Brontekst bekijken van Subaltern (military)

{{Short description|British military term for a junior officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Military ranks}}

A '''subaltern''' ({{IPAc-en|ipa|ˈ|s|ʌ|b|ə|l|t|ɚ|n}}) is a primarily British military term for a junior [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2003/01/06.html |title= Subaltern |access-date=2008-09-17 |publisher=[[Reference.com|Dictionary.Reference.com]]}}</ref> Literally meaning "[[subordinate]]", subaltern is used to describe [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned officer]]s below the [[military rank|rank]] of [[Captain (land and air)|captain]] and generally comprises the various grades of [[lieutenant]].<ref name=cs>{{cite web|title=Commissioned Officers|url=http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/ranks/officers.htm|work=Ranks|publisher=CanadianSoldiers.com|access-date=31 January 2013}}</ref>

==United Kingdom==
In the [[British Army]], the senior subaltern rank was [[captain-lieutenant]], obsolete since the 18th century. Before the [[Cardwell Reforms]] of the British Army in 1871, the ranks of [[cornet (military rank)|cornet]] and [[ensign (rank)|ensign]]<ref name=cs/> were the junior subaltern ranks in the [[cavalry]] and [[infantry]] respectively, and were responsible for the flag.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Cornet}}</ref> A subaltern takes temporary command of proceedings during [[Trooping the Colour]]. Within the ranks of subaltern, in a battalion or regiment, a Senior Subaltern may be appointed, usually by rank and seniority, who is responsible for discipline within the junior officer ranks and is responsible to the [[adjutant]] for this duty, although the adjutant is ultimately responsible to the commanding officer for the discipline of all the junior officers within the unit.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Senior Subaltern|url=http://regimentalrogue.com/srsub/senior_subaltern.htm|work=The Regimental Rogue|access-date=15 June 2014}}</ref>

===Women's ranks===
From 1941 to 1949, the [[Auxiliary Territorial Service]] (ATS) of the British Army used the ranks of second subaltern and subaltern, which were equivalent to [[second lieutenant]] and [[lieutenant]] respectively. From 1949 to 1950, the ATS's successor organisation, the [[Women's Royal Army Corps]], also used the same ranks until it abandoned them in favour of regular British Army ranks.<ref>{{cite news|title=Army Titles in the WRAC|work=[[The Times]]|date=20 March 1950}}</ref> [[Elizabeth II|Princess Elizabeth]] held the rank of second subaltern in the ATS during [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/pictures/galleries/2955/Queen-Elizabeth-II-World-War-II-pictures/Queen-Elizabeth-II-pictured-in-1945-as-Second-Subaltern-in-ATS-65565|title = The Queen during World War II &#124; Royal Galleries &#124; Pics}}</ref>

==United States==
The [[Continental Army]] carried over the rank structure from the British Army including the subaltern ranks of lieutenant, cornet, ensign and subaltern. Continental Army subalterns ranks were supposed to wear green colored cockades in their hats.<ref name=abt>{{cite web| last=Powers |first=Rod |title=Military Rank History |url= http://usmilitary.about.com/od/jointservices/a/rankhistory.htm |work=US Military |publisher=About.com |pages=1–2|access-date=31 January 2013}}</ref> State [[militia]]s in the [[American Revolutionary War]] period had ensign and sometimes subaltern ranks, with the subaltern rank below the ensign rank where they coexisted.<ref name=ae>{{cite web|last=Troy|first=Michael|title=Rank of Ensign in Revolutionary Army|url=http://en.allexperts.com/q/U-S-History-672/2011/10/rank-ensign-revolutionary-army.htm|work=All Experts: U.S. History|publisher=About.com|access-date=31 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629023405/http://en.allexperts.com/q/U-S-History-672/2011/10/rank-ensign-revolutionary-army.htm|archive-date=29 June 2013}}</ref> In 1800, the [[United States Army]]'s cornet, ensign and subaltern ranks were replaced by second lieutenant.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of U.S. Army Officer Rank - Captains & Lieutenants|url=http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/armyorank/blcptlt.htm|work=US military|publisher=about.com|access-date=31 January 2013}}</ref> In 1862, the [[United States Navy]] began using the ensign rank, which began using a gold bar as insignia in 1922. Second lieutenants received the gold bar insignia in 1917. When the [[United States Air Force]] became a separate military branch from the Army, it kept the Army's commissioned officers ranks and insignia.<ref name=abt/>

==See also==
*[[Officer (armed forces)]]
*[[Warrant officer]]
*[[Lieutenant]] grades
**[[Lieutenant commander]]
**[[Lieutenant (junior grade)]]
**[[Sub-lieutenant]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Military ranks of the British Army]]
[[Category:Military ranks of the United States]]