Ranks and insignia of the Russian armed forces until 1917

References

1. Introduction of the rank "podporuchik" by Peter the Great in 1703. As to booklet: "Soviet military encyclopaedia" |6|388.^{[clarification needed]}
2. Marian Laprus (ed.), Leksykon wiedzy wojskowej. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej (MON), 1979. Internet Archive.
3. "OBILJEŽJA I ČINOVI OS BIH". os.mod.gov.ba (in Bosnian). Oružane snage Bosne i Hercegovine. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
4. "УРЕДБА ЗА ОЗНАКИТЕ ЗА УНИФОРМИТЕ НА АРМИЈАТА НА РЕПУБЛИКА СЕВЕРНА МАКЕДОНИЈА" [Regulation on the Markings for the Uniforms of the Army of the Republic Northern of Macedonia]. dejure.mk (in Macedonian). 12 November 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
5. "IV. Izgled Činova u Vojsci". Official Gazette of Montenegro (in Montenegrin). 50/10: 22–28. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
6. "Sposób noszenia odznak stopni wojskowych na umundurowaniu wojsk Lądowych i sił Powietrznych" (PDF). wojsko-polskie.pl (in Polish). Armed Forces Support Inspectorate. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
7. "ЧИНОВИ У ВОЈСЦИ СРБИЈЕ". vs.rs (in Serbian). Serbian Armed Forces. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
8. "Sposób noszenia odznak stopni wojskowych na umundurowaniu Marynarki Wojennej" (PDF). wojsko-polskie.pl (in Polish). Armed Forces Support Inspectorate. Retrieved 7 June 2021.

Further reading

• Przepis Ubioru Polowego Wojsk Polskich. Warszawa: Zakłady Graficzno-Wydawnicze "Książka", 1919.
• Przepisy ubiorcze żołnierzy Wojska Polskiego; sygn. Mund. 45/71/III. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, 1972.