# List of German field marshals

Field marshal (German: Generalfeldmarschall) was usually the highest military rank in various German armed forces. It had existed, under slightly different names, in several German states since 1631. After the unification of Germany it was the highest military rank of the Imperial German Army and later in the Wehrmacht until it was abolished in 1945.
The vast majority of the people promoted to field marshal won major battles in wars of their time. Field marshals played a compelling and influential role in military matters, were tax-exempt, members of the nobility, equal to government officials, under constant protection or escort, and had the right to directly report to the royal family. In the Prussian military tradition, which set the tone for the 19th century and the German Empire, field marshals could only be promoted in wartime and the royal family was excluded, both resulting in the creation of the rank of colonel general with the rank of general field marshal (German: Generaloberst mit dem Range eines Generalfeldmarschalls) in 1854. Both restrictions would eventually end with the first royals being promoted during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, and later honorary promotions to foreign monarchs would follow. Adolf Hitler effectively disregarded the wartime prerequisite by two promotions in 1936 and 1938, though all subsequent promotions were during wartime.

## Electorate (1356–1806) and Kingdom of Saxony (1806–1918)

| Name | Date of promotion | Birth and Death | Portrait |
| Hans Georg von Arnim-Boitzenburg | 21 June 1631 | 1583–1641 | |
| Francis Albert of Saxe-Lauenburg | 24 November 1632 | 1598–1642 | |
| Rudolf Graf von Marzin | 19 October 1638 | 1585–1645 | |
| Ernst Albrecht von Eberstein | 1 January 1666 | 1605–76 | |
| Joachim Rüdiger of Goltz | 28 August 1681 | 1620–88 | |
| Heino Heinrich Graf von Flemming | 8 September 1688 | 1632–1706 | |
| Hans Adam von Schöning | 9 April 1691 | 1641–96 | |
| Jeremias of Chauvet | 10 May 1693 | Unknown–1699 | — |
| Heinrich VI Reuß zu Obergreiz | 30 September 1697 | 1649–97 | |
| Adam Heinrich von Steinau | 27 August 1699 | Unknown–1712 | — |
| Georg Benedikt von Ogilvy | 3 December 1706 | 1651–1710 | |
| Jacob Heinrich von Flemming | 22 February 1712 | 1667–1728 | |
| Christoph August of Wackerbarth | 17 April 1730 | 1662–1734 | |
| Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels | 26 November 1735 | 1685–1746 | |
| Frederick Augustus Rutowsky | 11 January 1749 | 1702–64 | |
| Johann Georg, Chevalier de Saxe | 27 July 1763 | 1704–74 | |
| Frederick of Anhalt-Dessau | 6 January 1775 | 1705–81 | |
| Albert of Saxony | 11 July 1871 | 1828–1902 | |
| Georg of Saxony | 14 June 1888 | 1832–1904 | |

## Brandenburg-Prussia and the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1870)

| Name | Date of promotion | Birth and Death |
| Otto Christoph von Sparr | 20 June 1657 | 1599–1668 |
| John George II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau | 24 January 1670 | 1627–93 |
| Georg von Derfflinger | 18 February 1670 | 1606–95 |
| Alexander Hermann, Count of Wartensleben | 23 March 1706 | 1650–1734 |
| Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau | 1712 | 1676–1747 |
| Carl Philipp, Reichsgraf von Wylich und Lottum | 1713 | 1650–1719 |
| Alexander zu Dohna-Schlobitten | 1713 | 1661–1728 |
| Dubislav Gneomar von Natzmer | 1728 | 1654–1739 |
| Albrecht Konrad Finck von Finckenstein | 1733 | 1660–1735 |
| Friedrich Wilhelm von Grumbkow | 1737 | 1678–1739 |
| Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin | 1740 | 1684–1757 |
| Caspar Otto von Glasenapp | 1741 | 1664–1747 |
| Samuel von Schmettau | 1741 | 1684–1751 |
| Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst | 16 May 1742 | 1690–1747 |
| Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau | 17 May 1742 | 1700–51 |
| Friedrich Wilhelm von Dossow | 15 January 1745 | 1669–1758 |
| Henning Alexander von Kleist | 24 May 1747 | 1677–1749 |
| Christoph Wilhelm von Kalckstein | 24 May 1747 | 1682–1759 |
| Dietrich of Anhalt-Dessau | 24 May 1747 | 1702–69 |
| James Francis Edward Keith | 18 September 1747 | 1696–1758 |
| Hans von Lehwaldt | 1751 | 1685–1768 |
| Prince Moritz of Anhalt-Dessau | 1757 | 1712–60 |
| Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | 15 November 1758 | 1721–92 |
| Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick | 1787 | 1735–1806 |
| Wichard Joachim Heinrich von Möllendorf | 1793 | 1724–1816 |
| Alexander von Knobelsdorff | 20 May 1798 | 1723–99 |
| Ludwig Karl von Kalckstein | 21 May 1798 | 1725–1800 |
| Friedrich Adolf Graf von Kalckreuth | July 1807 | 1737–1818 |
| Wilhelm René de l'Homme de Courbière | July 1807 | 1733–1811 |
| Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher | 19 October 1813 | 1742–1819 |
| Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington | 15 November 1818 | 1769–1852 |
| Friedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf | 1821 | 1762–1823 |
| Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg | 1821 | 1759–1830 |
| August Neidhardt von Gneisenau | 1825 | 1760–1831 |
| Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Zieten | 1839 | 1770–1848 |
| Karl Freiherr von Müffling | 5 October 1847 | 1775–1851 |
| Hermann von Boyen | 7 October 1847 | 1771–1848 |
| Karl Friedrich von dem Knesebeck | 9 October 1847 | 1768–1848 |
| Karl Friedrich Emil zu Dohna-Schlobitten | 14 March 1854 | 1784–1859 |
| Friedrich Graf von Wrangel | 5 August 1856 | 1784–1877 |
| Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia | 28 October 1870 | 1828–85 |
| Prince Frederick William of Prussia | 28 October 1870 | 1831–88 |

