An Overview of American 5 Star Generals

In the United States, there has only been nine 5 star generals in all of U.S. History. To say that it would be difficult to become one would be an understatement. All of the men who became 5 star generals have all be involved in World War 2 in some way or another. However, the 5 star rank in the U.S. was actually created during World War 2 because of the awkward situation created when some American senior commanders were placed in positions commanding allied officers of higher rank.

Those nine men were Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Henry Hap Arnold, Chester Nimitz, William Halsey, Douglas MacArthur, George Marshall, Ernest King, and William Leahy. Eisenhower, Bradley and Arnold commanded in Europe for the wear while Nimitz, Halsey, and MacArthur focused on the Pacific with Marshall, King, and Leahy directing the war from Washington D.C. Without these men playing the crucial roles that they did, it probably would have been impossible for the U.S. to win WW2 so they very much deserved their 5 star rank.

Dwight Eisenhower, also called Ike, was born on October 14, 1890 in Denison, Texas. In 1911 Dwight was accepted into West Point. On December 20th, 1944, Eisenhower became a 5 star general of the army in. He served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. He supervised and planned the invasion of North Africa from 1942-1943 and the invasion of France and Germany from 1944-1945 from the Western Front. Later, in 1951, Eisenhower became the first supreme commander of NATO. After this, Eisenhower was hailed as a hero.

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He ran for president, using the slogan “I like Ike” and won by a landslide, serving from 1953 to 1961. Dwight Eisenhower died on March 28th, 1969.

Omar Bradley was born February 12, 1893 in Clark, Missouri. After graduating high school, Bradley went on to West Point where he focused on sports. In 1915, Bradley graduated West Point. This class was called “the class the stars fell on” since 59 students went on the be generals, including Dwight Eisenhower. After West Point, Bradley rose up the ranks, including teaching at various places where he met George Marshall. In 1943, Omar received a front-line command. On D-Day, he commanded the U.S. First Army. Ultimately, Omar Bradley commanded 1.3 million men. Omar was the last of the 5 star generals to die, on April 8th, 1981.

Henry Arnold, commonly called Hap, was born June 25th, 1886 in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. At age 17 Hap entered the United States Military Academy. Hap was personally instructed by the Wright brothers (the inventors of the airplane) making Hap Arnold one of the first military pilots in the whole world. He supervised the expansion of Air Service during WW1 and in WW2 he commanded the Army Air Forces and directed its expansion into the largest and most powerful Air Force in the world. Hap Arnold was the General of the Army and then later became General of the Air Force, making him the only 5 star general with two 5 star positions. During his service Arnold suffered through 4 heart attacks, attributed to the stress he was going through. Henry Hap Arnold died January 15th, 1950.

On February 24th, 1885 in Fredericksburg, Texas, Chester Nimitz was born. Chester went to the United States Naval Academy after discovering that there were no appointments available in West Point. Ten days after Pearl Harbor, Chester Nimitz was selected as the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. When ready, Nimitz headed the offensive attack on the Japanese navy, defeating them in the Battle of the Coral Sea, which was the pivotal battle of the Battle of Midway. On December 19th 1944, Chester Nimitz was appointed to the highest grade in the Navy, the Fleet Admiral of the United States Navy. On September 2nd 1945 Nimitz signed for the U.S. when Japan formally surrendered, on board the Missouri. On November 26th, 1945 Chester Nimitz’s nomination as Chief of Naval Operations was confirmed by the US Senate, and on December 15th, 1945 he relieved Fleet Admiral Ernest King. Chester Nimitz passed away on February 20th, 1966.

William Halsey, also called “Bull Halsey” was born on October 30th, 1882 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Halsey finally got his appointment to the United States Naval Academy after trying and waiting for 3 years. He graduated in 1904 and spent his early years of his service on the battleship Missouri. Right before Pearl Harbor, Halsey took the USS Enterprise out of Pearl Harbor to reinforce Wake Island, making it one of the few aircraft carriers not destroyed from the Japanese surprise attack. In May 1944, Admiral Halsey was promoted to commanding officer of the newly formed Third Fleet. From September 1944 to January 1945, he led the campaigns to take the Palaus, Leyte and Luzon. In October 1944 Halsey’s Third Fleet was assigned to cover and support Seventh Fleet operations, which was commanded by General Douglas MacArthur. On December 11, 1945, William Halsey took the oath as Fleet Admiral, becoming the fourth and last officer to hold the rank. Halsey died on August 16th, 1959 on Fishers Island, New York.

