How Many 5-Star American Generals Have There Been?

How many American five-star generals have existed?

I asked this of Dennis two sessions ago and he offered two. I completed the set and then wondered: is this truly complete?

First, historically, this designation only occurred during World War II, as an answer to the horde of generals appointed by the German military, and as an answer and response to an American being responsible for the allied forces.

The German military designated so many generals in an attempt to make allied forces believe the great number of generals were required to control a much larger force -- a force the Germans did not have. Their numbers were a sham and a ruse to confuse.

On our side, how many true five-star generals existed?

Initially, that 5-Star rank was to be called Field Marshal, but the designator was withdrawn due to its similarity to Germany's FeldMarshal. General George C. Marshall was the greatest objector to this designator -- due to his name.

The Army had four 5-Star generals:

• General George C. Marshall
• General Douglas MacArthur
• General Dwight D. Eisenhower
• General Omar N. Bradley

The US Navy had four 5-Star Fleet Admirals to include:

• Admiral William D. Leahy
• Admiral Ernest J. King
• Admiral Chester Nimitz
• Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey

The United States Air Force (then the US Army Air Corps) had one:

• General Henry "Hap" Arnold

The only rank above this would be a General of the Armies of the United States -- the highest military rank of all time, hands down -- beyond even that of Eisenhower.

To date, only George Washington and John J. Pershing have held this position.