Military ranks of Socialist Yugoslavia

Last updated September 08, 2025

The Military ranks of Socialist Yugoslavia are the military insignia used by the Yugoslav People's Army.

Ranks (1945–1946)

Officers

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group	General / flag officers				Senior officers			Junior officers
Yugoslav Army ^[1]
Yugoslav Army ^[1]	Maršal Jugoslavije ^[a]	General-pukovnik	General-lajtant	General-major	Pukovnik	Potpukovnik	Major	Kapetan	Poručnik	Potporučnik	Zastavnik
Rank group	General / flag officers				Senior officers			Junior officers

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group	Senior NCOs			Junior NCOs		Enlisted
Yugoslav Army ^[1]							No insignia
Yugoslav Army ^[1]		Stariji vodnik	Vodnik	Mlađi vodnik	Desetar		Borac
Rank group	Senior NCOs			Junior NCOs		Enlisted

Ranks (1946–1955)

Officers

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers			Junior officers
Yugoslav Ground Forces
Yugoslav Ground Forces	Maršal Jugoslavije ^[a]	General armije	General-pukovnik	General-potpukovnik	General-major	Pukovnik	Potpukovnik	Major	Kapetan prve klase	Kapetan	Poručnik	Potporučnik
Yugoslav Navy
Yugoslav Navy	Maršal Jugoslavije ^[a]	Admiral flote	Admiral	Viceadmiral	Kontraadmiral	Kapetan bojnog broda	Kapetan Fregate	Kapetan korvete	Poručnik bojnog broda	Poručnik fregate	Poručnik korvete	Potporučnik
Yugoslav Air Force
Yugoslav Air Force	Maršal Jugoslavije ^[a]	General armije	General-pukovnik	General-potpukovnik	General-major	Pukovnik	Potpukovnik	Major	Kapetan prve klase	Kapetan	Poručnik	Potporučnik
Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers			Junior officers

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group	Senior NCOs				Junior NCOs		Enlisted
Yugoslav Ground Forces								No insignia
Yugoslav Ground Forces		Stariji vodnik	Vodnik 1. klase	Vodnik	Mlađi vodnik	Desetar	Razvodnik	Vojnik
Yugoslav Navy								No insignia
Yugoslav Navy		Stariji vodnik	Vodnik 1. klase	Vodnik	Mlađi vodnik	Desetar	Razvodnik	Mornar
Yugoslav Air Force								No insignia
Yugoslav Air Force		Stariji vodnik	Vodnik 1. klase	Vodnik	Mlađi vodnik	Desetar	Razvodnik	Vojnik
Rank group	Senior NCOs				Junior NCOs		Enlisted

Ranks (1955–1982)

This table shows the rank structure in use by Yugoslav People's Army from 1955 to 1982.^[2]

Officers

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group	General / flag officers						Senior officers			Junior officers
Yugoslav Ground Forces ^[3]
Yugoslav Ground Forces ^[3]	Maršal Jugoslavije ^[a]	General ^[b]	General armije	General-pukovnik	General-potpukovnik	General-major	Pukovnik	Potpukovnik	Major	Kapetan prve klase	Kapetan	Poručnik	Potporučnik
Yugoslav Navy
Yugoslav Navy	Maršal Jugoslavije ^[a]		Admiral flote	Admiral	Viceadmiral	Kontraadmiral	Kapetan bojnog broda	Kapetan Fregate	Kapetan korvete	Poručnik bojnog broda	Poručnik fregate	Poručnik korvete	Potporučnik
Yugoslav Air Force
Yugoslav Air Force	Maršal Jugoslavije ^[a]		General armije	General-pukovnik	General-potpukovnik	General-major	Pukovnik	Potpukovnik	Major	Kapetan prve klase	Kapetan	Poručnik	Potporučnik
Rank group	General / flag officers						Senior officers			Junior officers

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.^[4]

