List of German field marshals

Field marshal (German: Generalfeldmarschall) was usually the highest military rank in various German armed forces. It had existed, under slightly different names, in several German states since 1631.^[1] After the unification of Germany it was the highest military rank of the Imperial German Army and later in the Wehrmacht^[a][b] until it was abolished in 1945.^[2]

For field marshals in the Holy Roman Empire, see List of field marshals of the Holy Roman Empire.

For field marshals in the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, see List of Austrian field marshals.

The vast majority of the people promoted to field marshal won major battles in wars of their time. Field marshals played a compelling and influential role in military matters, were tax-exempt, members of the nobility, equal to government officials, under constant protection or escort, and had the right to directly report to the royal family.^[3] In the Prussian military tradition, which set the tone for the 19th century and the German Empire, field marshals could only be promoted in wartime and the royal family was excluded, both resulting in the creation of the rank of colonel general with the rank of general field marshal (German: Generaloberst mit dem Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls) in 1854. Both restrictions would eventually end with the first royals being promoted during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, and later honorary promotions to foreign monarchs would follow. Adolf Hitler effectively disregarded the wartime prerequisite by two promotions in 1936 and 1938, though all subsequent promotions were during wartime.

Electorate (1356–1806) and Kingdom of Saxony (1806–1918)

Name	Date of promotion	Birth and Death	Portrait	Reference
Hans Georg von Arnim-Boitzenburg	21 June 1631	1583–1641		[4]
Francis Albert of Saxe-Lauenburg	24 November 1632	1598–1642
Rudolf Graf von Marzin	19 October 1638	1585–1645		[5]
Ernst Albrecht von Eberstein	1 January 1666	1605–76
Joachim Rüdiger of Goltz	28 August 1681	1620–88		[6]
Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming	8 September 1688	1632–1706
Hans Adam von Schöning	9 April 1691	1641–96
Jeremias of Chauvet	10 May 1693	Unknown–1699	—	[7]
Heinrich VI Reuß zu Obergreiz	30 September 1697	1649–97
Adam Heinrich von Steinau	27 August 1699	Unknown–1712	—
Georg Benedikt von Ogilvy	3 December 1706	1651–1710
Jacob Heinrich von Flemming	22 February 1712	1667–1728
Christoph August of Wackerbarth	17 April 1730	1662–1734		[8]
Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels	26 November 1735	1685–1746		[9]
Frederick Augustus Rutowsky	11 January 1749	1702–64
Johann Georg, Chevalier de Saxe	27 July 1763	1704–74		[10]
Frederick of Anhalt-Dessau	6 January 1775	1705–81
Albert of Saxony	11 July 1871	1828–1902		[11]
Georg of Saxony	14 June 1888	1832–1904

Brandenburg-Prussia and the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1870)

