An army corps general or corps general is a rank held by a
General officer
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...
who commands an
army corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
. The rank originates from the
French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. Normally, the rank is above the
divisional general
Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...
and below the
army general
Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the General officer#French (Revolutionary) system, French Revolutionary System.
In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of genera ...
, so it usually corresponds to the
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
.
Algeria
The rank of was created in November 1994 as the highest rank in the
Armée nationale populaire (ANP), the rank below it being
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
. Its rank badge shows three stars. The first officer to be promoted to the rank was general
Mohamed Lamari
Lt. Gen. Mohamed Lamari (7 June 1939 – 13 February 2012) ( ar, محمد العماري) was Chief of Staff of the Algerian army during most of the Algerian Civil War.
Personal life
He was born on 7 June 1939 in Biskra, to a family originall ...
, chief of staff of the ANP (1993-2004). In 2006 three officers were promoted to the rank -
Ahmed Gaid Salah
Ahmed Gaid Salah ( ar, أحمد قايد صالح; 13 January 1940 – 23 December 2019) was a senior leader in the Algerian People's National Army. In 2004, he was appointed by then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to the position of chief of staf ...
, chief of staff of the ANP,
Bennabes Ghzeiel, military advisor to president
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika (; ar, عبد العزيز بوتفليقة, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Būtaflīqa ; 2 March 1937 – 17 September 2021) was an Algerian politician and diplomat who served as President of Algeria from 1999 to his resignation in 2019 ...
and former head of the
gendarmerie
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
, and
Toufik Mediene, head of the
Département du Renseignement et de la Sécurité
The Department of Intelligence and Security (DRS) (Arabic: دائرة الإستعلام والأمن) (french: Département du Renseignement et de la Sécurité) was the Algerian state intelligence service. Its existence dates back to the strug ...
. After Ghezeiel's death in July 2014, only Toufik and Gaid Salah were the only living holders of the rank. Since July 2015, they have been joined by general
Ahmed Bousteila, commander of the Gendarmerie nationale, and general Benali Benali, commander of the Garde républicaine.
Czechoslovakia
In the
Czechoslovak Army, the rank of a corps general ( cs, sborový generál, sk, zborový generál) existed between 1947 and 1953. It was replaced by the
colonel general
Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...
() rank under
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
influence in 1953.
Cuba
The
Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces
The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias; FAR) are the military forces of Cuba. They include ground forces, naval forces, air and air defence forces, and other paramilitary bodies including the Territorial T ...
rank of operates similarly to that in France and Algeria.
France
The rank of ("general of an army corps" is junior to the rank of and senior to . Officially, it is not a rank, but a style and position ( in French) bestowed upon some (which is the highest substantive rank in the French Army). It is the third of four general ranks. The first mention of the rank is in a circular on uniforms dated 17 March 1921 which gives the rank of to certain divisional general and the rank of to divisional generals who were also members of the . These ranks were simplified by a decree creating the ranks of and on 6 June 1939
[Service historique du ministère de la Défense]
"Les grades dans l'armée française"
The rank insignia is four silver stars arranged in a diamond pattern.
The equivalent rank in the
Air and Space Force is ("general of air army corps") and in the
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
is ("
vice-admiral of squadron").
However,
Général
is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level office ...
under the
ancient regime
Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...
and the
Général en chef under the imperial regime correspond to the army corps general, but are equivalent to
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
.
Image:Army-FRA-OF-08.svg, Service dress insignia of a French in the French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
Image:Général corps d'armée gend.svg, Service dress insignia of a French in the French ''Gendarmerie''
File:French Air Force-général de corps aérien.svg, Insignia of a in the French Air and Space Force
The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...
Italy
In Italy the rank of or is shown by three stars and a '
greca Greca may refer to:
* Greca (clothing), a clerical item of clothing
* Greca (name), an Italian given name and surname
* Greca (insignia), an item of military insignia
*''Greca'', another name for a Moka pot stove-top coffee maker
*Saint Greca
Sai ...
' for the
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
,
Guardia di Finanza
The ''Guardia di Finanza'' (G. di F. or GdF) () (English: literal: ''Guard of Finance'', paraphrased: ''Financial Police'' or ''Financial Guard'') is an Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance. ...
and
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...
. It is equivalent to
squadron admiral
The rank insignia of the Italian Navy are worn on epaulettes of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels.
Rank structure
Officers
Notes:
1 The rank of ''"ammiraglio"'' (admiral) is assigned to the only naval off ...
in the
Italian Navy
"Fatherland and Honour"
, patron =
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = ( is the return of soldiers to their barrack, or sailors to their ship after a ...
and in the
Italian Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 28 March ...
.
Army corps general's insignia
15.PNA-LG.svg,
(Algerian People's National Army
french: Armée nationale populaire
, image = ANP.png
, alt =
, caption = People's National Army emblem
, image2 =
, alt2 =
, caption2 =
, motto =
...
)
blank.svg,
( Benin Army)
17. Burkina Faso Army - LG.svg,
( Burkina Faso Ground Forces)
Cameroon-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Cameroon Ground Forces)
18.CAGF-LG.svg,
( Central African Ground Forces)
Chad-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Chadian Ground Forces)
16-ROCongo Army-LG.svg,
( Congolese Ground Forces)
Cuba-Army-OF-8.svg,
(Cuban Revolutionary Army
The Cuban Revolutionary Army ( es, Ejército Revolucionario) serve as the ground forces of Cuba. Formed in 1868 during the Ten Years' War, it was originally known as the Cuban Constitutional Army. Following the Cuban Revolution, the revolutiona ...
)
France-Army-OF-8 Sleeve.svg,
(French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
)
Guinea-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Guinea Ground Forces)
Rank insignia of generale di corpo d'armata of the Army of Italy (1973).svg,
()
(Italian Army
"The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law"
, colors =
, colors_labels =
, march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...
)
Ivory Coast-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Ivory Coast Ground Forces)
Madagascar-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Madagascar Ground Forces)
15.Mali Army-CG.svg,
( Malian Ground Forces)
17-Moldovan Army-LG.svg,
(Moldovan Ground Forces ''
, image= Flag of the Armed Forces of Moldova.svg
, image_size =
, caption = Moldovan Ground Forces flag
, start_date = 25 December 2008
, country=
, allegiance =
, branch =
, type = Army
, role = Land warfare
, size = 4,000
, comman ...
)
19-Moroccan Army-LG.svg,
(Royal Moroccan Army
zgh, ⵜⴰⵙⵔⴷⴰⵙⵜ ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⴰⵏⵜ
, image =
, caption = Flag of the Royal Moroccan Army
, start_date = active since: 1088 CE
current form: 14 May 1956
, ...
)
blank.svg,
( Niger Ground Forces)
Senegal-Army-OF-8.svg,
( Senegalese Ground Forces)
Grade Terre tunisienne O10.png,
(Tunisian Army
The Tunisian Land Army ( ar, جيش البر التونسي, Jaîsh el-Barr et'Tunsi, french: Armée de terre tunisienne) is the ground component of the Tunisian Armed Forces . The Land Forces Command is located in Bizerte. The TAF itself was cr ...
)
References
{{Reflist
Military ranks of France
Military ranks of Algeria
Military ranks of Italy