Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General.

A Lieutenant General normally ranks immediately below a General and above a Major General. The term Major General is a shortened version of the previous term Sergeant Major General, which was in turn subordinate to Lieutenant General, which is why a Lieutenant General outranks a Major General whereas a Major is senior to a Lieutenant.

In many countries, a rank of Corps General has replaced the earlier rank of Lieutenant-General (eg. France). However, for convenience, this is often translated into English as Lieutenant General.

In the Argentine Army, Lieutenant General is the highest rank used, the actual highest rank of Captain General being bestowed posthumously upon independence leader José de San Martín.

Lieutenant General ranks by country

* Lieutenant-General (Canada)
* Lieutenant General (United Kingdom)
* Lieutenant General (United States)
* Generalleutnant (Germany)

Lieutenant General equivalent ranks

* Chungjang (South Korea)
* Général de corps (France)
* Jungjang (North Korea)
* Rav Aluf (Israel)

Other Lieutenant General ranks

* Gruppenführer (Nazi Germany)

See also

*Comparative military ranks
*British and United States military ranks compared