WW  II marked the first, and only time, in American history to promote certain leaders beyond the legal limit of a four-star General or Admiral during wartime.  Although Congress authorized five-stars for Pershing, it did not occur until WW I was over.  Other nations, most notably the British and Germans, have  bestowed five-star status on their most senior general/flag officers in past  wars, and did it again in WW II.  Ever mindful of our Founding Father’s  contempt for England’s maintenance of a full-time army and navy in peace  time, and the additional tax burden it caused, did not like the idea of adding a 5th star; in essence, creating a “General-of-Generals” and an  “Admiral-of-Admirals.”  In WW II, however, when President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill created the quasi-formal entity, the “Combined Chiefs of Staff,” it became obvious to the Americans after a couple of CCS meetings that many of the British CCS members held 5-star rank and sometimes gave the impression they outranked all of the American 4-star officers.  This uncomfortable situation filtered its way back to Roosevelt.  The President did not act immediately; but, eventually he had to do something to level the playing field between the two country’s top military leaders.

Roosevelt took the necessary steps to create the wartime rank of a 5-star General and Admiral.  The thornier issue was not so much who ought to get a 5th star, but how to sort out when each one was promoted.  Using a rigid military chain-of-command, Roosevelt knew that officers of equal rank determined who outranked who by using each man’s promotion date, or in military parlance, their “date-of-rank.”  For the most part, British 5-star officers had dates-of-rank that pre-dated the timeframe that Washington even started thinking about it.  Whether the British liked it or not, Roosevelt and his new 5-star officers behaved as equals and avoided situations that might escalate to the point a CCS member felt there was no alternative but to “pull rank” based on dates-of-promotion (rank seniority).

Roosevelt settled the issue of rank seniority amongst the new American 5-star leaders by promoting his top military advisor, Admiral William Leahy, first, on December 15, 1944. In date order, Army General George Marshall came next on the 16th of December; then Chief-of-Naval Operations, Admiral Ernest King on the 17th.  At this point Roosevelt had finished leveling the playing field for America’s top CCS members.

By design early in the war, Roosevelt and Churchill endorsed the CCS decision to tap one 4-star officer, American or British, who became the singular military leader for the Allies in each theater of operations.  After promoting the three previous men, FDR began promoting the theater commanders from the U.S. military.  For this next sequence, since all of the men had more than 30 years of active duty, Roosevelt used their time-in-service.  General Douglas MacArthur, commander of the Southwest Pacific theater got his 5th star on December 18, 1944.  Commander of the Central Pacific, Admiral Chester Nimitz, came next on the 19th.  General Dwight Eisenhower got his 5-star promotion the next day, December 20th.  It’s interesting to note that Eisenhower made the fastest ascension to 5-stars of any of the men.  On March 5, 1941, Eisenhower held the permanent rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  The next day he received his “eagles” as a full Colonel.  He was promoted six times in three and a half years.  The final 5-star promotion was head of the American Army Air Forces, General Henry “Hap” Arnold on December 21, 1944.

The American military has regularly used the scheme of honoring officers with career-long meritorious service by giving them a final promotion on their date of retirement.  This is sometimes referred to as a “tombstone promotion.” Since the number of active duty Generals and Admirals (1-star through 4-star) are set by Federal Law, a tombstone promotion did not upset the balance of Generals & Admirals on active duty.  Retirement promotions were a way for the USG to make amends to an officer whom the President could not promote while on active duty.  It was a further gesture of thanks for their long service, because retirement at a higher paygrade brought the retiree more money in their monthly retirement check.  Both Admiral William Halsey and General Omar Bradley got their 5th stars in this manner with promotion dates of December 11, 1945 and September 20, 1950, respectively.

Which of the preceding 5-star officers was the best?  No one can really say for sure.  You might be able to narrow the field to three or four men; but, then to apply further filtration would likely result in splitting hairs that historians could argue over for the next 100 years.  Let’s just say that each man was an above average officer throughout his career, such that he can thank many different military & civilian officials who recognized, starting as 2nd Lieutenants and Ensigns, that each man’s skill & achievements made him worthy of promotion 10 more times in the four decades to follow.  They all deserve America’s recognition for rising to the challenge of war at exactly the right place and time.