Rank group	NCOs						Enlisted
Yugoslav Ground Forces ^[3]
Yugoslav Ground Forces ^[3]	Zastavnik I klase	Zastavnik	Stariji vodnik I klase	Stariji vodnik	Vodnik I klase	Vodnik	Mlađi vodnik	Desetar	Razvodnik	Vojnik
Yugoslav Navy
Yugoslav Navy	Zastavnik I klase	Zastavnik	Stariji vodnik I klase	Stariji vodnik	Vodnik I klase	Vodnik	Mlađi vodnik	Desetar	Razvodnik	Mornar
Yugoslav Air Force
Yugoslav Air Force	Zastavnik I klase	Zastavnik	Stariji vodnik I klase	Stariji vodnik	Vodnik I klase	Vodnik	Mlađi vodnik	Desetar	Razvodnik	Vojnik
Rank group	NCOs						Enlisted

Ranks (1982–1992)

Officers

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers			Junior officers
Yugoslav Ground Forces ^[5]^[6]
Yugoslav Ground Forces ^[5]^[6]		Генерал армије General armije	Генерал-пуковник General-pukovnik	Генерал-потпуковник General-potpukovnik	Генерал-мајор General-major	Пуковник Pukovnik	Потпуковник Potpukovnik	Мајор Major	Капетан прве класе Kapetan 1. klase	Капетан Kapetan	Поручник Poručnik	Потпоручник Potporučnik
Yugoslav Navy ^[5]^[6]
Yugoslav Navy ^[5]^[6]		Адмирал флоте Admiral flote	Адмирал Admiral	Вицеадмирал Vitseadmiral	Контраадмирал Kontraadmiral	Капетан бојног брода Kapetan bojnog broda	Капетан фрегате Kapetan fregate	Капетан корвете Kapetan korvete	Поручник бојног брода Poručnik bojnog broda	Поручник фрегате Poručnik fregate	Поручник корвете Poručnik korvete	Потпоручник Potporučnik
Yugoslav Air Force ^[5]^[6]
Yugoslav Air Force ^[5]^[6]		Генерал армије General armije	Генерал-пуковник авијације General-pukovnik	Генерал-потпуковник авијације General-potpukovnik	Генерал-мајор авијације General-major	Пуковник Pukovnik	Потпуковник Potpukovnik	Мајор Major	Капетан прве класе Kapetan 1. klase	Капетан Kapetan	Поручник Poručnik	Потпоручник Potporučnik
Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers			Junior officers

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group	NCOs						Enlisted
Yugoslav Ground Forces ^[5]^[6]
Yugoslav Ground Forces ^[5]^[6]	Zastavnik I klase	Zastavnik	Stariji vodnik I klase	Stariji vodnik	Vodnik I klase	Vodnik	Mlađi vodnik	Desetar	Razvodnik	Vojnik
Yugoslav Navy ^[6]
Yugoslav Navy ^[6]	Zastavnik I klase	Zastavnik	Stariji vodnik I klase	Stariji vodnik	Vodnik I klase	Vodnik	Mlađi vodnik	Desetar	Razvodnik	Mornar
Yugoslav Air Force ^[6]
Yugoslav Air Force ^[6]	Zastavnik I klase	Zastavnik	Stariji vodnik I klase	Stariji vodnik	Vodnik I klase	Vodnik	Mlađi vodnik	Desetar	Razvodnik	Vojnik
Rank group	NCOs						Enlisted

In 1988, wartime insignia for Members of the Presidency were instituted (effective January 1st, 1989)^[7]^[8] for wear in their collective capacity as supreme commander-in-chief,^[9] but were never used.

Rank group	Supreme Command
Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army	Članovi Predsedništva

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Marshal of Yugoslavia was an honorary title of the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces and not a military rank. The first and the only one was given to Josip Broz Tito, who (beside the title of Maršal and Supreme Commander), also held the lifelong function of the President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the leader of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.
↑ General was highest military rank for deputy supreme commander. Established 1955 and Abolished 1974. Ivan Gošnjak, while serving as a defence minister and deputy supreme commander of SFRY, was considered for promotion to this rank. No officers were promoted to this rank.

