General of the Armies
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In the United States Army military hierarchy, General of the Armies is traditionally considered a rank superior to a five-star general, also known as "General of the Army" (note the difference between the two ranks). It is sometimes considered a six-star rank. The full title of the military rank is "General of the Armies of the United States", although the rank is commonly referred to simply as "General of the Armies". The only people in history to hold the title General of the Armies were John J. Pershing and George Washington.
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John Pershing
Image:General John Joseph Pershing head on shoulders.jpg John Pershing, the senior U.S. Army General of World War I, was granted the rank of General of the Armies in 1919 in recognition of his performance as the commander of the American Expeditionary Force. General Pershing was offered the option to create his own insignia for the new position, but continued to wear the four stars of a regular General. At the time of Pershing's appointment to the rank, the position was considered more of a title than a rank, comparable to the Civil War title "General of the Army."
The tradition of General of the Armies being considered a six-star rank only began in World War II with the establishment of the five-star rank General of the Army. By order of seniority, it was decided that General Pershing (still living when the rank of General of the Army was created in 1944) would be senior to all the newly appointed General of the Army officers. When asked whether or not this made Pershing a six-star general, the then Secretary of War (Henry L. Stimson) stated that Pershing was superior to a five-star general but, as he was no longer active in the military and had never worn more than four General's stars, he should not be seen as holding six-star rank.
George Washington
Image:Portrait of George Washington.jpeg During his lifetime, George Washington never held the rank "General of the Armies." During the American Revolution he held the title of "General and Commander in Chief" in the Continental Army. After his death, Washington was listed as a Lieutenant General on the Continental rolls, and he never wore more than three stars on his military uniform.
A year prior to his death, Washington was appointed by President John Adams to the rank of Lieutenant General in the United States Army during the Quasi-War, after he had left office as President of the United States. Washington never exercised active authority under his new rank, however, and Adams made the appointment mainly to frighten the French, with whom war seemed certain.
In 1976, by Act of Congress, Washington was posthumously appointed to the rank General of the Armies. The appointment was not considered a promotion to six-star general, but rather a symbolic promotion that made Washington the senior-most United States military officer. By executive order of President Gerald Ford, it was also determined that George Washington would always remain senior and could never be outranked by any other officer of the U.S. military.
Six Star rank?
Image:6Star.jpg Whether or not General of the Armies is a six-star rank will most likely remain unanswered unless the United States Congress ever again appoints anyone to the position. This almost occurred in 1945, as part of the preparation for the invasion of Japan, when a proposal was discussed in the War Department to appoint Douglas MacArthur to the rank of General of the Armies. Following the use of the atomic bomb in August 1945, however, the proposal to promote MacArthur to General of the Armies was dropped.
The matter was raised again in 1955, when the United States Congress considered a bill authorizing President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote Douglas MacArthur to General of the Armies, in recognition of his many years of service. At that time, the Army Judge Advocate General warned that, should MacArthur accept promotion to the new rank, he would lose a large amount of retirement pay and benefits associated with the much more firmly-established rank of five-star General of the Army, which he still held. The Army General Staff was also concerned that George C. Marshall was senior to MacArthur and that, should MacArthur be made a General of the Armies, a similar measure would have to be passed, promoting George Marshall, as well. Due to the various complications, MacArthur declined promotion and the bill to promote him was dropped.
In 1945, the Institute of Heraldry prepared a conjectural insignia which would have incorporated a sixth star into the five-star design of General of the Army. As no proposal to appoint a new General of the Armies was ever firmly developed, the United States Army has never officially approved a six-star general insignia.
United States Navy
In the United States Navy the equivalent of General of the Armies was the rank Admiral of the Navy. It has only been held by one person in history, George Dewey. As with General of the Armies, a proposal was made during World War II to bring back the rank as a six-star equivalent, under the title Flag Admiral. Chester Nimitz was briefly considered for the position, but the proposal was dropped by the United States Navy Department before the war ended, and has not been revived since.