Editing Generalfeldmarschall

{{Short description|Historical military rank of Germany and Austria}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
[[File:Preussischer Marschallsstab 1895.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] [[Baton (military)|marshal's baton]], awarded to Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria]] in 1895.]]

'''''Generalfeldmarschall''''' ({{IPA|de|ɡenəʁaːlˈfɛltmaʁʃal|lang|De-Generalfeldmarschall-pronunciation.ogg}}; from [[Old High German]] ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; {{langx|en|'''general field marshal''', '''field marshal general''', or [[field marshal]]}}; often abbreviated to '''''Feldmarschall''''') was a rank in the armies of several [[List of states in the Holy Roman Empire|German states]] and the [[Holy Roman Empire]], (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarschall''); in the [[Habsburg monarchy]], the [[Austrian Empire]] and [[Austria-Hungary]], the rank ''Feldmarschall'' was used. The rank was the equivalent to ''Großadmiral'' ({{langx|en|[[Grand Admiral]]}}) in the ''[[Imperial German Navy|Kaiserliche Marine]]'' and ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'', a [[five-star rank]], comparable to OF-10 in today's [[Ranks and insignia of NATO|NATO naval forces]].

==Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary==
{{See also|List of Austrian field marshals}}Paroli (uniform)
[[File:Kuk FieldMarsh 1918.svg|thumb|200px|''Feldmarschall'' of the [[Austro-Hungarian Army|k.u.k.&nbsp;Army]] ([[Paroli (uniform)|Paroli]])<ref>Instruction (de: Adjustierungsvorschrift) of the k.u.k. Army as to 1871; Issue from 1911</ref>]]

The rank existed in the [[Austrian Empire]] as ''Kaiserlicher Feldmarschall'' ("imperial field marshal") and in [[Austria-Hungary]] as ''[[Imperial and Royal|Kaiserlicher und königlicher]] Feldmarschall'' - ''Császári és királyi tábornagy'' ("imperial and royal field marshal"). Both were based on prior usage during the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. The [[Emperor of Austria|Emperor]]-[[King of Hungary|King]] held the rank ''[[ex officio]]'', other officers were promoted as required. Between 1914 and 1918, ten men attained this rank, of whom four were members of the reigning [[Habsburg-Lorraine]] dynasty.

==Germany and Prussia==
{{See also|List of German field marshals|List of field marshals of the Holy Roman Empire}}
===Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire===
{{multiple image
| align     = right
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| image1    = Bavarian Army OF-10 - Generalfeldmarschall (1814-1826).png
| caption1  = [[Collar patches|Collar patch]] 1832
| width1    = 120
 | image2    = Generalfeldmarschall (Prussia) - Full dress.gif
| caption2  = Epaulette
| width2    = 110
 | image3    = OF10 Generalfeldmarschall (Preußen) 1918.gif
| caption3  = [[Shoulder board]]
| width3    = 71
 | image4    = OF10 Generalfeldmarschall (Bayern) 1918.gif
| caption4  = [[Service uniform]]
| width4    = 100
| header    = Rank insignia / uniform
| footer    = Generalfeldmarschall until 1918
| footer_align = center
| footer_background =yellow
}}

In the [[Royal Prussian Army]], the subsequent [[Imperial German Army]] and later in the ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' of [[Nazi Germany]], the rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' had several privileges, such as elevation to nobility, equal protocol rank with Cabinet ministers, the right of reporting directly to the [[King of Prussia|monarch]], and a constant escort.

In 1854, the rank of ''[[Generaloberst]]'' ([[colonel general]]) was created in order to promote Wilhelm, Crown Prince of Prussia (the later [[Wilhelm 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 ''Generaloberst'' in the German Navy was ''Generaladmiral'' ([[general admiral]] or admiral-general).

In 1870, [[Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (1828–1885)|Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia]] and [[Crown Prince]] [[Friedrich III, German Emperor|Friedrich Wilhelm]]—who had commanded armies during the [[Franco-Prussian War]]—became the first Prussian princes appointed to the rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall''.

