RANKS IN THE FRENCH ARMY

The 'ranks in the Armée de Terre' :

Contents

Marshals

Officers

''Généraux'' - General officers

''Officiers supérieurs'' - Senior officers

''Officiers sulbalternes'' - Junior officers

Majors

''Sous-officiers'' - Non Commissioned Officers

''Militaires du rang'' - Enlisted

Ingénieurs du service du matériel

Table of ranks

See also

Marshals

The title of ''Maréchal de France'' is awarded as a distinction, rather than a rank. The marshals wear seven stars and a baton.
Famous examples include Turenne, Joachim Murat, Michel Ney, Guillaume Brune, Louis Nicolas Davout, André Masséna, Philippe Leclerc de Hautecloque, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, Marie Pierre Koenig and Alphonse Juin.
An infamous example would be Philippe Pétain, who became famous as ''Maréchal Pétain'', Chief of State of the Vichy France puppet regime and retained his title even after his trial and imprisonment and after he was stripped of other positions and titles.
Another particular example is Marshal de MacMahon, the only President of the French Republic with Irish clansman descent together with Charles de Gaulle, who ruled the Third Republic from 1875 to 1879.
Six Marshals of France have been given the even more exalted rank of Marshal General of France: Biron, Lesdiguières, Turenne, Villars, Saxe and Soult.

Officers

Officers are divided into

★ the regular officers of the Army

★ the commisary of the Army

★ the officers of the technical and administrative corps of the Army.
They all wear the same insignia and titles.

''Généraux'' - General officers

★ ''Général d'armée'': Army General: In command of an army. This is not a genuine rank, but an appointment of Divisional General.

★ ''Général de corps d'armée'': Corps General: In command of an army corps. This is not a genuine rank, but an appointment of Divisional General.

★ ''Général de division'': Divisional General: in command of a division.

★ ''Général de brigade'': Brigade General : in command of a brigade, or of a ''légion'' in the Gendarmerie
The title "général" originates in the ancient rank of "capitaine général" (literally, "captain general"), who was in command of the whole army.
There is no distinction between infantry and cavalry generals, since they are all supposed to be able to command any type of unit.

''Officiers supérieurs'' - Senior officers

In the below descriptions, "horse-mounted" does not refer to current units (the only remaining horse-mounted unit is a ceremonial unit in the Republican Guard) but to some traditional affiliation of the units.

★ ''Colonel'' : in command of a regiment or a ''groupement'' (in the Gendarmerie). During the French Revolution, they were called "chef de brigade". Mounted arms wear silver. The origin of the difference in metal color is that infantry officers once wore silver epaulettes, while those of the cavalry and other arms wore gold, and the color of the rank badge had to differ from these metals in each case.

★
★ Infantry

★
★ Cavalry and other horse-mounted arms (''armes à cheval'')

★ ''Lieutenant-colonel'': same responsibilities as a colonel. They were called "major" during the First French Empire. Notice that the metal colors alternate silver and gold in each case, as opposed to those of the colonels. This characteristic goes back at least to alternating stripes on the headdress of that empire.

★
★ Infantry

★
★ Cavalry and other horse-mounted arms (''armes à cheval'')

★ ''Commandant'': also called ''chef de bataillon'' in the infantry, ''chef d'escadrons'' in the cavalry and ''chef d'escadron'' in the artillery.

★
★

★
★
The word "colonel" originates in the title ''capitaine colonel'', "the one who commands a column (regiment). Lieutenant-colonel is the one who can "stand for" a colonel (''lieu-tenant'', ''tenir lieu'' = to stand for). ''Chef'', "chief", comes from Latin ''caput''="head".

''Officiers sulbalternes'' - Junior officers

★ ''Capitaine'': in command of a company (infantry), a squadron (cavalry) or a battery (artillery)

★
★

★
★

★ ''Lieutenant'': in command of a ''section'' (infantry), a ''peloton'' (cavalry) or a ''brigade'' (gendarmerie)

★
★

★
★

★ ''Sous-lieutenant'': same prerogatives as the lieutenant

★
★

★
★

★ ''Aspirant'' : Acting Officer or Officer Candidate.

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★

★ ''Aspirant'' : Reservist Officer, Student Officer or Cadet. During the first years at the schools of École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr or École militaire interarmes or Ecole des Officiers de la Gendarmerie Nationale

★
★

Majors

★ ''Major'': same prerogatives as the lieutenant.

★
★
Note the difference with English ranking systems, where "Majors" rank as ''commandants''.

''Sous-officiers'' - Non Commissioned Officers

★ A ''Major'' is equivalent to the rank of ''Sergeant Major'' in the US, UK , Canada, etc. There are relatively few ''Major'' in the armed forces, about one per regiment or brigade.

★
★

★ ''Adjudant-chef'' : often same responsibilities as the lieutenant. In the horse-mounted arms (armes a cheval: cavalry and transportation), they are addressed as "lieutenant", otherwise addressed as "adjudant"

★
★ adjudant-chef (des armes à pied)

★
★ adjudant-chef

★ ''Adjudant'' : often same responsibilities as alieutenant

★
★

★
★

★ ''Sergent-chef'' (infantry) or ''Maréchal des logis-chef'' (cavalry), addressed as "chef"

★
★ ''Sergent-chef'' : Chief Sergeant

★
★ ''Maréchal des logis-chef'' : Chief Marshal of Lodgings

★ ''Sergent'' (infantry) or ''Maréchal des logis'' (cavalry) : in command of a group

★
★ ''Sergent'' : Sergeant

★
★ ''Maréchal des logis'' : Marshal of Lodgings

★ ''Eleve Sous-Officier'' NCO candidats at the ENSOA.