References

1 2 Thomas & Abbott 1983, p. 26.
↑ Army Lexicon. Belgrade: Military Publishing Institute of the Yugoslav People's Army. 1981. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
1 2 Landser 1975, pp. 61–62.
↑ "Army Ranks 1946 - 1982". Kokosar. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
1 2 3 4 Soper 1992, p. 264.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Military Publishing and Newspaper Center 1989, pp. 175–190.
↑ Naredba o ratnoj vojnoj uniformi članova Presedništva SFRJ (Službeni vojni list, br. 3/88), transl. Order on the wartime military uniform of the members of the Presidency of the SFRY (Official Military Gazette, No. 3/88)
↑ Chapter VII, Section IV "Military uniform of the members of the Presidency of the SFRY", Article 221 of the Military Uniforms Regulation of the Armed Forces of the SFRY as published in the Official Military Gazette, No. 828/1988.
↑ Articles 313 and 328 of the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution

Soper, Karl Wheele (1992). "National Security". In Curtis, Glenn E. (ed.). Yugoslavia: a country study. Area Handbook (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. LCCN 91040323 . Retrieved 19 October 2021.
Thomas, Nigel; Abbott, Peter (1983). Windrow, Martin (ed.). Partisan Warfare 1941-45. Men-at-Arms. Hong Kong: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-513-8.
"Die jugoslawische Armee" [The Yugoslav Army]. Der Landser (in German). Hamburg: Erich Pabel Verlag. December 1975.
Pravilo О Vojnim Uniformama Oruzanih Snaga SFRJ (in Serbian). Beograd: Military Publishing and Newspaper Center. 1989. pp. 175–190. Retrieved 15 July 2024.

External links

"Yugoslavia 1943–1992 (Socialist Federal Republic)". uniforminsignia.org. The International Encyclopedia of Uniform Insignia. Retrieved 19 October 2021.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[fn1-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Marshal of Yugoslavia was an honorary title of the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces and not a military rank. The first and the only one was given to Josip Broz Tito, who (beside the title of Maršal and Supreme Commander), also held the lifelong function of the President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the leader of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.

[5] General was highest military rank for deputy supreme commander. Established 1955 and Abolished 1974. Ivan Gošnjak, while serving as a defence minister and deputy supreme commander of SFRY, was considered for promotion to this rank. No officers were promoted to this rank.

[FOOTNOTEThomasAbbott198326-1] 1 2 Thomas & Abbott 1983, p. 26.

[armylex-3] Army Lexicon. Belgrade: Military Publishing Institute of the Yugoslav People's Army. 1981. Retrieved 15 November 2022.

[FOOTNOTELandser197561–62-4] 1 2 Landser 1975, pp. 61–62.

[kokosar-6] "Army Ranks 1946 - 1982". Kokosar. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2022.

[FOOTNOTESoper1992264-7] 1 2 3 4 Soper 1992, p. 264.

[FOOTNOTEMilitary_Publishing_and_Newspaper_Center1989175–190-8] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Military Publishing and Newspaper Center 1989, pp. 175–190.

[9] Naredba o ratnoj vojnoj uniformi članova Presedništva SFRJ (Službeni vojni list, br. 3/88), transl. Order on the wartime military uniform of the members of the Presidency of the SFRY (Official Military Gazette, No. 3/88)

[10] Chapter VII, Section IV "Military uniform of the members of the Presidency of the SFRY", Article 221 of the Military Uniforms Regulation of the Armed Forces of the SFRY as published in the Official Military Gazette, No. 828/1988.

[11] Articles 313 and 328 of the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution

[1]

[a]

[2]

[3]

[b]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

v t e Yugoslav People's Army
Leadership	Commander-in-Chief Federal Secretary of People's Defence Chief of the General Staff
Branches	Yugoslav Ground Forces Yugoslav Navy Ships Yugoslav Air Force Territorial Defense
Counterintelligence	KOS
Personnel	Yugoslav People's Army ranks
Decorations	Orders, decorations, and medals

Military ranks of Socialist Yugoslavia

Contents

Ranks (1945–1946)

Officers

Other ranks

Ranks (1946–1955)

Officers

Other ranks

Ranks (1955–1982)

Officers

Other ranks

Ranks (1982–1992)

Officers

Other ranks

See also

Notes

References

External links