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===
{{refimprove|section|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox military rank
| name           = General field marshal
| native_name    = {{lang|de|Generalfeldmarschall}}
| country        = {{flagu|Nazi Germany}}
| image          = Hoheitszeichen Kfz Generalfeldmarschall.svg
| image_size     = 100px
| caption        = Rank flag
| image2         = {{nowrap|[[File:Collar tabs of Generalfeldmarschall of the Heer.svg|100px]] [[File:WMacht H OF10 GenFeldmarschall 1945.svg|75px]]}}
| image_size2    = 
| caption2       = [[Kragenspiegel|Arabesque]] and [[Shoulder board]]<br />(1942–1945)
| image3         = GenFeldmarschall OF10 cam 1945.svg
| service branch = {{army|Nazi Germany}}<br />{{air force|Nazi Germany}}
| abbreviation   = 
| rank           = 
| NATO rank      = 
| Non-NATO rank  = 
| formation      = 20 April 1936
| abolished      = 1945
| higher rank    = {{lang|de|[[Reichsmarschall]]}}
| lower rank     = {{lang|de|[[Generaloberst]]}}
| equivalents    = {{lang|de|[[Grand admiral|Großadmiral]]}}
}}

Before the [[Second World War]], [[Adolf Hitler]] reintroduced the rank into the {{lang|de|[[Wehrmacht]]}} with the promotion of the Reich Minister of War, ''[[Generaloberst]]'' [[Werner von Blomberg]] (20 April 1936), and the Aviation Minister, [[Hermann Göring]] (4 February 1938), to the rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall''. In the ''Wehrmacht'' of [[Nazi Germany]] during the Second World War, the rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' remained the highest military rank until [[1940 Field Marshal Ceremony|July 1940]], when [[Hermann Göring]] was promoted to the newly created higher rank of ''[[Reichsmarschall]]''. The equivalent of a ''Generalfeldmarschall'' in the navy was ''[[Grand admiral#Nazi Germany|Großadmiral]]'' (grand admiral).

Unlike [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]], Hitler distributed the rank more widely, promoting 25 ''[[German Army (Wehrmacht)|Heer]]'' and ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' officers in total and two ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' Grand Admirals. (Another promotion, that of Austrian General [[Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli]], was honorary.) Four weeks after the ''[[German Army (Wehrmacht)|Heer]]'' and ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' had won the [[Battle of France]],  Hitler promoted nine Army generals and three of the air force to the rank of field marshal on [[1940 Field Marshal Ceremony|19 July 1940]]: [[Walther von Brauchitsch]], [[Wilhelm Keitel]], [[Gerd von Rundstedt]], [[Fedor von Bock]], [[Wilhelm von Leeb]], [[Wilhelm List]], [[Günther von Kluge]], [[Erwin von Witzleben]] and [[Walter von Reichenau]] (of the ''Heer''); and [[Albert Kesselring]], [[Erhard Milch]] and [[Hugo Sperrle]] (of the ''Luftwaffe'').<ref>Snyder, Louis (1994) [1976]. ''Encyclopedia of the Third Reich'', pp. 111, 112</ref> The holders of this rank had the right to a “direct presentation to the [[Führer]]”.

In 1942, three other men were promoted—''Wüstenfuchs'' ('Desert Fox') [[Erwin Rommel]] (22 June) for the [[siege of Tobruk]], [[Erich von Manstein]] (30 June) for the [[Siege of Sevastopol (1941–42)|Siege of Sevastopol]], and [[Georg von Küchler]] (30 June) for his success as ''Oberbefehlshaber der [[Heeresgruppe Nord]]'' (commander-in-chief of Army Group North).

Hitler promoted [[Friedrich Paulus]], commander of the [[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|6th Army]] at the [[Battle of 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.<ref>Snyder, Louis (1994) [1976], p. 112</ref> 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.")<ref>[[Antony Beevor|Beevor, Antony]] (1998). ''Stalingrad, The Fateful Siege: 1942–1943''. New York: Penguin Books. p. 381</ref> 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 (field marshal)|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 [[Last will and testament of Adolf Hitler|Hitler's last will and testament]]. On 25 April, just five days before [[Death of Adolf Hitler|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 [[Tax exemption|tax free]] [[fringe benefits]] for generals in the range of {{Reichsmark|2,000 to 4,000|link=yes}} 
(€{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|DE|2000|1939}}–{{Inflation|DE|4000|1939}}}} in {{Inflation-year|DE}}) per month in 1940. He also bestowed generous presents on his highest officers, with Leeb receiving {{Reichsmark|250,000}} (€{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|DE|250000|1939}}}} in {{Inflation-year|DE}}) for his 65th birthday from Hitler.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hsozkult.de/publicationreview/id/rezbuecher-467?language=en |title=Dienen und Verdienen. Hitlers Geschenke an seine Eliten |website= www.hsozkult.de |year=1999 |access-date= 19 March 2016|language=de|trans-title=Book review: Serving and earning. Hitlers presents to his elite}}</ref>

