U.S. Army Rank Insignia of WW2 

Note: We accidentally omitted the Technician 3rd Grade rank (the technician rank at the Staff Sergeant pay grade). They were generally used in the same positions as Tech 5 and 4, but with more experience. If there were any authorized explicitly in the TO&E, there were far fewer Tech 3s than Tech 4 or 5s. They were paid the same as a Staff Sergeant and were addressed as Staff Sergeant in conversation.

The first General of the Army created in 1944 was George Marshall. The Army decided on "General of the Army" rather than "Field Marshal" because they didn't want to call him "Field Marshal Marshall".

I've been doing heavy research for a game I am developing. These videos have been extremely valuable. Keep it up!

Lt Gen Lesley McNair was killed in Normandy by a US aerial bomb that fell short. They found his three-star insignia, but apparently not much else. He was one of four US lieutenant generals to die in WW2.

Army vet here. This is so confusing lol Former member of the E-4 mafia

My father was a "Tech" 5th grade in WW II. He was in the D-day invasion as a Radio-Telephone man (mostly did Telephone work) and severed during the first part of the War trials after war.

My great grandfather was a tech 4th grade in ww2. The only reason I know is from his discharge papers and some of the medals and rank insignia he left behind. On his discharge papers is says his MOS was something to do with anti-aircraft guns.

Could we expect an awards video from the US Army during WWII? I'd be interested in seeing that elaborated upon.

"Command authority of a private" ie. commanding themselves alone.

I love the fact that you put the Medal of Honor Vanguard music in this. The nostalgia.

Good job!!! Only issue is “sergeant majors” should be “sergeants major” but that is a very very minuscule detail compared to the rest of the piece

Just became a subscriber. Google recommended your USMC WWII video, and I binged the rest. I'm a Navy vet who loves military history, and this channel is awesome.

glad this channel popped up right when you guys started to upload regularly. Please, keep it up!

This video was suggested on the Between 2 Wars channel. I’m really glad I followed the link and subscribed. Thank you for an interesting and informative video.

Fantastic content! Well researched and presented! Keep up the amazing work!

Thank You for this small piece of history for the U.S. Army Ranks in WWII, I like this kind educational history and I really enjoy this kind of stuff. Great Presentation. Thanks Again.

Are you joking...? Demonetized?? Why would RU-vid do that?! Pure high quality history content; what possible reason could they come up with to do that to you? By the way, can you possibly produce this same type of informative video that covers the early and middle 20th century U.S. Navy? That’d be fantastic. Keep up the fine work. You’re greatly appreciated.

Love your videos there amazing! They are super interesting, so keep up the great work! Also do your think you can do a few more videos on the Vietnam War?

Amazing video! I hope you would consider a video on U.S. Navy ranks!

I see I'm not the only one thrilled with this post. The More We Know. Keep up the good work. Great Post.

Such a fantastically well done and informative video... Thank you so mch for this. You directed me here from F/B after I asked about W/O's. It still amazes me that amoungst all the garbage on You-tube that there are still some diamonds in the rought to give me some hope that this are still things to discover on here worth watching!

Thanks for posting this. It's always interesting to read about the history of the USA and USAF. When I was at the USAF Senior Noncommission Offier's Academy in 2004 I gave a talk about the Warrant Officer ranks and the use of Flight Officers during WWII. It's a fascinating bit of history. Also, if anyone's interested, I've left a link below to the Wikipedia articale on the USAAF's enlisted pilot program. The last sergeant pilot in the USAF retired in 1957. As you mentioned, the warrants and the flight officers had very specialized jobs involving techincal skills, while the commisioned officers' careers had them headed to higher and higher levels of command. The AF had some carry-over of the warrants, but this generally tapered off over the next 40 years after the war. As far as enlisted ranks in the Army go, it was very different in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s (when I came in). There were (are) nine enlisted grades, counted from the bottom up, with some variation of private names and stripes, NCO names and stripes, and the Senior NCOs. And of course, there's that whole era of Specialist ranks that came about in the 50s and were still going on for a bit into the 80s. All-in-all, it makes for great reading and viewing. Thanks so much for posting your video. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_Cadet_Training_Program_(USAAF)

Love your videos! keep up the great work!

Just found this channel and I subscribe instantly

I like this especially the marine core ranks video now i can spit facts to ma friends

One of the best videos, can you do the Vietnam war next? I think that would be awesome to watch. Great job!

