-101-InvaderZim
Member
+42|7315|Waikato, Aotearoa
Anybody out there know why the General Ranks start at Brigadier General as the lowest and go to Lieutenant General (the highest) when a Brigadier is the highest Staff Rank and a Lieutenant is the Lowest??

From Highest to Lowest

Brigadier
Major
Lieutenant
KVNY
Member
+25|7127|SoCal
I've thought about this before.  If you look at some of the other ranks (or grades as they are known in the miltary) lieutenant is always below something else.  For example.  2nd and 1st lieutnant are the lowest officers ranks (grades).  A lieutnant colonel is directly below a full Colonel. A Lieutenant commander (Naval grade) is one step below a full Commander. Hence a lieutnant general would be one step below a full General.  I assume that the word lieutnant has some connotation of being below or less than in some other language possibly.

Last edited by KVNY (2006-08-25 00:31:55)

=MCHD= arush5268d
Member
+46|6972|Houston, TX
The ranks in this game are based of the rank structure of the United States Marine Corps, in which the general ranks, from highest to lowest, go General, Lt. General, Major General, Brigadier General.
KVNY
Member
+25|7127|SoCal

=MCHD= arush5268d wrote:

The ranks in this game are based of the rank structure of the United States Marine Corps, in which the general ranks, from highest to lowest, go General, Lt. General, Major General, Brigadier General.
Yeah, Invader zim missed one. After Lt. Gen (3 stars) comes General (4 stars) as arush said.
Snake
Missing, Presumed Dead
+1,046|7037|England

-101-InvaderZim wrote:

From Highest to Lowest

Brigadier
Major
Lieutenant
That should be lowest to highest
And should include the full rank of General at the end. In the case of the Americans, there is also a 5 star Gen, The General of the Army (I believe for wartime only).

But, it is technically correct as per the real military and is so on most of the armies across the world. Only difference, from a British perspective, is that it is a Brigadier, not a Brigadier General. I dont know about other armies though.
I know that back in like the 1800's they had different names, such as "Sergeant Major General". So whether Major used to be a rank lower down than Lieutenant???

EDIT: And, Ive just opened up wiki, and apparantly, George Washington was promoted to "General of the Armies" - a 6 star general in 1976

Last edited by Snake (2006-08-25 00:53:58)

Sambuccashake
Member
+126|7081|Sweden

Snake wrote:

George Washington was promoted to "General of the Armies" - a 6 star general in 1976
Commander glitch?
I_invented_BF2
DICE/EA spokesman
+19|6954|denmark
in the russian army they have fieldmarshall... I think he has 8 (small stars) on each shoulder... that rank is higher, than a normal 4 star general... so the spetnaz should avance even more..
-101-InvaderZim
Member
+42|7315|Waikato, Aotearoa
This is all very true but still doesnt answer my question (and maybe I should make myself clearer)

Brigadier is higher than Major
Major is higher than Lieutenant
If this is true then logic would dictate that the General Ranks would also take same pattern.... (as below)


Lieutenant General taking the lowest Rank (due to it being the lowest Field Rank)
Major General next (cos its higher than Lieutenant)
Brigadier General (Its higher than either a Major OR Lieutenant)
General taking the highest Rank
KVNY
Member
+25|7127|SoCal

-101-InvaderZim wrote:

This is all very true but still doesnt answer my question (and maybe I should make myself clearer)

Brigadier is higher than Major
Major is higher than Lieutenant
If this is true then logic would dictate that the General Ranks would also take same pattern.... (as below)


Lieutenant General taking the lowest Rank (due to it being the lowest Field Rank)
Major General next (cos its higher than Lieutenant)
Brigadier General (Its higher than either a Major OR Lieutenant)
General taking the highest Rank
I dont know about major and brigadier generals, but i'll re-explain the logic as i see it for Lt. Gen and General. If you look at some of the other ranks (or grades as they are known in the miltary) lieutenant is always below something else.  For example.  2nd and 1st lieutnant are the lowest officers ranks (grades).  A lieutnant colonel is directly below a full Colonel. A Lieutenant commander (Naval grade) is one step below a full Commander. Hence a lieutnant general would be one step below a full General.  I assume that the word lieutnant has some connotation of being below or less than in some other language possibly.  So yeah. As for the other i can only say that things dont always make since... especially when it comes to the military .

Last edited by KVNY (2006-08-25 02:35:53)

Snake
Missing, Presumed Dead
+1,046|7037|England

"The word lieutenant derives from French; the lieu meaning "place" as in a position; and tenant meaning "holding" as in "holding a position"; thus a "lieutenant" is somebody who holds a position in the absence of his superior (compare the cognate Latin locum tenens). The Arabic word for lieutenant, mulāzim (Arabic: ملازم‎), also means "holding a place".


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant


I have heard a saying that if you are someones Lieutenant, then you are almost like "their bitch" (haha cant think of another way of putting it ). So that would make sense with the General ranks.

So going by that, I suppose that technically, the Officer ranks of Lieutenant and Major are the wrong way around - and that may be why you have the rank of Captain seperating them..

Last edited by Snake (2006-08-25 02:57:47)

im_in_heaven
Member
+27|7059
Brigadier General is the highest ranking officer on the "ground". The 4 star Gen is usualy in washington sitting at a desk talking with commander in chiefs.

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