Name	Date of promotion	Birth and Death	Portrait	Reference
Otto Christoph von Sparr	20 June 1657	1599–1668		[12]
John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau	24 January 1670	1627–93		[12]
Georg von Derfflinger	18 February 1670	1606–95		[12]
Alexander Hermann, Count of Wartensleben	23 March 1706	1650–1734		[13]
Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau	1712	1676–1747		[14]
Carl Philipp, Reichsgraf von Wylich und Lottum	1713	1650–1719		[15]
Alexander zu Dohna-Schlobitten	1713	1661–1728		[16]
Dubislav Gneomar von Natzmer	1728	1654–1739		[17]
Albrecht Konrad Finck von Finckenstein	1733	1660–1735		[18]
Friedrich Wilhelm von Grumbkow	1737	1678–1739		[17]
Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin	1740	1684–1757		[19]
Caspar Otto von Glasenapp	1741	1664–1747		[20]
Samuel von Schmettau	1741	1684–1751		[21]
Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst	16 May 1742	1690–1747		[22]
Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau	17 May 1742	1700–51		[23]
Friedrich Wilhelm von Dossow	15 January 1745	1669–1758		[24]
Henning Alexander von Kleist	24 May 1747	1677–1749		[25]
Christoph Wilhelm von Kalckstein	24 May 1747	1682–1759		[25]
Dietrich of Anhalt-Dessau	24 May 1747	1702–69		[25]
James Francis Edward Keith	18 September 1747	1696–1758		[26]
Hans von Lehwaldt	1751	1685–1768		[27]
Prince Moritz of Anhalt-Dessau	1757	1712–60		[28]
Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel	15 November 1758	1721–92		[29]
Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick	1787	1735–1806		[30]
Wichard Joachim Heinrich von Möllendorf	1793	1724–1816		[31]
Alexander von Knobelsdorff	20 May 1798	1723–99		[32]
Ludwig Karl von Kalckstein	21 May 1798	1725–1800		[33]
Friedrich Adolf Graf von Kalckreuth	July 1807	1737–1818		[34]
Wilhelm René de l'Homme de Courbière	July 1807	1733–1811		[35]
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher	19 October 1813	1742–1819		[36]
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington	15 November 1818	1769–1852		[37]
Friedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf	1821	1762–1823		[38]
Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg	1821	1759–1830		[39]
August Neidhardt von Gneisenau	1825	1760–1831		[40]
Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten	1839	1770–1848		[41]
Karl Freiherr von Müffling	5 October 1847	1775–1851		[42]
Hermann von Boyen	7 October 1847	1771–1848		[43]
Karl Friedrich von dem Knesebeck	9 October 1847	1768–1848		[44]
Karl Friedrich Emil zu Dohna-Schlobitten	14 March 1854	1784–1859		[45]
Friedrich Graf von Wrangel	5 August 1856	1784–1877		[46]
Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia	28 October 1870	1828–85		[1]
Prince Frederick William of Prussia	28 October 1870	1831–88		[1]

German Empire (1871–1918)

Name	Date of promotion	Birth and Death	Portrait	Reference
Karl Eberhard Herwarth von Bittenfeld	8 April 1871	1796–1884		[47]
Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz	8 April 1871	1796–1877		[48]
Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke	16 June 1871	1800–91		[49]
Albert, Crown Prince of Saxony	11 July 1871	1828–1902		[50]
Albrecht von Roon	1 January 1873	1803–79		[51]
Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel	19 September 1873	1809–85		[52]
Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal	15 March 1888	1810–1900		[53]
Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony	15 March 1888	1832–1904		[11]
Prince Albert of Prussia	19 June 1888	1837–1906		[54]
Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen	19 June 1888	1817–95		[55]
Franz Joseph I of Austria	27 February 1895	1830–1916		[56]
Alfred von Waldersee	6 May 1900	1832–1904		[57]
Gottlieb Graf von Haeseler	1 January 1905	1836–1919		[58]
Wilhelm von Hahnke	1 January 1905	1833–1912		[59]
Walter von Loë	1 January 1905	1828–1908	—	[60]
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn	9 September 1906[c]	1850–1942		[61]
Carol I of Romania	20 April 1909	1839–1914		[62]
Alfred von Schlieffen	1 January 1911	1833–1913		[63]
George V of the United Kingdom	16 May 1911[c]	1865–1936
Constantine I of Greece	8 August 1911	1868–1923		[64]
Paul von Hindenburg	2 November 1914	1847–1934		[65]
Karl von Bülow	27 January 1915	1846–1921		[66]
Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen	22 June 1915	1856–1936		[67]
August von Mackensen	22 June 1915	1849–1945		[68]
Ludwig III of Bavaria	26 June 1915	1845–1921		[69]
Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf	1916	1852–1925		[70]
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria	18 January 1916	1861–1948		[71]
Mehmed V of the Ottoman Empire	1 February 1916	1844–1918
William II of Württemberg	23 July 1916	1848–1921		[72]
Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria	1 August 1916	1869–1955		[73]
Prince Leopold of Bavaria	1 August 1916	1846–1930		[74]
Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg	1 August 1916	1865–1939		[75]
Charles I of Austria	12 February 1917	1887–1922		[76]
Hermann von Eichhorn	18 December 1917	1848–1918		[77]
Remus von Woyrsch	18 December 1917	1847–1920		[78]

Weimar Republic (1918–33)

After the loss of the First World War, Germany was transformed into what became known as the Weimar Republic, which was subject to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The military restrictions imposed by the treaty required the reduction of the German Army to 100,000 men,^[79] a reduction of the German Navy,^[79] and the abolition of the German Air Force.^[79] As a result of the new military arrangements, there were no field marshals created during the Weimar Republic.

