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GURPS 4e is a little vague about Military Ranks while Classic gave far more detail.

Classic Military Ranks[]

  • Rank 8: Corps-level command or higher (Lieutenant General, General or Admiral)
  • Rank 7: Division-level command (Brigadier or Major General)
  • Rank 6: Brigade/group/regimental command (Colonel) or Captain of a capital ship
  • Rank 5: Battalion command (Lieutenant Colonel)
  • Rank 4: Company command (Captain or Major)
  • Rank 3: Platoon command (Lieutenant or Warrant Officer)
  • Rank 2: Non-commissioned officer (NCO) associated with platoon, company, or battalion commands (Sergeant 1st Class, First Sergeant or Sergeant-Major)
  • Rank 1: Squad/platoon NCO (Sergeant or Staff Sergeant)
  • Rank 0: Enlisted man (Private, Airman or Ordinary Seaman)

GURPS WWII Ranks[]

MR U.S.Army[1] U.S. Navy[2] German Army Japanese Army Soviet Army
8 General of the Armies[note 1] ,
General of the Army
Admiral of the Navy Generalfeldmarschall Gensui Marshal Sovetskogo Souza
8 General Fleet Admiral Generaloberst Taishล General Armii
8 Lt. General Admiral General Chลซjล General-polkovnik
7 Major General Vice Admiral Generalleutnant Shลshล General-leitenant
7 BrigadierGen. Rear Admiral Generalmajor โ€“ General-major
6 Colonel Captain, Commodore Oberst Taisa Polkovnik
5 Lt. Colonel Commander Oberstleutnant Chลซsa Podpolkovnik
4 Major Lt. Commander Major Shลsa Major
4 Captain Lieutenant Hauptmann Tai-i Kapitan
3 1st Lieutenant Lieutenant, junior grade Oberleutnant Chลซ-i Starshiy Leitenant
3 2nd Lieutenant Ensign Leutnant Shล-i Leitenant
2 Master or First Sgt. Chief Petty Officer Stabsfeldwebel Sลchล Starshina
2 Technical Sergeant 1st Cl. Petty Officer Oberfeldwebel Gunsล Starshiy Serzhant
1 Staff Sergeant 2nd Cl. Petty Officer Feldwebel Gochล Serzhant
1 Sergeant 3rd Cl. Petty Officer Unterfeldwebel Heichล Mladshiy Serzhant
1 Corporal 1st Class Seaman Obergefreiter Jลtลhei Efreitor
0 Private 1st Class 2nd Class Seaman Oberschรผtze Ittลhei โ€“
0 Private Apprentice Seaman Schรผtze Nitลhei Ryadovoy

A โ€œโ€“โ€ means no equivalent rank. Italics indicate rank was not filled in WWII.
According to Wikipedia the only Admiral of the Navy was George Dewey who achieved the rank in 1898.

Note on WWII Ranks[]

"During WWII, armies tend to have fewer enlisted ranks and one more officer rank than is common in the present day. In particular, corporals often filled roles now considered the province of sergeants, such as leading a squad." More over at least two ranks (US' General of the Army and Fleet Admiral) didn't exist until near the end of the war.

This is why the equivalent ranks above don't match up with what they "should be" by modern standards. For example, the General of the Army is actually equivalent to a Fleet Admiral but neither of these positions actually existed until the passage of Pub.L. 78โ€“482 on 14 December 1944. Similarly, in modern times, a US General is equivalent to an US Admiral not a Fleet Admiral.

Additional Information[]

Notes[]

  1. โ†‘ Has only been awarded three times: John J. Pershing in 1919, George Washington in 1976, and Ulysses S. Grant in 2022

References[]