Generalfeldmarschall is the highest
military rank in the
German Wehrmacht. Generalfeldmarschall is given to only a very small handful of Generals in the
Heer and
Luftwaffe. It is on par with
Großadmiral of the
Kriegsmarine, of which there was only two. A "Field Marshal," as one would call them in English, was above the other ranks of General. It is equivalent to the
General of the Army or
Fleet Admiral in the
American rank system.
A
Field Marshal also wore distinctive insignia to set them apart from other Generals of the Wehrmacht. Their red collar tabs had longer oak leaves than that of a General's. In addition, instead of wearing pips on their
General Officer shoulder boards to denote their level, they wore a silver pair of crossed
batons in the middle of the boards. A Field Marshal also had a "
Field Marshal's baton" that they carried in official portraits and during ceremonies. It was basically a baton, dressed with red velvet,
iron crosses, and other
Third Reich symbols. It was a symbol of thier authority as a Field Marshal.
Unlike lower Generals may be, a Feldmarschall was not attached to a specific branch or division. For example, there might be a General der Infantrie (Infantry General) but a Feldmarschall retains authority over all divisions in their command. The highest Generalfeldmarschall in the Wehrmacht, was of course Feldmarschall
Keitel, the "Chef
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht."
For the full rank structure of the Wehrmacht, see
Wehrmacht Ranks.