# General Eisenhower Question - Rank **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2019, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-eisenhower-question-rank/834487 "2019-05-25T03:07:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-eisenhower-question-rank/834487/1 "2019-05-25T03:07:02Z")
FDR gave General Eisenhower a fifth star prior to Operation Overlord. Eisenhower appears on a You Tube video clearly wearing only four stars. The video was was taken following the Battle of the Falaise Pocket which was the third week of August. Anyone know why he wouldn’t have been wearing the fifth star? ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-eisenhower-question-rank/834487/2 "2019-05-25T03:30:29Z")
According to Wikipedia, Eisenhower didn’t get his fifth star until December 1944, and Falaise Pocket seems to have occurred in August 1944… > **[General of the Army (United States) | World War II and Korean War era](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_of_the_Army_(United_States)#World_War_II_and_Korean_War_era)** > > As the logistics and military leadership requirements of World War II escalated after the June 1944 Normandy landings, the United States government created a new version of General of the Army. The government had considered creating a rank of field marshal, however George C. Marshall, the first officer to be nominated for the rank, objected to the proposed title as he did not want to be known as "Marshal Marshall". A Marshal is, in the United States, traditionally a law enforcement or fire dep Th... > [@wikipedia](#): > > The insignia for the 1944 General of the Army rank consists of five stars in a pentagonal pattern, with points touching. The five officers who have held the 1944 version of General of the Army and the date of each’s appointment are as follows: > > ``` > • George Marshall 16 December 1944 > • Douglas MacArthur 18 December 1944 > • Dwight D. Eisenhower 20 December 1944 > • Henry H. Arnold 21 December 1944 > • Omar Bradley 22 September 1950 > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-eisenhower-question-rank/834487/3 "2019-05-25T07:44:34Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > According to Wikipedia, Eisenhower didn’t get his fifth star until December 1944, and Falaise Pocket seems to have occurred in August 1944… > > [General of the Army (United States) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_of_the_Army_(United_States)#World_War_II_and_Korean_War_era) From the link > [@](#): > > Although briefly considered,[10] the U.S. Army did not introduce a rank of Field Marshal. > > (. . . ) > > In addition, giving the rank the name “marshal” would have resulted in George Marshall being designated as “Field Marshal Marshall”, which was considered undignified. That was amusing. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-eisenhower-question-rank/834487/4 "2019-05-25T13:33:48Z")
Interesting. I thought he was given his 5th while he was preparing for D-Day so himself rank would be unquestionably higher than Montgomery. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-eisenhower-question-rank/834487/5 "2019-05-25T14:40:09Z")
I assume that promoting them to the rank on separate days was deliberate so that time in rank would create an automatic hierarchy. But if so, why in the world would MacArthur be ranked ahead of Eisenhower? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-eisenhower-question-rank/834487/6 "2019-05-25T15:06:34Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > Interesting. I thought he was given his 5th while he was preparing for D-Day so himself rank would be unquestionably higher than Montgomery. Montgomery became Field Marshal in September of 44. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I assume that promoting them to the rank on separate days was deliberate so that time in rank would create an automatic hierarchy. But if so, why in the world would MacArthur be ranked ahead of Eisenhower? I must assume because MacArthur had longer time-in-service and time-in-rank by over a decade each (and even if you discount the time he was ostensibly “retired” and working as Marshal of the Philippine Army he would still be ahead). Marshall gets to be senior-in-rank due to being the CoS thus retaining overall functional seniority. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-eisenhower-question-rank/834487/7 "2019-05-25T18:31:11Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > I must assume because MacArthur had longer time-in-service and time-in-rank by over a decade each (and even if you discount the time he was ostensibly “retired” and working as Marshal of the Philippine Army he would still be ahead). Marshall gets to be senior-in-rank due to being the CoS thus retaining overall functional seniority. Thanks for the explanation.