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 [[Operation Barbarossa]] and took no further active part in the war. Kleist, Manstein and Sperrle were similarly retired in 1944 and Rundstedt and Weichs in March 1945. Grand Admiral [[Erich Raeder]] was [[Resignation and post-war life of Erich Raeder|retired in January 1943]] following a fierce argument with Hitler over the future of the German surface fleet. Model, one of Hitler's most successful commanders, had nevertheless lost the Fuhrer's confidence by war's end and committed suicide to avoid capture and likely trial as a [[war criminal]]. Milch was relieved after conspiring unsuccessfully to have Göring removed from command of the ''Luftwaffe'', and even Göring himself was stripped of his offices and expelled from the Nazi Party in Hitler's last days. Schörner ignominiously abandoned his command to save himself in the war's last days. Kluge, Witzleben and Rommel were either executed or forced to commit suicide for their real or imagined roles in the [[20 July plot]] against Hitler. By war's end, only Keitel, Kesselring, Greim and Grand Admiral [[Karl Dönitz]] were still in positions of military responsibility.

===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 of East Germany|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 Germany|West German]]) Armed Forces, the ''[[Bundeswehr]]'', which were created in 1956. Currently, the highest military grades in the ''Bundeswehr'' are [[General (Germany)|general]] and [[Admiral (Germany)|admiral]].

The [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the ''[[Bundeswehr]]'' is, in peacetime, according to Article 65a of the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany]] (constitution), the [[Civilian control of the military|civilian]] [[Minister of Defence (Germany)|Federal Minister of Defence]], who holds supreme command authority over all soldiers. In wartime, during the [[State of Defence (Germany)|State of Defence]], that supreme command authority is transferred to the ''Federal Chancellor''. The [[Inspector General of the Bundeswehr|Inspector General of the ''Bundeswehr'']] is the military [[chief of defence]] and heads the ''Armed Forces Command Staff'' ({{langx|de|Führungsstab der Streitkräfte}}).

==Other states to have used the title==

===Electorate (1356–1806) and Kingdom of Saxony (1806–1918)===
{{originalresearch|section|date=May 2022}}
The rank of Field Marshal was first used in the northern German State of [[Electorate of Saxony|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 (Ethiopia)|Chief of General Staff]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethiopia gets its first Field Marshal General – New Business Ethiopia |url=https://newbusinessethiopia.com/politics/ethiopia-gets-its-first-field-marshal-general/ |access-date=2023-03-13 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethiopia awards rank of Field Marshal to General Berhanu Jula |url=https://www.fanabc.com/english/ethiopia-awards-rank-of-field-marshal-to-general-berhanu-jula/ |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=Welcome to Fana Broadcasting Corporate S.C |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Russia ===
{{Main article|Field marshal (Russia)|Marshal of the Soviet Union|Marshal of the Russian Federation}}

The Rank of General-Field marshal (Russian: Генерал-фельдмаршал) was used in the [[Russian Empire]] until 1917 when the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]], as part of the rank system being abolished as a whole, abolished it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Segrillo |first=Angelo |date=November 2016 |title=A First Complete Translation into English of Peter the Great's Original Table of Ranks: Observations on the Occurrence of a Black Hole in the Translation of Russian Historical Documents |url=http://lea.vitis.uspnet.usp.br/arquivos/arttableofrankslea.pdf |website=lea.vitis.uspnet.usp.br}}</ref> In 1935, it was reintroduced as the [[Marshal of the Soviet Union]] (Russian: Маршал Советского Союза) under [[Joseph Stalin]], which lasted until the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Erickson |first=Jogn |title=The Soviet High Command: A Military-Political History, 1918–1941 |publisher=Frank Cass Publishers |year=1962 |isbn=978-0415408608 |edition=3rd |publication-date=2006}}</ref> In 1993, with the [[Constitution of Russia|declaration of the Russian Federation]], it was reintroduced once more as the [[Marshal of the Russian Federation]] (Russian: Маршал Российской Федерации).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Новости |first=Р. И. А. |date=22 September 2010 |title=Воинское звание "Маршал Советского Союза". Справка |url=https://ria.ru/20100922/278036470.html |access-date=12 February 2025 |website=РИА Новости |language=ru}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Comparative officer ranks of World War I]]
*[[Comparative officer ranks of World War II]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Highest Military Ranks}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Military ranks of Germany]]
[[Category:Field marshals of Germany|*]]
[[Category:Five-star officers of Nazi Germany]]