| United States Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) displays his newly bestowed 5 star rank clusters. In Paris, Eisenhower awoke on a dull, rainy morning on December 16, 1944, the opening day of the Ardennes offensive known as the Battle of the Bulge. As the story goes, had he been superstitious, he might have sensed the assault that was under way. At midnight the night before, he had learned that his name was included on the select 5-star promotion list submitted to the United States Senate. Eisenhower’s last promotion had come on February 14, 1943, 24 hours before the German attack at the Kasserine Pass in central Tunisia, a surprise setback that had rocked the inexperienced American command and propelled Omar Bradley and George Patton to the forefront of American battle commanders. Captain Harry C. Butcher (November 1, 1901 – April 20, 1985), United States Navy Reserve, naval aide to Eisenhower, recorded in his diary on December 16, 1944: “Another incident of the day was the news that his nomination as General of the Army, with its five stars, has been sent by the President [Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972)] to the Senate. The man who always cautioned his family not to expect him to be promoted has risen from Lieutenant Colonel to a five-star General in three years, three months, and sixteen days-six promotions, one about every six months. He had been a [United States Army] Major for sixteen years. He won’t put on the stars until the nomination is confirmed.” The December 22, 1944, Buffalo Evening News reported, “‘Super’ Generals to Wear Five Stars. The new Generals of the Army will wear an insignia consisting of five silver stars arranged in a circle, the War Department announced today. The insignia will be the same color and about the same size as a Lieutenant Colonel’s silver maple leaf, and at a distance the two might be confused. Gen. John J. Pershing [(September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948)], who as General of the Armies is the country’s highest ranking officer, will continue to wear four stars in a row, just as full Generals do. The new design will be worked into flags for the ‘Super’ Generals. The Navy announced this week that the new Fleet Admirals also will have five stars in their insignia and flags.” Since only 10-star Generals were ever issued, and they were all extremely famous men, the Buffalo News does not speculate how they would be mistaken for Lieutenant Colonels. The 5 United States Army Generals, in seniority of rank, who received 5 stars were: George C. Marshall (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959), United States Army Chief of Staff, December 16, 1944; Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 – April 5, 1964), Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), December 18, 1944; Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, December 20, 1944; and Henry H. Arnold (1886-1950), Chief of the United States Army Air Forces, December 21, 1944. The timing of the 1st 4 of these appointments was coordinated with the 1st 3 of the following appointments of the United States Navy’s 1st 5-star Fleet Admirals: William D. Leahy (May 6, 1875 – July 20, 1959), Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, December 15, 1944; Ernest J. King (November 23, 1878 – June 25, 1956), Chief of Naval Operations, December 17, 1944; and Chester W. Nimitz (February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966), Commander-in-Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet, December 19, 1944. Postwar, William Halsey Jr., formerly Commander-in-Chief, 3rd Fleet but assigned special duty at the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, was appointed 5-star rank on December 11, 1945. On September 22, 1950, Omar Bradley (February 12, 1893 – April 8, 1981), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chairman of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Military Committee, was appointed General of the Army as well. Bradley was the last 5-star rank appointed thus far. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2070.jpg |
| Image Size | 616 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2357 x 2928 |
| Photographer | Messerlin |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 1, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | |
| Country | France |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-80-G-331330 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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