Generalfeldmarschall
Generalfeldmarschall (German:
Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary
The rank existed in the
Germany and Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire
In the
In 1854, the rank of colonel general (German: Generaloberst) was created in order to promote William, Prince of Prussia (the later William I, German Emperor) to senior rank without breaking the rule that only wartime field commanders could receive the rank of field marshal for a victory in a decisive battle or the capture of a fortification or major town. The equivalent of colonel-general in the German Navy was the rank of Generaladmiral ("general admiral" or "admiral-general").
In 1870,
The exalted nature of the rank was underscored during World War I, when only five German officers (excluding honorary promotions to members of royal families and foreign officers) were designated Generalfeldmarschall: Paul von Hindenburg, August von Mackensen, Karl von Bülow, Hermann von Eichhorn, and Remus von Woyrsch. Only a single naval officer, Henning von Holtzendorff, was designated Grand Admiral. Not even such well-known German commanders as Erich Ludendorff, Erich von Falkenhayn, or Reinhard Scheer received marshal's batons or Grand Admiral rank.
Nazi Germany
This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2022) |
General field marshal Generalfeldmarschall | |
---|---|
Country | Nazi Germany |
Service branch | German Army Luftwaffe |
Formation | 20 April 1936 |
Abolished | 1945 |
Next higher rank | Reichsmarschall |
Next lower rank | Generaloberst |
Equivalent ranks | Großadmiral |
Before the
Unlike
In 1942, three other men were promoted—Wüstenfuchs ('Desert Fox')
Hitler promoted Friedrich Paulus, commander of the 6th Army at Stalingrad, to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall via field radio on 30 January 1943, a day before his army's inevitable surrender, in order to encourage him to continue to fight until death or commit suicide.[3] In the promotion, Hitler noted that no German or, before that, Prussian field marshal had ever been captured alive. Generalfeldmarschall Paulus surrendered the following day anyway, claiming, Ich habe nicht die Absicht, mich für diesen bayerischen Gefreiten zu erschießen. ("I have no intention of shooting myself for this Bavarian corporal.")[4] A disappointed Hitler commented, "That's the last field marshal I make in this war!" Nevertheless, he appointed seven more, three on the very day following Paulus' surrender: Ernst Busch, Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist and Maximilian von Weichs (all members of the Heer). Later that same month, Hitler promoted Luftwaffe General Wolfram von Richthofen to the rank for his service in the Crimean campaign and the later part of the Battle of Stalingrad.
From 1944 to 1945, three more men would reach this rank. In early 1944, Walter Model, one of Hitler's most loyal generals, was promoted to the rank; he was also the last German field marshal to receive a ceremonial marshal's baton. Ferdinand Schörner, another loyal officer, was promoted on 5 April 1945. Three weeks later, he was made Commander-in-Chief of the German Army in Hitler's last will and testament. On 25 April, just five days before his own suicide, Adolf Hitler made Luftwaffe General Robert Ritter von Greim a field marshal and Commander in chief of the German Air Force after Göring had fallen out of Hitler's favour, making Greim the last German field marshal in history.
Financially, the rank of Generalfeldmarschall in Nazi Germany was very rewarding as, apart from a yearly salary, Hitler introduced
Promotion to the rank did not guarantee Hitler's ongoing favour, however. As the tide of the war turned, Hitler took out his frustrations on his top commanders, relieving most of the Generalfeldmarschalls of duty before the war's conclusion. Bock, Brauchitsch, Leeb, and List were all relieved of their posts in 1942 for perceived failures during
East Germany
The National People's Army of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR) (German Democratic Republic, i.e. East Germany) created the rank of Marshal of the German Democratic Republic on 25 March 1982. A general could be appointed to this rank by the State Council (Staatsrat; the head-of-state council of the GDR) during wartime or for exceptional military achievement; no one ever held the rank, however.
Modern Germany
The ranks of Generalfeldmarschall, Generaloberst, Großadmiral and Generaladmiral no longer exist in the new German (until 1990 West German) Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, which were created in 1956. Currently, the highest military grades in the Bundeswehr are general and admiral.
The
Other states to have used the title
Electorate (1356–1806) and Kingdom of Saxony (1806–1918)
This section possibly contains original research. (May 2022) |
The rank of Field Marshal was first used in the northern German State of Saxony within the Holy Roman Empire in 1631. It was then used nine further times in that century and seven times in the 18th century. It was used twice in the 19th century by the Kingdom of Saxony after it became part of the German Empire in 1871.
Ethiopia
The rank of Field Marshal General was first used in Ethiopia in 2022. On 8 January 2022, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presided over the Ethiopian National Defense Force promotion ceremony, that saw the rank be introduced to Birhanu Jula, Chief of General Staff.[6][7]
See also
Notes
- ^ Instruction (de: Adjustierungsvorschrift) of the k.u.k. Army as to 1871; Issue from 1911
- ^ Snyder, Louis (1994) [1976]. Encyclopedia of the Third Reich, pp. 111, 112
- ^ Snyder, Louis (1994) [1976], p. 112
- ^ Beevor, Antony (1998). Stalingrad, The Fateful Siege: 1942–1943. New York: Penguin Books. p. 381
- ^ "Dienen und Verdienen. Hitlers Geschenke an seine Eliten" [Book review: Serving and earning. Hitlers presents to his elite]. www.hsozkult.de (in German). 1999. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Ethiopia gets its first Field Marshal General – New Business Ethiopia". Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ "Ethiopia awards rank of Field Marshal to General Berhanu Jula". Welcome to Fana Broadcasting Corporate S.C. Retrieved 13 March 2023.