★
★
The ''adjudant'' is the ''adjoint'' ("aid") of an officer, and the sergeant "serves" (Latin ''serviens'').
''Aspirants'' or ''sous-lieutenants'' are junior officers and are often aided by ''adjudants'' or ''adjudants-chefs'', who are experienced NCOs/warrant officers.
Full ''lieutenant'' are experienced junior officers, served by sergeants when commanding their unit.

''Militaires du rang'' - Enlisted

★ ''Caporal-chef de première classe''. Distinction created in 1999.

★ ''Caporal-chef'' (infantry) or ''Brigadier-chef'' (cavalry) : in command of a team

★ ''Caporal'' (infantry) or ''Brigadier'' (cavalry) : in command of a team. Note that in many armies, a ''Brigadier'' is a colonel in charge of a brigade (the Swiss army reserves the title of "general" for times of war), and thus effectively ranking ''général de brigade''.

★ ''Soldat de première classe''. This is a distinction rather than a rank.

★ ''Soldat de deuxième classe'': No rank insignia. Depending on the arm, they are called

★
★ ''fantassin'' (infantry)

★
★ ''légionnaire'' (Légion étrangère)

★
★ ''artilleur'' (artillery)

★
★ ''sapeur'' (engineering, including the ''sapeurs-pompiers de Paris'')

★
★ ''chasseur'' ("Hunter": light troops)

★
★
★ ''chasseurs à pied'' (Light Infantry)

★
★
★ ''chasseurs à cheval'' (Light Mounted Infantry)

★
★
★ ''chasseurs alpins'' (Light Alpine Infantry)

★
★ ''dragon'' (Dragoon: Mounted Infantry unit)

★
★ ''cuirassier'' (Cuirassier: Heavy Cavalry unit)

★
★ ''hussard'' (Hussar: Light Cavalry unit)

★
★ ''transmetteur'' (signals corps)

★
★ ''conducteur'' (trains).

★ SLANG

★
★ ''Bigor'' (''Artillerie de la marine''; see Troupes de marine): A term either from the gunner's order to fire (''Bigue de hors'') or a term for a species of sea slug (''bigorneau'') because they would stick to their emplacements and couldn't be removed easily.

★
★ ''Colo'' (Troupes Coloniales): The former term for the Troupes de la Marine when they were Colonial troops.

★
★ ''Marsouin'' (Troupes de marine): From a term for the Harbour Porpoise, due to their duties at sea or on land.

★
★ ''Para'' (Troupes aéroportées): Airborne troops.

★
★ ''Poilu'' (''Infanterie''): "Hairy One". A derogatory term, much like the Commonwealth Forces term Pongo ("Smelly one"). Ony used when speaking of french soldiers of WW1.
There are also distinctions to distinguish volunteers and conscripts, and bars for experience (one for five years, up to four can be obtained).

Ingénieurs du service du matériel

★ Ingénieur général de première classe

★ Ingénieur général de deuxième classe

★ Ingénieur en chef de première classe

★ Ingénieur en chef de deuxième classe

★ Ingénieur principal

★ Ingénieur de première classe

★ Ingénieur de deuxième classe

★ Ingénieur de troisième classe

Table of ranks

'''Maréchaux''' - 'Marechals'
Insigne_maréchal_armée_française.jpg
Maréchal
"Maréchal" is not an actual rank, but a distinction	The "six-star general" used to be the general commanding the defences of Paris. This rank is not in use anymore.
'''Officiers généraux''' - 'General officers'
Insigne_général_de_brigade.png		Insigne_général_de_corps_d'armée.png	Insigne_général_d'armée.png
Général de brigade	Général de division	Général de corps d'armée	Général d'armée
Commands a brigade or a ''légion'' in the Gendarmerie	Commands a division	Commands a corps of army. This is not a genuine rank, but a function assumed by some ''généraux de division''.	Commands an army. This is not a genuine rank, but a function assumed by some ''généraux de division''.
'''Officiers supérieurs''' - 'Senior officers'
			Infantry
Commandant des armes à cheval.png	Lieutenant-colonel des armes à cheval.png	Colonel des armes à cheval.png	Cavalry
Commandant	Lieutenant-colonel	Colonel
'''Officiers subalternes''' - 'Junior officers'
Aspirant de l'armée de terre.png
60 px		Lieutenant des armes à cheval.png	Capitaine des armes à cheval.png
Aspirant	Sous-lieutenant	Lieutenant	Capitaine
'''Major''' - 'Major'
Major
'''Sous-officiers''' - 'Warrant Officers'
sergent appelé.png	Sergent.png	Sergent-chef.png
	Maréchal-des-logis.png	Maréchal-des-logis-chef.png
Élève sous-officier	''Sergent'' or ''Maréchal des logis'' for cavalry	''Sergent-chef'' or ''Maréchal des logis-chef'' for cavalry	Adjudant	Adjudant-chef
A four chevron sergent-chef major existed up till 1947
'''Militaires du rang''' - 'Enlisted'
Première_classe.png	Caporal.png	Caporal-chef.png	Caporal-chef_de_première_classe.png
Soldat Première classe	Caporal	Caporal-chef	Caporal-chef (distinction)

See also

★ Ranks in the French Navy