Great job on the video, i was too late for the war (1947 - 1950) and served during a time of drastic reduction in force (or drawdown as they called it) so there wasn't much room for advancement. - Charlie, Cpl. US Army Signal Corps.

Very nice review of the ranks. My dad was a Technical Corporal, T5 during WWII, 1944 to 1946 in Europe.

Good job

My father was Technician 3rd Grade during 1946 at Seoul Korea as a wrecker/mechanic just before the Korean War started

Good information. It would be good to do the ranks pre and early war too. There appears to have been an informal practice that companies would have a " Field First" who was the top EM while the unit was in the field away from the company . The First Sergeant was the Administrative head and normally continued his work at the Company area. This was not an official Rank but just a convention the Companies seemed to follow for day to day operations and probably more common in line units. Company Commanders had way more power on how they ran their company than they do now. These conventions are not well known now. .

love that Medal of Honor: Allied Assault music in the background

Thanks for the video! The WW2 enlisted ranks were always changing because there were so many men in uniform, I.e. too many Indians, not enough Chiefs. I was in the USAF in the early 70’s and I remembered when they changed some of the lower ranks and insignias. When you’re of the lower ranks, you’re treated like crap so the changes didn’t mean much. Some of the senior NCOs were still complaining that the USAF didn’t have Warrant Officers so their career path in rank would oftentimes hit a wall.

When You watch a War Movie you rarely see any Tech ranks in the Movie !!!

My grandpa was a Jeep driver and started in the war as a Pfc specialist (not sure which class) and ended as a grade 4 technician, but sure enough he and everyone else always just said he was a sergeant

The Allied Assault theme creeping around in the background just makes this video for me.

Can you do a organization video of Company or Battalion size on the Chinese Army/People’s Liberation Army, can’t seem to ever find much info on them.

Thank you 🙏🫡🇺🇸

wow that’s kind a interesting 🤔, what about evolution of the U.S Marine rifle squad (Ww1 to Now)

This video is amazing but i do have request. WW1 Ranks ( I may or may not be making a ww1 gmod rp)

While officers might pay extra for "gold plate" on their rank insignia, They were ONLY mere BRASS, where the term Big Brass or High Brass comes from. Don't confuse the "gold" for Brass when it comes to higher rank. A BRASS major is lower than a Silver Lt. Col. leaf.

Oh god that music

Thanks for the great resource. I noticed that the pay for the Specialist rank/rates are 1922, the lowest being $25.05. The lowest in 1942, before their elimination, was $46.

I was at a flea market recently. Overheard an old guy who was in the Army. He was telling somebody else how he wanted to be promoted to corporal and by the time that was supposed to happen they came out with the specialist rank. He was pissed about that.

i love this bgm, it was my childhood when the PSP first came about

So Sergeant Major was a position and not a rank in the 40s? When did Sergeant Major ranks appear?

I’m amazed that 2- 3- and 4-star generals were paid the same but had more responsibility as they increased in rank. Doesn’t seem fair.

Superb! My father was in a combat engineering unit in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. Many of the men were technicians fifth grade, and I wonder if this is because they were in an engineering unit. Nevertheless, great video. Wonderfully informative.

Can you make a video about ww2 navy officer ranks? Of all types on a ship including aviation pilots

Nice.

You missed the grade 2 with diamond. Done away with in 42. That was the first sgt in between wars.

Could we have an evolution of a british or Australian rifle squad

Hoping for a follow-on video on how the US Army ranks and insignias changed in the ten or fifteen years after the end of the war in Cold War Germany. My father served in Germany during that time in tank group.

Wow you sure uplaod fast

Any chance you could cover why the Cheverons went from pointing downward up to the civil war, to an up pointing position shortly after?

despise the military but this was a really good video, nice work!

please do Marine, Army, and Navy WW1 ranks (USA)

As a Flight Engineer currently, I'm a bit upset we aren't Warrant Officer's anymore... lol

Thanks for posting this. Enlisted ranks during that period have been somewhat confusing. My father was a Tech 3 in the PTO. We still have his uniform coat. His younger brother was a Staff Sargent- an aerial gunner in the 15th Air Force. The oldest brother was a Captain. A 90-day wonder as he had an engineering degree. He commanded a "colored" Engineer Company in the PTO. We also have his uniform coat. I was under the impression that the all Technical ranks got slightly higher pay than the "normal" equivalent ranks. So my father would have had a high base rate than his younger brother. Of course, the younger brother also got flight pay. One of the stories I heard was that all enlisted flight personnel in combat zones were at least an NCO. Corporal or better. This was done so that if they were shot down, by the Geneva Convention, they were not supposed to be forced into labor.