Douglas MacArthur was born January 26th 1880 at the Arsenal Barracks in Little Rock, Arkansas. On June 13th, 1899 MacArthur entered West Point. At West Point, MacArthur received the third highest score ever recorded for academics. In 1919, MacArthur became Superintendent of West Point. On July 26th, 1941, MacArthur was named commander of the U.S. Army Forces in the Far East by President Roosevelt as a Major General. The next day, he was promoted to lieutenant general and then general on December 20th. After Pearl Harbor, General George Marshall ordered Douglas MacArthur to execute Rainbow Five, but MacArthur did nothing, later resulting in the Far East Air Force being destroyed. In February 1942, as Japanese forces tightened their grip on the Philippines, MacArthur was ordered by President Roosevelt to relocate to Australia. On 18 April 1942, MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area. After more campaigns and assisting in the Korean War, where he strongly suggested using Atomic bombs, which ultimately got him fired. Douglas MacArthur died April 5th, 1964.

George Marshall was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania on December 31st, 1880. In 1901, Marshall graduated from the Virginia Military Institute. At the beginning of WW2, as the Chief of Staff, Marshall organized the largest military expansion in U.S. history. Many of the American generals who were given top commands during the war were either picked or recommended by Marshall, among them were Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley. During World War II, Marshall was tasked with preparing the U.S. Army and Army Air Forces for the invasion of Europe. Marshall wrote the document that became the central strategy for all Allied operations in Europe. In 1947, Truman appointed Marshall Secretary of State. On June 5th, 1947, Marshall announced his plan to help rebuild Europe, originally called the European Recovery Program, it was later renamed the Marshall Plan. In 1953 Marshall was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for this, becoming the only U.S. Army General to receive one. Marshall died on Friday, October 16, 1959.

Earnest King was born in Lorain, Ohio, on November 23rd, 1878. He attended the United States Naval Academy from 1897 until 1901, graduating fourth in his class. On June 15th, 1939, King was posted to the General Board, a place described as “an elephants’ graveyard where senior officers spent the time remaining before retirement”. King’s friend, Harold Stark, saw that Earnest’s talent was being wasted in the General Board, so Harold appointed King as the Commander In Chief of the Atlantic fleet in 1940. In February 1941, King was promoted to Admiral. On December 30th, 1941, he became Commander In Chief of the United States Fleet. On March 18th, 1942, he was appointed to Chief of Naval Operations, relieving Stark. Earnest King is the only person to hold this combined command. On December 17th, Earnest King was promoted to the newly created rank of fleet admiral. Earnest left active duty on December 15th, 1945. Earnest King passed away on June 25th, 1956.

On May 6th, 1875, in Hampton, Iowa, William Leahy was born. In 1897, Leahy graduated 14th in his class from the United States Naval Academy. Leahy slowly moved up the ranks, moving from ship to ship on different assignment. From January 1937 to August 1939, Leahy was the Chief of Naval Operations. After retiring from that, Leahy became the governor of Puerto Rico from September 1939-November 1940.He oversaw the development of military bases and stations across the island while serving as governor. He took an open stance of not intervening directly in local politics, attempted to understand and respect local customs, and initiated various major public works projects in the island. In 1941, Leahy was appointed the ambassador of France. On December 15th, Leahy was appointed as the first U.S. Fleet Admiral. William Leahy was strongly against the use of the Atomic Bomb, having this to say about it:

“Once it had been tested, President Truman faced the decision as to whether to use it. He did not like the idea, but he was persuaded that it would shorten the war against Japan and save American lives. It is my opinion that the use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender because of the effective sea blockade and the successful bombing with conventional weapons… My own feeling was that in being the first to use it, we had adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make wars in that fashion, and that wars cannot be won by destroying women and children.”

Leahy resigned in March 1949. Leahy died at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, July 20, 1959 at the age of eighty-four.

These 9 men are the only ones to receive a 5 star rank in the U.S. As you can see, they were all connected. They all worked together to achieve greatness that helped us win the war. There is so much information on these men, that a huge autobiography book could be written on each and every one. They may have had their differences, and they certainly didn’t always make the right decision, but without them we never would have won World War Two. These men definitely deserve their high rank.