General

General is a military rank used by nearly every country in the world. In most nations General is the highest rank, although some countries have even higher ranks such as Field Marshal and General of the Army.

General ranks by country

United States

In the United States Armed Forces, "General" may mean either any rank of general officer, or the highest regular rank, which is usually referred to as full general, or four-star general, if it is necessary to identify it specifically. The different ranks of general are identified by the number of stars worn; a General of the Army wears five stars, a General four stars, a Lieutenant General three stars, a Major General two stars, and a Brigadier General one star.

Related Topics:
United States Armed Forces - General of the Army - Brigadier General

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During the American Civil War, all generals in the Confederate military, regardless of grade, wore an insignia of three stars in a row with the middle one being slightly larger and placed in an open wreath. One exception to this was General Robert E. Lee who chose to wear the insignia rank of a colonel (three stars) even after he became overall commander of the Confederate armies in 1865.

Related Topics:
American Civil War - Confederate - Robert E. Lee - Colonel - 1865

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

United Kingdom and Commonwealth

In the British Army, a General's insignia is a crossed sword and baton. This appeared on its own for the now obsolete rank of Brigadier-General. A Major-General has a star (sometimes called a "pip") over this emblem; a Lieutenant-General a crown instead of a pip; and a full General both a pip and a crown. The insignia for the highest rank of Field Marshal, equivalent to an American five-star general, consists of crossed batons within a wreath and surmounted by a crown. Brigadiers, although equivalent to Brigadier Generals in other armies, are not considered to be general officers in the British Army.

Related Topics:
British Army - Star - Field Marshal - Brigadier

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Germany

The German Army formerly had pips somewhat like the British, but with five sides on heavy gold braid shoulderboards to indicate generals. The lowest-ranking general had no pip on his shoulderboard. The German military also maintained the rank known as Colonel-General which outranks a full general but is subordinate to a Field Marshal. This was primarly since the German military had no equivalent to Brigadier General.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Korea

The rank of General is used by both South Korea and North Korea. The North Korean version is known as Daejang and is often translated as "Vice-Marshal", subordinate to the higher rank of Chasu.

Related Topics:
South Korea - North Korea - Daejang - Chasu

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The South Korean military maintains a four star General rank known as Taejang and it is used by all branches of the Korean military. A South Korean Taejang is the highest possible rank, subordinate only to a Wonsu which is a wartime rank which has never been used by the South Korean military.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Israel

The correspondent rank for General in the Israeli Defence Forces is Rav Aluf. There can only be one active "Rav Aluf" at a time. The "Rav Aluf" rank is given only to the RAMATKAL (Chief of the General Staff), which is the highest position within the IDF.

Related Topics:
Israeli Defence Forces - Rav Aluf - RAMATKAL - IDF

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Switzerland

In Switzerland, General is a title held by the chief of the Army in time of war only. Senior officers used to hold the rank of Colonel (there were "Brigade Colonels", for instance). Nowadays, these ranks are designated without the "Colonel" extension. Generals were appointed during the Franco-Prussian War, First World War and Second World War, although Switzerland did not take part in any of these conflicts. An exception to the rule is the rank of the senior Swiss officer detached to the line of demarcation in Panmunjeom, South Korea, who is designated "General" for equality purposes.

Related Topics:
Switzerland - Colonel - Franco-Prussian War - First World War - Second World War - Panmunjeom - South Korea

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

France

In France, generals are named after the type of unit they command. In ascending order these are Général de Brigade, Général de Division, Général de Corps d'Armée and Général d'Armée. The insignia for these ranks is two to five stars (one more than for the equivalent rank in the United States). The six star insignia is reserved for the local commander of the Paris defense sector regardless of his actual rank. The appointment of a Maréchal de France, wearing seven stars, is purely honorary.

Related Topics:
France - Paris

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~