The officer/nco helmet stripes were only an ETO thing.

In the field grade ranks. It was not unusual for the rank worn as the overseas rank. Often, they would revert to their actual paid rank upon return to the states. Generally they stayed overseas for the duration. Only if they were diciplined and sent home would they lose the higher rank worn overseas. This is similar to the brevet ranks worn in the civil war. I. E. Custer.

Can you do marine ranks from WW1 please

I’ve seen General Henry Hap Arnold’s five star General uniform at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. as he was he first and only General of the Air Force in the U.S. Air Force

I am working on a show that uses world war 2 rank structure so this is gonna be very helpful, but i noticed you skipped over Tech 3rd grade, was that because they really were not around?

My father was a plank member in the 432nd Fighter Squadron 475th FG SW Pacific. He achieved the rank of Sgt. and was in charge of the squadron mess for the 432nd. He must have been good at what he did for his mess also fed the HQ officers and staff. He fed Col. Lindberg when he came to stay with the group on 2 occasions. There were very few privates and corporals in the squadron, but a hell of a lot of sergeants. The group has a museum in the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California.

Watching this video to understand what my great grandfather went through.

This content is awesome! Can we get videos for nations like Japan and Australia?

PLEASE MAKE A U.S. NAVY RANK FROM THAT ERA TOO.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, which historically originated from the US military, still retains the technical sergeant rank long after the US renamed it sgt 1st class. Same role, though. Thanks for this history video. Keep it up.

In James Jones’ pre WWII classic From Here to Eternity , the soldiers speak of a grade called a “1st and 4th” ....does ANYBODY know what they’re talking about ? If so...what did the insignia look like , what authority did they have etc?

i like the medal of honor music

i understand why present day army warrant officers are eligible to be helicopter pilot so the present day army still retains the flight capability specialist of warrant officers since nowadays air force pilots were commissioned officers. thanks a lot for the info

Question: 9:21 what is the origin of oak leaves representing majors/lieutenant colonels? Why an oak leaf?

9:55 Meanwhile the Polish: looks like a second lieutenant to me lmao

7:18 the mentioned paygrade of the Chief Warrant Officer differs from the show value. Which one is correct?

I see insignia with chevrons above and rockers below, but note they were inverted prior to WWI. What’s the story?

It is my understanding that when the General of the Army rank was created (Pershing first) George Washington was retroactively promoted to the same rank backdated to 1783 (year may be off) so that he would always be the most senior general officer in the American army. Anybody know offhand if that is true?

Private grade 1's pay of 50 bucks a month is equivalent to 800 bucks. A MONTH.

what is this S-2, S-3 and so on that you talk about? in Band of brothers they also use that term but i am unsure what it really means.

Please make a video about medals that could be awarded in ww2.

I think 5 Star Generals were also in the Navy as Fleet Admirals such as Nimitz and Halsey to name a few.

This channel is soooooo underated...so sad

Do navy next

Hey I know it’s not a big deal but when referring to plural enlisted soldier you put the rank for the plurality so instead of “Private First Classes” or “Sergeant Majors” it souls be “Privates First Class” and “Sergeants Major”

WWII Naval ranks next??

All right Private go take that hill! (private says: What! Do that! I want a raise!!)

You should cover German Military ranks

Any U.S. Air Force videos?

my dad was a grade 4 sargent in ww-2,battle of the bulge,he was in the 9th army

Could you dedicate a video to the origins of chevrons?

Can I get the background music please?

Can we do modern U.S. Army Ranks, to see how muck we have changed from WW2 to Now.

What is the rank of captain or do I miss it I thought Captain is above sergent

how did pay change with more than 3 years of service?

Enlisted had Grades of pay (G7 to G1) and warrant officers and officers had Pay Periods (1 to 8).

So did the T under the chevrons make the person higher or lower in rank than a person with the same number of chevrons? I'm not talking about pay grade. I'm asking about authority. My Father-in-Law had two chevrons with the T. Was he a corporal or a private?

We need to bring back the Spec/Tech grades.

Wonder if being a CPL sucked back then as it does now.

Can someone explain to me how a soldier could be considered as a specialist ? What specialities should he have ?

Does anyone know if WOs had or used helmet markings?