INTRODUCTION
The five star ranks were last used in World War 2, when it was necessary for theater commanders such as Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur to hold a rank that was at least equal or senior to general officers of other nations under their command.
The Army rank of 5 Star General is only specifically handed out at wartime during the most extreme of circumstances. The title of the rank is General of the Army, but it is equivalent to Field Marshal in foreign services.
Five general officers held the rank during or after 1944 in WW2: George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Henry H. Arnold, and Omar Bradley who was promoted to five star rank as an honorarium in 1950.
In normal times the highest rank a general officer may hold is four stars, usually called simply general.
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