Talk:Field Marshal

From Academic Kids

The paragraph about Stalin is not correct at all. This type of knowledge is typical for the

 propaganda-educated Americans. In the Soviet Union, Generalissimo was not a rank,
 but a different name(title) for MSUs in Soviet Union or field marshals in Imperial Russia.
 This title was given to a field marshal or MSU, who participated in three different
 victorious wars. The first Generalissimo was Generalissimo Suvorov in Imperial Russia
 and the second was Generalissimo Stalin, who won wars with Finland, German, and
 Japan. It is a sad truth, but not many field marshals won three different wars.
 Generalissimo was used without addition "of the Soviet Union", so correct
 entrance in the encyclopedia should be Generalissimo Stalin. The rank of [[Marshal of
 the Soviet Union]] was actually the highest rank. About self-promoting. The British
 monarchs get the rank of Field Marshal without even checking the maps of battles, while
 Generalissimo Stalin planned battles and played a crucial role in the wars.

Stretching it a bit to claim victory against Japan after the entry of the Soviets in the Pacific at the eleventh hour? And surely the Fins were part of the German war?

Any explanation as to what a "Marshal" is? -- Zoe

A General.

I meant the definition and derivation of the word. -- Zoe

A Marshal is a General. There is no difference between the two. A Field Marshal is a Marshal, and thus also a General. They are all Generals. Dietary Fiber

Sorry, not true. A Field Marshal is not a General. He was one once, but not after receiving his baton. That's like saying that a Major is a Captain! -- Necrothesp 16:30, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

You're not listening to what I'm saying. I was hoping someone could write an article called Marshal, and in that article, or this one, differentiate between a Marhsal and a Field Marshal, just as there are differences between General, Lieutenant General, Brigadier General, and Major General. And in that Marshal article, explain where the word comes from. Being an American, it doesn't register for me. -- Zoe

Well, sometimes a Marshall is a Field Marshall and sometimes he isnt. It all depends on the country. Dietary Fiber

It's somewhat ambigious. A marshal is the officer of the highest military rank, while a General (at least in the US military) is a military officer that ranks above Lieutenant General but below General of the Army/Air Force (only used during wartime). whkoh

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_military_ranks

As for where it comes from, without even looking it up, I'd think it rather obvious, though I'd factcheck first, of course: Marshal. Martial. Hmm. -- John Owens

And this is why we factcheck. ;) Turns out it's actually from the same root as "mare", and refers to being in charge of the cavalry back in the old days. Learn something new at Wikipedia every day, I do! <g> -- John Owens

P.S. Marshal or marshall? They're both used a lot here. Which is it? Let's see... ah, "marshall" is the Old (American) West law officer kind of marshall, but a high-ranking military type is always "Marshal" with one "l". FYI

Really? The OED says that 'marshal' (unless used as a name) is always spelled with one 'l'. It certainly always is (or always should be - take note BBC, with your occasional Air Chief Marshalls!) when used as a military rank, but the OED also lists the single 'l' as correct for a US law enforcement officer. -- Necrothesp 16:30, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Whether it's "obvious" or not, we ought to include it in the article. -- Zoe

See William Marshal. Deb 21:19 Apr 3, 2003 (UTC)

There's actually lots of interesting stuff about the marshal/general distinction, including Anglo-American friction in WWII believe it or not, but I'm still accumulating authoritative sources before scribbling on this article. Stan 21:37 Apr 3, 2003 (UTC)

Contents

1 Japan 2 Britain 3 Netherlands 4 List too big 5 Is Suharto a Field Marshal?

Japan

Richard Fuller, in Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai, lists Higashikuni as a field marshal and Hata's promotion date as June 1943, not as 1944. This conflicts with what Genstab has written, which I have incidentally removed to here since it messes up the consistency of the list:

this list provided by Japanese scholar Kenji Tsuruhara thru Axis History Forum. Saigo, Higashikuni, Asaka, Arisugawa and Kitasarakawa were never Field Marshals. Note that several were promoted the same year they died- these were posthumous promotions.

Any evidence to back either claim up one way or the other? -- Necrothesp 17:34, 20 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Britain

The Duke of Argyll may have been the first British field marshal in the modern sense, but the style dates back at least as far as the English Civil War: according to regiments.org (http://www.regiments.org/biography/fmintro.htm), Sir Ralph Horton was Field Marshal of the Western Army, and later Field Marshal General (sic) of the West and Sussex, Surrey and Kent; John, Lord Byron was Field Marshal of the forces in Worcester, Salop, Chester and the six Welsh Counties. Franey 14:34, 11 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Netherlands

I believe thatn the late middle ages and during the Dutch Republic times, the stadhouder of the Netherlands was also the Captian-General and Admiral-General. After the Dutch rebelled against Spanish rule, this title was held by the scion of the House of Orange-Nassau. I dont know if they had an additional rank of field marshal, and if not, shouldnt this be in the article.

List too big

Time to factor the list of marshals off somewhere else I think. GraemeLeggett 12:56, 24 May 2005 (UTC)

Is Suharto a Field Marshal?

I noticed that the page Category:Field_Marshals lists Suharto as a Field Marshal. I have never heard of this and all sources that I can find refer to him as a General, not a Field Marshal. Can somebody provide a source for his use of the title Field Marshal, please? Thanks in advance. Julius.kusuma 16:34, 24 May 2005 (UTC)

Mr. Kusuma, since there is no known evidence so far that he ever acquired that rank, I am going to remove his name from the list. Anglius

Thanks for the note. I've also never heard of Abdul Haris Nasution using the title of Field Marshal. I wonder if somebody can provide a reference to this? Julius.kusuma 03:49, 26 May 2005 (UTC)

You are welcome, sir. I have not read anything as to the present which would indicate that he was one, but it is probable, since he was "Chief of Staff of Armed Forces." I apologise if I am wasting your time. Anglius

If you had added his name because it was "probable" I am going to remove it unless there is a reason to keep it there. There aer many Chiefs of Staff of Armed Forces, but very few are made Field Marshals. Thanks. Julius.kusuma 12:38, 27 May 2005 (UTC)

No, sir, I did not add his name to the list, but you are welcome. Anglius