Does anyone have any general information about this rank? To clarify, where did it come from, etc.? Furthermore, is the rank only for those in the battlefield. For example, Jodl was cheif of staff (I think) of the army but was outranked, by Rommel. Can anyone clarify exactly where the rank fit in in the Wehrmacht? Thanks in advance
The Evolution of the Fieldmarshalship.
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The first field marshal in the German and austrian forces, in the post-mediaeval sense, was count Johann Tsercleas Tilly, elevated to this rank in 1607. Not until fully fifty years later did Brandenburg-Prussia follow suit by thus elevating Freiherr von Sparr, one of the founders of their army.
the word's roots are anchored in old high German "marahscalc", from "marah", a horse (whence "mare"), and "scalc", a servant-hence, a groom, in early mediaeval times a person of authority over perhaps a dozn horses and as many stable hands.
With ever more reliance placed on mounted knights in armour in the fourteeth and fifteenth centuries the importance of the marahscales grew apace, and by about 1575 the rapid growth of tactics by pistol-armed cavalery placed them in positions of command.
By the Thirty Year's War, from 1618 to 1648, marshals commanded not only the entire cavalery but increasingly also the infantry and artillery.
A remembrance of the marshals'humble origins was preserved in one small ritual within the seremony of the investiture of Imperial German emperors:the imperial archmarshal general rode to a mound of oats, filled a silver scoop with these and presented them to thenew emperor waiting on horseback in the stable.
During the Thirty Years'War , from 1618 to 1648, the field marshal general became the commander-in-chief of all forces, subject only to the authority of the emperor as generalissimus and his personal emissary, the lieutenant general, who, however, was fast outranked by the field marshal general.
The kings of Prussia refrained for a long time from naming members of their own family, the Hohenzollern, to fieldmarshalships, When the Margrave von Schwedt presented a petition for such an appointement to Frederick the Great in 1771 he was smartly whistled back into line.
Only in 1870 did King Wilhelm the First, about to become the first Deutsche Kaiser, break with this tradition: on the 20th of October, the day of the Prussian seizure of the French city of Metz, he promoted his nephew Frierich Karl and his son the crown prince Friedrich Wilhelm to general field-marshalships.Both had successfully led armies in the war with Austria in 1866.
Upon the petition in 1870 by his victorious army, Wilhelm too deigned to carry a marshal's baton that he had received from the hands of his generals.
Emperor Wilhelkm the Second bore the title of field marshal and grand admiral, but his assumption of the title "fieldmarshal of the prussian army" was not published in the military press because Wilhelm considered both baton and title undeserved honors. During the twenty-six years of peace following his ascension to the throne in 1888 he was often seen and portrayed with his marshal's baton in hand, but during WWI he never carried it , although nominally he was the absolute supreme commander.
After Hitler's rise to power on 31st January 1933 the first field-marshalship was granted on 20th April 1936 to Reich war minister WERNER VON BLOMBERG.
Altogether twentyseven marshalships were granted to dignitaries in the German Wehrmacht, including the Luftwaffe.
Hermann Göring was both Generalfeldmarshal and Reichsmarshal
Pieter,
This information comes from the book The marshals's baton: its History and Significance, and some Noteworthy Bearers.
From Hermann Historica
didn't you neglect to explain about the "Generaloberst im Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls", which was after all the rank Kaiser Wilhelm I. assumed, even though receiving the baton? And about that rank formally existing in the Reichswehr although never bestowed?
The Generaloberst im Range eines GFM never received a Baton.
This rank was existing in Weimar and 3rd reich time but nobody promoted. (Hindenburg as Weimar time President told ones to Generaloberst Heye that he promotes Field Marshals only in wartime)
With respect to the question of whether the rank was reserved only for those with command in the field, or in battle, at least under Hitler this was not so, to wit, Fieldmarshal Wilhem Keitel. Keitel, as you know, was chief of OKW and not a battlefield commander. Keitel himself wrote about this in his memoirs which he wrote in the weeks before his execution:
"As far as I was concerned I thought it all too much of a good thing, because without wishing to inljure the feelings of the other generals who were promoted to field-marshal, I was disturbed that the rank was no longer restricted only to front-line 'warriors'. I failed to see what justification there was for such an honour being bestowed upon myself as Chief of the OKW or upon the Secretary of State for Air [Colonel-General Erhard Milch]. I had not been a front-line general and had led no troops into action. I could not see why the Air Force generals were not promoted to Luftmarschälle--'air marshals'--instead. I would be lying if I denied that I was pleased by the honour, but I would also be lying if I denied that inwardly I was downright ashamed of myself, although the cheers of the whole House as Hitler announced my name, last of all, showed that they were in broad agreement with the award."
I suspect the reason for Keitel's elevation to fieldmarshal was to further Hitler's own control over the Wehrmacht leadership. It could have been an awkward situation if the channel through which Hitler sent his orders to the Wehrmacht was outranked by its generals.
Keitel's and Brauchitsch's elevation to Field Marshal may also be analogous to George C. Marshall's elevation to General of the Army (5-star general).
In December 1944, President Roosevelt appointed the first Generals of the Army: George C. Marshall (Chief of Staff of the Army), Douglas MacArthur (Supreme Allied Commander, South-West Pacific), Dwight D. Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander, Europe) and Henry H. Arnold (Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Air Forces). Also in December 1944, William D. Leahy (Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Army and Navy, the President of the United States), Ernest J. King (Chief of Naval Operations) and Chester W. Nimitz (Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas) were named Fleet Admirals.
