On September 1, 1939, US Army General George C. Marshall, Jr., was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Marshall would go on to lead the American military effort through World War II and later be appointed General of the Army, a 5 star rank created so that the United States military would have general officers equivalent to the European Allies’ Field Marshal rank. (It would not do to have a lesser rank American in charge of Allied Field Marshals.)
Digging Deeper
George Marshall was a highly competent officer and not one prone to self-aggrandizement along the lines of Douglas MacArthur (also appointed to 5 star rank) or British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. In fact, he begged the civilian government not to appoint him as a Field Marshal, as he did not want to be “Marshal Marshall!” (Is this tale apocryphal or was it real?)
