Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. A Lieutenant General ranks immediately below a General and above a Major General. In three branches of the United States military—the Army, Marines and Air Force—a Lieutenant General is a "three-star general," named for the three stars worn on the uniform. In the British Army a Lieutenant General wears a pip over a crossed sword and baton. A Lieutenant General is equivalent to a Vice Admiral in both the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy. Its equivalent rank in the Royal Air Force and air forces of many Commonwealth countries is Air Marshal. The Bundeswehr (military of Germany) refers to the rank of Lieutenant General as Generalleutnant. In the modern age, the rank is considered a three-star equivalent, but in World War II it was more equal to a Major General. The military of France begins the general ranks with two stars; thus, the French equivalent is a four-star general, which is called Général de corps d'armée ("general of army corps"). In the Israeli army the Lieutenant General is the highest rank, as General and Major General are in most other countries. Mainly it is because of the lower number of human soldiers in the Israeli army (thus demanding a smaller hierarchy).
See also Comparative military ranks
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