These promotions were partly due to the growth in the size of the Army and Navy, and partly due to politics among the Allies. Eisenhower was technically outranked by the British Field Marshals under his command. Elevating him to a higher rank seemed necessary. But then he would technically outrank his superior, General Marshall. So elevating Marshall (whose job was roughly analogous to von Brauchitsch's) seemed necessary. But then Marshall would outrank his co-equals on the Joint Chiefs - Leahy (Keitel's rough analogue), King and Arnold. Leahy was also chairman of the Combined Chiefs of Staff when they met in the United States, where he was technically outranked by Field Marshal Sir John Dill, Senior British Member of the Combined Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1942 to 1944.
The story, probably apocryphal, as to why the rank was called General of the Army rather than Field Marshal, was that then we would have had Field Marshal Marshall.
Similarly, Keitel would have been outranked by his nominal subordinates (I know this glosses over the fact that he was technically chief of the high command rather than a commander). So his elevation to GFM kept him at the level of the main field commanders. Brauchitsch, as Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres, had a title which would make him seem a commander, but his authority was more like Marshall's as Chief of Staff of the Army.
Jodl was only promoted to Generaloberst on January 30, 1944. He had been promoted to General der Artillerie when Keitel and the others were promoted GFM in July 1940. His title during this period was Chef des Wehrmachtführungsamtes im OKW, or Chief of the Armed Forces Leadership Office in the Armed Forces High Command. His position was roughly analogous to the Chief of the General Staff of the Army (who was typically a Generaloberst); in other words, he was Keitel's deputy in charge of the operations staff, rather than a superior to any field commanders. Given his lack of actual command authority, Jodl's inclusion among the major war criminals at Nuremberg, even more than Keitel's, never made much sense to me. Like the military defendants in later trials, they would have to bear responsibility for the orders they issued and countersigned, but they weren't truly among the principal figures of the Third Reich.
You're right, Kaiser Wilhelm I. did not have the baton, just as you are right in saying that this rank was provided for in the Reichswehr, but nobody got promoted to it. The rank as such came into being as the Hohenzollern traditionally did not award themselves the highest rank of field marshal. Emperor Frederic III. was awarded his for his role in the war of 1870, while still Crown Prince, as was his cousin Prince Karl. The rank of Generaloberst im Range eines GFM was a sort of compromise I suppose because the emperor as formal commander-in-chief-shouldn't be be outranked by any subordinate, even his son and follower on the throne, but still keeping to the rule that the king wouldn't be a "straight" field marshal. Interestingly, Wilhelm II. was a mere Generalmajor at his accession to the throne, then took the rank badges of a "kommandierender General" and "was persuaded" by his most senior officers (field marshals themselves) that the commander-in-chief should hold the highest rank, wherupon he assumed the rank badges of field marshal. This time, the "elevation" was most liekly due to the fact that he had just been made a field marshal in the Austrian army, and it was deemed inappropriate that the Kaiser should hold a higher rank in a foreign army than his own.
Most likely we're missing the forest for the tree's.
Certainly men were given rank's comensurate with their position.
Eg.GFM.Rommel received his rank after leaving Africa,prior to this he was under the control of GFM Kesselring.
On leaving the African theatre,he not only gained a rank,but was still commanded by GFM Rundstedt,
Other Eastern Marshal's were appointed with high ceremony and later chased from office just as quickly.
Indeed it should be remembered that the last chief of staff of the general staff was a mere generaloberst-and as such commanded GFM's under his command as long as they were available.
Actually, Rommel was promoted to Field Marshal on June 22, 1942 but was not recalled from Africa for the last time until March, 1943. He did go home for a short while in the meantime, but returned to Africa as a Field Marshal. At the time of the El Alamein battle he was FM.
And we should also not forget that this ranks were honorary ranks. A Heeresgruppe could be commanded by a Field Marshal or a Generaloberst, even a General der whatever troops.
The Rank alone did not even mean a higher salary.
As it is still today the position outranks the rank. Old Moltke as Chief of the Prussian General staff was simple Generalleutnant in 1866, giving orders to the Field Commanders. He became FM 1870/71.
For the old time, the Rank Generaloberst was originally instituted for Prussian Princes who couldt not reach the Field Marshals rank.
But around the wars 1864/1866/1870 also the Princes could become FM and the also the Generaloberst became a "normal rank" for "mortals"
Wow, thanks for all the responses. That is more information than I expected.
I always thought that the reason for the five-star general was because we Americans didn't want to adopt a rank that seems so "European", i.e. reeks of monarchy or something like that. Disclaimer: I don't feel this way. It always seemed weird to me that the rank of FM never made its way into the American Armed Forces. After all, we copied just about everything else from the British. But, I digress....
Okay though, here's another question. I understand there are field marshals and air marshals, but are Grand Admirals the navy version of FM? Thanks again in advance.
Air Marschalls are British. No German ones existing. German Air force guys were also promoted FIELD Marshal.
About the Navy You are right. The Großadmiral is just the Navy Field marshal and also wore a Baton.
US:
General of the Army
General of the Air Force *
Fleet Admiral
* Henry H. "Hap" Arnold was originally a General of the Army; his rank was changed to General of the Air Force in 1949. He is the only person to attain this rank.
UK:
Field Marshal
Marshal of the Royal Air Force
Admiral of the Fleet
USSR:
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union
France:
Maréchal de France
Amiral de France
I believe François Darlan is the only Amiral de France in the modern era. There have been no marshals in the French Air Force. The dignity of marshal is more a state honor than a rank - of the last six persons named to that rank, five were posthumously named.
The Rank of Field Marshal....
FIELD-MARSHALS
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