MODERN ARMY OFFICERS The ranks of officers of a modern army are therefore as follows:— (a) Field-Marshal:—In Spain, Capitan—General; in France, marechall; in Germany, Generaloberst; in Italy, Maresciallo.' (b) General:—In the British army this officer is not identified with any particular arm but generally commands an army, of all arms. In Germany, however, he is general of infantry, general of cavalry or general of artillery. In France, the highest grade of general officer is the general of division.' In the United States, before the World War, the grade of full general had only been held by Washington, Grant, Sherman and Sheridan. In 1917 Pershing was selected to command the U.S. army in Europe, and he was made a general in OcL. 1917. He was confirmed in the permanent rank of general by the U.S. Senate on Sept. 1, (c) Lieutenant-General (except in France) :—In the U.S. army the title lieutenant-general before the loth century was com paratively rare. It was abolished as an American rank in 1907, but during the World War the army commanders were made temporary lieutenant-generals. In the British army a lieutenant general commands a corps. General de division is the relative rank in France ; in Germany, Generalleutnant.
(d) Major-General (in France, general of brigade) :—This is the highest grade normally found in the U.S. army, generals and lieutenant-gencrals being promoted for special service In the British service a major-general commands a division in war and either a division or an "area" in peace; in Germany, General major.
• (e) Brigadier-General:—In British and U. S. service, before and during the World War, commander of a brigade; also served on the staff of corps and higher formations. In France, general de brigade; Germany, Oberst. In Great Britain, this rank was super seded by colonel-commandant after the World War, but from June I, 1928, the latter has been superseded by "brigadier." (See BRIGADIER.) The above are the ranks of the higher commanders and, with the exception of the colonel-commandant, are termed general officers.
With slight modifications their duties are practically the same in all the chief countries; viz., field-marshals and generals command groups of armies, generals command armies, lieutenant-generals command corps, major-generals command divisions, and briga dier-generals command brigades. Each country has, however, some peculiarity of its own either in the rank of the commander or the composition of his command.
The next class of officers in seniority to general-officers is field officers (France, officiers superieurs; Germany, Stabsoffiziere); they are as follows : (a) Colonel:—This rank exists in its primitive significance in almost every army, and denotes a regimental commander, or an officer of equal status on the staff. In Great Britain, however, regiments of infantry do not work as units, and the executive command of battalions, regiments of cavalry and brigades of ar tillery is in the hands of lieutenant-colonels, and when brigaded are under a brigadier. In the British service the colonel of the regiment or colonel commandant of a corps holds a quasi-honorary appointment, and is usually a royal personage or general officer, and sometimes, though rarely, a colonel. The holders of these appointments now vacate them on reaching the age of 70. Some regiments and corps have colonels-in-chief who are invariably royal personages.
(b) Lieutenant-Colonel:—In Great Britain, the commanding officer of a battalion of equivalent unit ; in the United States and elsewhere, where the regiment and not the battalion is the execu tive unit, the second in command and sometimes commander of one of the battalions. In Germany, Oberstleutnant.
(c) Major:—In France, chef de bataillon or chef d'escadron, colloquially commandant. In the British infantry he preserves 'The full titles are "marechal de France" and "Maresciallo d'Italia." France, the ranks of "general de corps d'armee" and "general d'armee" are likely to be created soon. In war, the rank of "general de groupe d'armees" will be created.