![Kepi general img 2818](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Kepi_general_img_2818.jpg)
is the
French word for
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 ...
. 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 officers in the other uniformed services.
General officers
Army
History
The French army of the monarchy had several ranks of general officer:
* ("brigadier of the armies of the King"): a rank in a grey area of seniority, conferred on certain
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
s who were in command of a
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
(''cf.'' the grey area of the naval "commodore" rank given to certain captains, the equivalent of army full colonels, who had been in command of a group of ships and over the captains of the group's other ships). These officers wore a colonel's uniform with a star on the shoulder straps. This rank was abolished in 1788.
* ("field marshal"(major general)): the first substantive rank of general. The wore a special uniform, blue and red, with a single bar of gold lace, and in the late 18th century also received two stars on the shoulder straps. With the abolition of the rank of in 1788, it became the lowest general officer rank, but its insignia of two stars remained unchanged. The rank was redesignated
Général de brigade
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...
in 1793 which retained the two star insignia. This explains why French generals' insignia starts with two stars.
* : the highest military rank. wore the same uniform as the , but with two bars of gold lace, and in the late 18th century also received three stars on the shoulder straps.
* : an appointment conferred on a who was commander-in-chief of a campaign.
* : not a military rank, but a
dignity of the Crown.
During the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, the ranks of and were renamed and , and the appointment of was renamed . In 1793, the dignity of was abolished.
Napoléon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
reinstated the dignity of , now named . In 1814, the ranks of and reverted to and , but were changed back again in 1848.
The
Third Republic of the 1880s reorganised the ranks of :
* , wearing two stars.
* , wearing three stars.
* (général commanding an army corps), an appointment conferred on certain , wearing four stars. This appointment became the position and style () of in 1936.
* ''Général membre du conseil supérieur de la guerre'' (general - member of the superior council of war, a body of the Ministry of War which had the functions of a general staff), wearing five stars.
The experience of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
transformed the structure of 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 ...
. The superior council of war was abolished and an appointment of (general commanding an army) was created. This appointment became the position and style () of in 1936. The dignity of was reinstated and given to the commanders-in-chief of the conflict, such as
Joseph Joffre
Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931) was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for regroup ...
,
Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Art ...
and
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of World ...
.
Ranks as of 2013
In
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, army generals are named after the type of unit they command.
}
, -
! OF-7
,
![Army-FRA-OF-07](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Army-FRA-OF-07.svg)
,
![France-Army-OF-7 Sleeve](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/France-Army-OF-7_Sleeve.svg)
,
![France-Army-OF-7 LowVis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/France-Army-OF-7_LowVis.svg)
,
,
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 ...
, In command of a
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
.
, -
! OF-6
,
![Army-FRA-OF-06](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Army-FRA-OF-06.svg)
,
![France-Army-OF-6 Sleeve](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/France-Army-OF-6_Sleeve.svg)
,
![France-Army-OF-6 LowVis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/France-Army-OF-6_LowVis.svg)
,
,
Brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
, In command of a
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
, or of a in 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, ...
.
Air force
Specialist Officers
Armament
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
Maritime Administration
* ()
* ()
Military Administration
* ()
* ()
* ()
Military engineering
* ()
* ()
* ()
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:General
Military ranks of France