Army corps general
An army corps general or corps general is a senior rank in several armies, including those of France and Italy. The rank is the equivalent of a lieutenant general in the armies of other countries and of ancient regime France.
Contents
1 Algeria
2 Czechoslovakia
3 Cuba
4 France
5 Italy
6 References
7 See also
Algeria
The rank of général de corps d'armée was created in November 1994 as the highest rank in the Armée nationale populaire (ANP), the rank below it being Major General. Its rank badge shows three stars. The first officer to be promoted to the rank was general Mohamed Lamari, chief of staff of the ANP (1993-2004). In 2006 three officers were promoted to the rank - Gaïd Salah, chief of staff of the ANP, Bennabes Ghzeiel, military advisor to president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and former head of the gendarmerie, and Toufik Mediene, head of the Département du Renseignement et de la Sécurité. After Ghezeiel's death in July 2014, only Toufik and Gaid Salah were the only living holders of the rank. Since July 2015, they have been joined by general Ahmed Bousteila, commander of the Gendarmerie nationale, and general Benali Benali, commander of the Garde républicaine.
Czechoslovakia
In the Czechoslovak Army, the rank of a corps general (Czech: sborový generál, Slovak: zborový generál) existed between 1947 and 1953. It was replaced by the colonel general (generálplukovník) rank under Soviet Army influence in 1953.
Cuba
The Cuban Armed Forces rank of general de cuerpo de ejército operates similarly to that in France and Algeria.
France
The rank of général de corps d'armée ("general of an army corps" is junior to the rank of général d'armée and senior to général de division. Officially, it is not a rank, but a style and position (rang et appelation in French) bestowed upon some généraux de division (which is the highest substantive rank in the French Army). It is the third of four general ranks. The first mention of the rank is in a circular on uniforms dated 17 March 1921 which gives the rank of 'commandant de corps d'armée' to certain divisional general and the rank of 'commandant d'armée' to divisional generals who were also members of the Conseil supérieur de la guerre. These ranks were simplified by a decree creating the ranks of "général de corps d'armée" and "général d'armée" on 6 June 1939[1]
The rank insignia is four silver stars arranged in a diamond pattern.
The equivalent rank in the Air Force is général de corps d'armée aérien ("general of air army corps") and in the Navy is vice-amiral d'escadre ("vice-admiral of squadron").
Service dress insignia of a French général de corps d'armée in the French Army
Service dress insignia of a French général de corps d'armée in the French Gendarmerie
Insignia of a général de corps aérienne in the French Air Force
Italy
In Italy the rank of 'generale di corpo d'armata' or "Tenente Generale" is shown by three stars and a 'greca' for the Army, Guardia di Finanza and Carabinieri. It is equivalent to squadron admiral in the Italian Navy and generale di squadra aerea in the Italian Air Force.
References
^ Service historique du ministère de la Défense, "Les grades dans l'armée française" Archived 2014-12-04 at the Wayback Machine
See also
- Three-star rank
