Generalfeldmarschall (General Field Marshal, usually translated simply as Field Marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall) was a rank in the armies of several German states and also of the Holy Roman Empire and Austrian Empire which could be granted to active officers only in wartime. In the Prussian Army and later in the German Army the rank had several privileges, such as a constant escort/protection. In 1854 the rank of Colonel-General (Generaloberst) was created in order to promote Prince Wilhelm to senior rank without breaking the rule that only wartime field commanders could receive the rank of field marshal. In 1870 Prince Friedrich Karl and Kronprinz Friedrich Wilhelm became the first Prussian princes appointed field marshals.
In the German armies the rank of General Field Marshal was the highest military rank until 1945. Its equivalent in the navy was Grand Admiral (Grossadmiral). The rank was, in effect, abolished after the fall of the Third Reich. Currently, the highest rank in the reconstituted Bundeswehr is General.
The Nationale Volksarmee (NVA) of the German Democratic Republic created the rank of Marschall der DDR (Marshal of the GDR) on the 25 March 1982. A general could be appointed to this rank by the Staatsrat (the head-of-state council of the GDR) during war or for exceptional military achievement. During the few years between the rank's creation and the fall of the GDR in 1990, nobody had been appointed to the rank.
Electorate and Kingdom of Saxony
Electorate and Kingdom of Bavaria
Electorate of Brandenburg and Kingdom of Prussia
Holy Roman Empire
Austrian Empire
Imperial Germany
Austria-Hungary
Germany (WW2)
