General of the Army (USA)
The General of the Army ( German General des Heeres ) is a five-star general (OF-10) and the second highest possible rank in the US Army . Only in the event of war can a congress officer receive this rank. The rank was therefore only given to five people in this form. The equivalent in the US Navy is the Fleet Admiral and in the US Air Force the General of the Air Force . Comparable ranks this would Marshal , Field Marshal , Field Marshal and Marshal of the Russian Federation in the armed forces of other states.
The General of the Armies represents an even higher and thus highest rank in the US armed forces - a rank that was previously only awarded to John J. Pershing in 1919 and posthumously in 1976 as part of the celebrations for 200 years of US independence George Washington was awarded.
Historical development
George Washington
Since the time of the American Revolutionary War , the highest regular rank in the US Army has been that of Major General . Before the American Civil War, the rank of Lieutenant General was only awarded twice: to George Washington in 1798 and (as a brevet rank ) to Winfield Scott in 1855.
Washington had held the title of Continental Army General and Commander In Chief since 1775 , making it the highest ranking general in the US Army and holding the highest rank of major general at the time. He gave this post in 1783 to Major General Henry Knox , who now carried the title of Senior Officer of the US Army . From 1798 to 1799 Washington once again assumed command of the US Army as Senior Officer of the US Army . The rank of Lieutenant General was created for him in the same year. On March 3, 1799 he received the title - not the rank - of General of the Armies of the United States , where he retained the rank of Lieutenant General.
After the introduction of the rank of General of the Army with five stars during World War II , Washington was posthumously awarded the highest rank of General of the Armies of the United States "for the past and present" on October 11, 1976 for the bicentenary of the United States . It was determined that no US officer should ever hold a higher rank than Washington.
After the Civil War
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After the end of the Civil War , the rank of General of the Army of the United States was established on July 25, 1866 by the US Congress . Ulysses S. Grant was named Lieutenant General in 1864 when he was to become Commanding General of the United States Army .
The new rank of the General of the Army of the United States , like that of the Lieutenant General, was designed as a singular rank, so it could only be worn by one person at a time, usually the Commanding General of the United States Army . Grant carried the rank until he was sworn in as 18th President of the United States in March 1869, after which he was succeeded as Commanding General William T. Sherman , while Philip Sheridan rose to Lieutenant General.
As insignia, Grant wore four stars and the US coat of arms on the uniform, while Sherman and later Sheridan were marked on the epaulets with two stars and the US coat of arms. The highest rank at that time is compared today with that of a general (US pay grade O-10). By law on June 1, 1888, the rank of Lieutenant General was abolished and that of the General of the Army of the United States so downgraded and awarded to Sheridan. However, he died on August 5, 1888, making the rank of Major General with two stars again the highest in rank.
In 1903, a comparable construct was created for the United States Navy with the Admiral of the Navy . Only one person held this rank, George Dewey (retrospectively dated to 1899).
General of the Armies of the United States (rank and title)
After the United States entered the First World War , the ranks of Lieutenant General and General were awarded again for the first time in 1917. After the end of the war, John J. Pershing was the only person to be awarded the rank of General of the Armies of the United States in recognition of his performance as Commander in Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe . He ranked above the general of the US Army and was comparable to the contemporary German field marshal . Pershing was allowed to choose his own insignia. He decided to wear a general's four stars, but in gold instead of the usual silver.
On October 11, 1976, for the United States' bicentenary, George Washington was posthumously awarded the highest rank of General of the Armies of the United States "for the past and the present ."
General of the Army (5-Star General)
The US General of the Army was initially created as a five-star general on December 14, 1944 by the Public Law 482 of the US Congress and finally anchored on March 23, 1946. The purpose was to create a rank equivalent to that of the British field marshal.
The insignia of the General of the Army are five stars arranged in a pentagonal pattern, the corners of which are touching. Above is the Great Seal of the United States.
The holders of the rank are listed below. Please note the exact times chosen for the first four appointments. The dates of the appointment of the equivalent Fleet Admirals took place on December 15, 17 and 19, 1944, respectively. This was done in order to provide a clear anciency or ranking among these officers. John J. Pershing , who lived until 1948, was viewed as theoretically more senior to the Generals of the Army of World War II. This is irrelevant because, firstly, he was out of service when the other officers were appointed and, secondly, he was awarded his rank earlier than these.
| Surname | appointment |
|---|---|
| George C. Marshall | December 16, 1944 |
| Douglas MacArthur | December 18, 1944 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | December 20, 1944 |
| Henry H. Arnold | December 21, 1944 |
| Omar N. Bradley | 20th September 1950 |
At the same time, on December 15, 1944, William D. Leahy , Ernest J. King on December 17, and Chester W. Nimitz on December 19, were promoted to comparable Fleet Admirals ( United Kingdom : Admiral of the Fleet). Here, too, the dates of the appointment were coordinated to provide a clear ranking among the officers of the army and navy.
Henry H. Arnold , commander of the US Air Force predecessor US Army Air Forces during World War II , was appointed General of the Army in 1944 and retired with this rank in 1946. After the US Air Force was established as an independent military service in 1947, the corresponding rank of General of the Air Force was created. Formally, no one in active service has held this rank so far. On May 7, 1949, Arnold was awarded the rank of General of the Air Force and a portrait was taken showing him the rank with uniform.
Compare ranks and titles
Comparisons of the different ranks and titles are to be seen as anachronistic and irrelevant, because the rank of General of the Armies (of the United States) is a very rare construct that cannot be compared with today's ranks. The rank does not coexist with the General of the Army . The posthumous award of the title General of the Armies of the United States to George Washington was not actually the establishment of a military rank, but only a legal and at the same time heroic construct , so that no general - not even the Generals of the Army - a higher rank could hold as the (already dead) national hero Washington.
The rank of General of the Armies (of the United States) was awarded to Pershing after the First World War, who did not die until 1948 and theoretically would have been superior to the newly introduced General of the Army , but then only because of the higher seniority or seniority. However, he was retired and would probably not have been reactivated with the old rank.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, seniority was also primarily achieved through individual temporary appointments rather than through a permanent rank structure. Rank and title differ and should not be confused. In addition, the people and their positions of different generations cannot be compared due to the changes in the titles and organizational forms and sizes of the US Army.
Comparable ranks in other states
The rank also exists (at least on paper) in Indonesia and Liberia . In Taiwan , Chiang Kai-shek was the only five-star general in the history of the Republic of China . In Croatia this rank (Stožerni General) was given to Janko Bobetko in 1994 .
See also
- Ranks of the United States Armed Forces
- Historical ranking of the highest officers in the United States
Individual evidence
- ↑ George Washington's Commission as Commander in Chief (English)
- ↑ a b Public Law 94-479 (English, Wikisource )
- ↑ According to Eisenhower, the name "Marshal" was not chosen because the first holder of this rank, George C. Marshall Jr., would then have been officially called "Marshal Marshall". Eisenhower Memorial Commission - The Story Behind Ike's Fifth Star . Eisenhowermemorial.org. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
- ↑ see also www.history.army.mil 'US Army Five-Star Generals'
- ↑ history.army.mil
- ↑ history.army.mil
- ↑ history.army.mil
- ↑ history.army.mil
