About This Quiz
In peacetime and war, the United States Armed Forces only work thanks to a strict hierarchy. At the bottom, you have privates and ensigns – at the top, the colonels, generals, and admirals are the men and women who really call the shots. Without this detailed ranking system, the military would essentially devolve into a ceaseless shouting match. In this camo-heavy quiz, do you think you know which of these famous officers outranks the others?
In most cases, officers attend school at places like West Point, Annapolis or another military academy in order to learn the leadership skills they need to command men in combat. But in some situations, like the deadly sprawl of World War II, many enlisted men climbed the ranks to become officers, learning how to lead amidst the battlefields of Normandy and Belgium. Do you think you know which WWII heroes achieved the highest ranking during and after the conflict?
From the American Revolution to the Spanish-American War and the Civil War, generals have come and gone. A few, like George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower, have ironclad legacies. Take this ranking quiz now! We’ll see if you really know your five-star generals from the three-star wannabes!
It's an unofficial but exceptional rank -- General of the Armies, the highest possible rank in the U.S. Army. Only two men have ever been name General of the Armies. This is a six-star rank, not to be confused with the five-star General of the Army.
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He is the "Father of the Country" and an icon of democracy. He's George Washington, one of only two men to achieve the rank of General of the Armies.
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In the WWII era, George Marshall became a five-star General of the Army. He expended much of his effort in organizing and building a small army into a fighting force that could really attack the Axis.
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World War I made him a hero for the ages. John J. Pershing not only beat back the Germans, he became General of the Armies.
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While Patton was fighting in Europe during WWII, MacArthur was holding on in the Pacific. MacArthur eventually became a five-star general and just outranked Patton and Ridgway.
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In 1899, George Dewey becaome the first (and so far, only) person to reach the Admiral of the Navy ranking. It ties Dewey with two other men as the highest-ranking officers in U.S. history.
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The federal government created a special rank just for him. Washington was named "General and Commander-in-Chief" of the Continental Army during the Revolution. No one will ever outrank him.
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In WWII, Dwight Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe. He was a five-star general who took control of planning for the D-Day invasion.
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Grant was the first person to be called General of the Army. He was essentially a four-star general who eventually became U.S. president.
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During WWII, Audie Murphy climbed to first lieutenant in part because he was a legitimate war hero, one who fought off huge numbers of Germans all alone. Later, he became a Hollywood film star.
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During the Civil War, few Union generals were as effective (and brutal) as William Sherman. He was a two-star general … and a five-star thorn in the Confederacy's side.
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Omar Bradley is one of just five officers who earned the General of the Army ranking. He was given the title in 1950, making him the most recent General of the Army.
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In the late '50s, Elvis Presley did a stint in the U.S. Army, including 18 months overseas. By the time he'd retired, he'd reached the rank of sergeant.
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During the Gulf War in the early '90s, Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. became a cable news celebrity. He was a four-star general with a knack for public relations.
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In WWI, Alvin York stormed German fortifications and seized dozens of machine guns … and 132 German prisoners. By the end of the war, he'd been promoted all the way to major.
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During WWII, few Americans scaled the heights of Omar Bradley. He was a five-star general who helped the Allies win the European Theater.
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Chester Nimitz was a fleet admiral -- a five-star ranking -- who earned fame during WWII. He's the last person to hold the ranking of fleet admiral.
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During WWI, John Hines shot through the ranks -- he moved four ranks in less than a year and a half. He eventually became a four-star general.
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First, he was an officer in WWI. Then, Malin Craig was called back to service for WWII. When he died in 1945, he was a four-star general.
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Henry Arnold is the only person ever to become a five-star officer in two branches of the military. During the WWII era, he had five stars in both the Army and the blossoming U.S. Army Air Forces.
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Charles Pelot Summerall was a top commander for the 1st Infantry Division during WWI. His leadership found him in command of huge groups of men in of some of the biggest offensives of the war.
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Few Americans in WWII had the same pull as Willam Leahy, who served as Chief of Naval Operations, the highest navy ranking in the war. He later became fleet admiral, the highest ranking ever bestowed on a naval officer to that point.
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During the Spanish-American War, George Dewey became an American war hero for the ages. He helped the U.S. win the Battle of Manila Bay, which put America in control of the Philippines.
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During WWII, Ernest King was one of the navy's most important planning officers, and second in ranking only to William Leahy. A five-star fleet admiral, he was in charge of the Atlantic Fleet.
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In the WWI era, Petyon C. March revolutionized the postion of Chief of Staff, remaking it into a very powerful role. He was a general who reorganized many aspects of the army, turning it into an improved fighting force.
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Tasker Bliss served as Chief of Staff during the First World War. He was also one of the U.S. diplomats who signed the infamous Treaty of Versailles.
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William Halsey Jr. is one of just four men who have risen to the rank of fleet admiral in the Navy. As the Pacific War escalated, he was placed in command of the unit that featured the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier.
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He's still the only person ever named General of the Air Force. Henry Arnold's five-star command made him a powerful figure during the Second World War.
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He was a close associate of Ulysses Grant during the Civil War, and he rose quickly through the ranks. He was one of the generals who pinned Confederate hero Robert E. Lee, forcing him to surrender.
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He was an icon of WWII, but Douglas MacArthur was never General of the Armies. John Pershing was given that title during active duty; Washington was given the honor posthumously.
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