Air Force Rank Comparison Between Countries
| British Royal Air Force | German Luftwaffe | Italian Regia Aeronautica | United States Army Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshal of the RAF | Generalfeldmarschall | N/A | General of the Army * |
| Air Chief Marshal | Generaloberst | Generale di armata aerea | General |
| Air Marshal | General der Flieger | Generale di squadra aerea | Lieutenant General |
| Air Vice-Marshal | Generalleutnant | Generale di divisione aerea | Major General |
| Air Commodore | Generalmajor | Generale di brigata aerea | Brigadier General |
| Group Captain | Oberst | Colonnello | Colonel |
| Wing Commander | Oberstleutnant | Tenente Colonnello | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Squadron Leader | Major | Maggiore | Major |
| Flight Lieutenant | Hauptmann | Capitano | Captain |
| Flying Officer | Oberleutnant | Tenente | First Lieutenant |
| Pilot Officer | Leutnant | Sottotenente | Second Lieutenant |
| Warrant Officer | Stabfeldwebel | N/A | Warrant officer |
| Flight Sergeant | Oberfeldwebel | N/A | Master Sergeant |
| Sergeant | Feldwebel | N/A | Technical Sergeant |
| Corporal | Unteroffizier | N/A | Staff Sergeant |
| Leading Aircraftman | Obergefreiter | N/A | Corporal |
| Aircraftman First Class | Gefreiter | N/A | Private First Class |
| Aircraftman Second Class | Flieger | N/A | Private Second Class |
* During the WW2 period, the United States Army Air Forces was a component of the United States Army. In 1947, it was made a separate branch, and the title of General of the Army was promptly renamed General of the Air Force.
Sources:
Piero Crociani and Pier Paolo Battistelli, Italian Navy & Air Force Elite Unites and Special Forces 1940-45
Paul Deichmann, Spearhead for Blitzkrieg
Back to Main | Back to Other Index
| | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Visitor Submitted Comments
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
Search WW2DB & Partner Sites
News
- » British team to search for buried Spitfires in Myanmar (2013.01.08)
- » Japanese Prime Minister to send envoys to South Korea (2013.01.02)
- » WW2DB's Eighth Anniversary (2012.12.29)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Site Sponsors
Advertise on ww2db.com
Current Site Statistics
- » 724 biographies
- » 302 events
- » 26793 timeline entries
- » 663 ships
- » 300 aircraft models
- » 163 vehicle models
- » 254 weapon models
- » 64 historical documents
- » 281 book reviews
- » 209 maps
- » 16015 photos, 1463 in color
Famous WW2 Quote
"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us... they can't get away this time."Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, at Guadalcanal
26 Aug 2007 01:52:40 AM
Note: The RAF rank of Warrant Officer class 2 had been abolished in April 1933
14 Sep 2007 02:16:12 AM
In the RAF a Wing Commander would command a Squadron in Bomber Command, whilst a Squadron Leader would command a Fighter Squadron
14 Sep 2007 02:26:59 AM
USAAF General Hap Arnold was promoted to the rank of General of the Air Force(Five Star General)by Act of Congress on 21 Dec 1944.
7 Dec 2007 12:38:11 AM
The correct WW2 USAAC/USAAF General ranks should be:
Brigadier General, Major General, Lieutenant General, and General and General of the Air Force (or Army)
The #-star designation is a civilian description, not a military rank.
30 Jun 2008 12:04:14 AM
it is very good to show diffirent rank and ensignia just to inform the people ageneral notice
23 Nov 2008 09:50:50 PM
This site helped me learn a great deal. I am interested in the war in No. Africa, especially, and Erwin Rommel as well. The articles were informative and well written
4 Jan 2009 12:37:27 AM
please inform us the compare between the countries by air force
6 Dec 2009 05:07:15 AM
better if the rank badges is shown here
23 Jul 2011 02:00:34 AM
its tell about air force force ranking after world war2
27 Apr 2013 10:17:18 PM
Perchè mancano,per l'ITALIA,le indicazioni dei gradi
che vanno " from Private Second Class to Warrant officier"?
Best regards.
Michele ing.POTENZA-Italy-