Nazi Germany (1933–45)

Portrait	Name	Date of promotion	Branch	Ref.
	Blomberg, WernerWerner von Blomberg (1878–1946)	20 April 1936	German Army	[80]
	Göring, HermannHermann Göring (1893–1946)	4 February 1938	Luftwaffe	[81]
	Bock, FedorFedor von Bock (1880–1945)	19 July 1940	German Army	[82]
	Brauchitsch, WaltherWalther von Brauchitsch (1881–1948)	19 July 1940	German Army	[83]
	Kesselring, AlbertAlbert Kesselring (1885–1960)	19 July 1940	Luftwaffe	[84]
	Keitel, WilhelmWilhelm Keitel (1882–1946)	19 July 1940	German Army	[85]
	Kluge, GüntherGünther von Kluge (1882–1944)	19 July 1940	German Army	[86]
	Leeb, WilhelmWilhelm Ritter von Leeb (1876–1956)	19 July 1940	German Army	[87]
	List, WilhelmWilhelm List (1880–1971)	19 July 1940	German Army	[88]
	Milch, ErhardErhard Milch (1892–1972)	19 July 1940	Luftwaffe	[89]
	Reichenau, WalterWalter von Reichenau (1884–1942)	19 July 1940	German Army	[90]
	Rundstedt, GerdGerd von Rundstedt (1875–1953)	19 July 1940	German Army	[91]
	Sperrle, HugoHugo Sperrle (1885–1953)	19 July 1940	Luftwaffe	[92]
	Witzleben, Erwin vonErwin von Witzleben (1881–1944)	19 July 1940	German Army	[93]
	Böhm-Ermolli, Eduard vonEduard von Böhm-Ermolli (1856–1941)	31 October 1940	German Army	[94]
	Rommel, ErwinErwin Rommel (1891–1944)	22 June 1942	German Army	[95]
	Küchler, Georg vonGeorg von Küchler (1881–1968)	30 June 1942	German Army	[96]
	Manstein, Erich vonErich von Manstein (1887–1973)	1 July 1942	German Army	[96]
	Paulus, FriedrichFriedrich Paulus (1890–1957)	31 January 1943	German Army	[96]
	Busch, ErnstErnst Busch (1885–1945)	1 February 1943	German Army	[97]
	Kleist, PaulPaul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (1881–1954)	1 February 1943	German Army	[96]
	Weichs, MaximilianMaximilian von Weichs (1881–1954)	1 February 1943	German Army	[96]
	Richthofen, WolframWolfram Freiherr von Richthofen (1895–1945)	16 February 1943	Luftwaffe	[96]
	Model, WalterWalter Model (1891–1945)	1 March 1944	German Army	[98]
	Schörner, FerdinandFerdinand Schörner (1892–1973)	5 April 1945	German Army	[99]
	Greim, RobertRobert Ritter von Greim (1892–1945)	25 April 1945	Luftwaffe	[100]

See also

• Field marshal (United Kingdom)
• Field marshal (Russian Empire)
• Fältmarskalk
  • List of Swedish field marshals
• List of German colonel generals

Notes

1. The Imperial German Navy and the Kriegsmarine used the rank of Grand Admiral (German: Großadmiral) instead.
2. In 1940 Hermann Göring was promoted to Reichsmarschall, a rank higher than that of field marshal and was the only one to hold this rank. This was done so as to make Göring superior to other field marshals and recognize him as the second man in Hitler's Reich.^[101]
3. Until 1915