Are any generals or admirals from WWII still alive? I’m talking about those who held the rank during the war. If not, who were the last ones?
World War II ended 60 years ago. So you’d be looking at someone who reached that rank in his 30s and has lived a good life. Or got there in his 40s and has cracked the century barrier.
Frank Steer is the oldest living West Point graduate (or at least he was in 2003). He has served in both world wars and retired as a colonel, then was given an honorary promotion to provost marshal general on the occasion of his 102nd birthday.
This guy was the youngest general of WWII, but died ten yers ago.
During the celebrations of the 50th or 55th anniversary of the end of WWII (or of the D-DAy, can’t remember, either) I noticed that an article mentionned the presence of the last surviving WWII general, who was Polish. I don’t remember his name, of course, and maybe (problably) he since died.
In the German army in WWII the rank of General Field Marshal was the highest military rank. The rank was, in effect, abolished after the fall of the Third Reich. There were 27 Field Marshal’s in the German Army in WWII. The last WWII German Feild Marshal died in 1973 and had a decent amount of prestige and pomp as a pretty much totally rehabed.
man.
There were only 2 Lord Admirals in WWII ; Hitler’s sucessor Donitz being the longest surviving - he died in 1980
How about bird captains/colonels? (I know the USAAF had some absurdly young colonels.)
Jimmy Doolittle was a lietenant general during the war, and he lived until 1995, aged 97.