Général

General officers

Army

Main article: Ranks in the French Army

History

The French army of the monarchy had several ranks of general officer:

• Brigadier des armées du roi ("brigadier of the armies of the King"): a rank in a grey area of seniority, conferred on certain colonels who were in command of a brigade (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.
• Maréchal de camp ("field marshal"(major general)): the first substantive rank of general. The maréchaux de camp 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 brigadier des armées in 1788, it became the lowest general officer rank, but its insignia of two stars remained unchanged. The rank was redesignated Général de brigade in 1793 which retained the two star insignia. This explains why French generals' insignia starts with two stars.
• Lieutenant général: the highest military rank. Lieutenants généraux wore the same uniform as the maréchaux de camp, but with two bars of gold lace, and in the late 18th century also received three stars on the shoulder straps.
• Général: an appointment conferred on a lieutenant général who was commander-in-chief of a campaign.
• Maréchal de France: not a military rank, but a dignity of the Crown.

During the French Revolution, the ranks of maréchal de camp and lieutenant general were renamed général de brigade and général de division, and the appointment of général was renamed général en chef. In 1793, the dignity of maréchal de France was abolished.

Napoléon Bonaparte reinstated the dignity of maréchal de France, now named maréchal d'empire. In 1814, the ranks of général de brigade and général de division reverted to maréchal de camp and lieutenant général, but were changed back again in 1848.

The Third Republic of the 1880s reorganised the ranks of général:

• Général de brigade, wearing two stars.
• Général de division, wearing three stars.

World War I

• General de division ayant un commandement spérieur (divisional general holding higher command), wearing three star and a holizontal bar above or below it. Considering the personnel balance with general officers of other countries during World War I. measures were taken to give commanders of an army corps and higher units the status and treatment corresponding to the Four-star rank.

Established in 1921

• Général commandant un corps d'armée (général commanding an army corps), an appointment conferred on certain généraux de division, wearing four stars. This appointment became the position and style (rang et appellation) of général de corps d'armée 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 transformed the structure of the French Army. The superior council of war was abolished and an appointment of général commandant une armée (general commanding an army) was created. This appointment became the position and style (rang et appellation) of général d'armée in 1936. The dignity of maréchal de France was reinstated and given to the commanders-in-chief of the conflict, such as Joseph Joffre, Ferdinand Foch and Philippe Pétain.

Ranks as of 2013

In France, army generals are named after the type of unit they command.

Air force

Main article: Ranks in the French Air and Space Force

Specialist officers

Armament

• Ingénieur général de l'armement de deuxième classe ()
• Ingénieur général de l'armement de première classe ()
• Ingénieur général de l'armement hors classe ()
• Ingénieur général de l'armement de classe exceptionnelle ()

Maritime Administration

• Administrateur général des affaires maritimes de deuxième classe ()
• Administrateur général des affaires maritimes de première classe ()

Military Administration

• Commissaire général de deuxième classe ()
• Commissaire général de première classe ()
• Commissaire général hors classe ()

Military engineering

• Ingénieur général militaire d'infrastructure de deuxième classe ()
• Ingénieur général militaire d'infrastructure de première classe ()
• Ingénieur général militaire d'infrastructure hors classe ()

Notes

References

References

1. (13 June 2005). "Instruction N° 10300/DEF/EMAT/LOG/ASH". Staff of the French Army.
2. "Les grades". Ministry of Armed Forces (France).