## German Empire (1871–1918)

| Name | Date of promotion | Birth and Death | Portrait |
| Karl Eberhard Herwarth von Bittenfeld | 8 April 1871 | 1796–1884 | |
| Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz | 8 April 1871 | 1796–1877 | |
| Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke | 16 June 1871 | 1800–91 | |
| Albert, Crown Prince of Saxony | 11 July 1871 | 1828–1902 | |
| Albrecht von Roon | 1 January 1873 | 1803–79 | |
| Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel | 19 September 1873 | 1809–85 | |
| Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal | 15 March 1888 | 1810–1900 | |
| Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony | 15 March 1888 | 1832–1904 | |
| Prince Albert of Prussia | 19 June 1888 | 1837–1906 | |
| Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen | 19 June 1888 | 1817–95 | |
| Franz Joseph I of Austria | 27 February 1895 | 1830–1916 | |
| Alfred von Waldersee | 6 May 1900 | 1832–1904 | |
| Gottlieb Graf von Haeseler | 1 January 1905 | 1836–1919 | |
| Wilhelm von Hahnke | 1 January 1905 | 1833–1912 | |
| Walter von Loë | 1 January 1905 | 1828–1908 | — |
| Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn | 9 September 1906 | 1850–1942 | |
| Carol I of Romania | 20 April 1909 | 1839–1914 | |
| Alfred von Schlieffen | 1 January 1911 | 1833–1913 | |
| George V of the United Kingdom | 16 May 1911 | 1865–1936 | |
| Constantine I of Greece | 8 August 1911 | 1868–1923 | |
| Paul von Hindenburg | 2 November 1914 | 1847–1934 | |
| Karl von Bülow | 27 January 1915 | 1846–1921 | |
| Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen | 22 June 1915 | 1856–1936 | |
| August von Mackensen | 22 June 1915 | 1849–1945 | |
| Ludwig III of Bavaria | 26 June 1915 | 1845–1921 | |
| Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf | 1916 | 1852–1925 | |
| Ferdinand I of Bulgaria | 18 January 1916 | 1861–1948 | |
| Mehmed V of the Ottoman Empire | 1 February 1916 | 1844–1918 | |
| William II of Württemberg | 23 July 1916 | 1848–1921 | |
| Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria | 1 August 1916 | 1869–1955 | |
| Prince Leopold of Bavaria | 1 August 1916 | 1846–1930 | |
| Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg | 1 August 1916 | 1865–1939 | |
| Charles I of Austria | 12 February 1917 | 1887–1922 | |
| Hermann von Eichhorn | 18 December 1917 | 1848–1918 | |
| Remus von Woyrsch | 18 December 1917 | 1847–1920 | |

## Weimar Republic (1918–33)

After the loss of the First World War, Germany was transformed into what became known as the Weimar Republic, which was subject to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The military restrictions imposed by the treaty required the reduction of the German Army to 100,000 men, a reduction of the German Navy, and the abolition of the German Air Force. As a result of the new military arrangements, there were no field marshals created during the Weimar Republic.

## Nazi Germany (1933–45)

| Name | Date of promotion | Branch |
| Blomberg, WernerWerner von Blomberg (1878–1946) | 20 April 1936 | German Army |
| Göring, HermannHermann Göring (1893–1946) | 4 February 1938 | Luftwaffe |
| Bock, FedorFedor von Bock (1880–1945) | 19 July 1940 | German Army |
| Brauchitsch, WaltherWalther von Brauchitsch (1881–1948) | 19 July 1940 | German Army |
| Kesselring, AlbertAlbert Kesselring (1885–1960) | 19 July 1940 | Luftwaffe |
| Keitel, WilhelmWilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) | 19 July 1940 | German Army |
| Kluge, GüntherGünther von Kluge (1882–1944) | 19 July 1940 | German Army |
| Leeb, WilhelmWilhelm Ritter von Leeb (1876–1956) | 19 July 1940 | German Army |
| List, WilhelmWilhelm List (1880–1971) | 19 July 1940 | German Army |
| Milch, ErhardErhard Milch (1892–1972) | 19 July 1940 | Luftwaffe |
| Reichenau, WalterWalter von Reichenau (1884–1942) | 19 July 1940 | German Army |
| Rundstedt, GerdGerd von Rundstedt (1875–1953) | 19 July 1940 | German Army |
| Sperrle, HugoHugo Sperrle (1885–1953) | 19 July 1940 | Luftwaffe |
| Witzleben, Erwin vonErwin von Witzleben (1881–1944) | 19 July 1940 | German Army |
| Böhm-Ermolli, Eduard vonEduard von Böhm-Ermolli (1856–1941) | 31 October 1940 | German Army |
| Rommel, ErwinErwin Rommel (1891–1944) | 22 June 1942 | German Army |
| Küchler, Georg vonGeorg von Küchler (1881–1968) | 30 June 1942 | German Army |
| Manstein, Erich vonErich von Manstein (1887–1973) | 1 July 1942 | German Army |
| Paulus, FriedrichFriedrich Paulus (1890–1957) | 31 January 1943 | German Army |
| Busch, ErnstErnst Busch (1885–1945) | 1 February 1943 | German Army |
| Kleist, PaulPaul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist (1881–1954) | 1 February 1943 | German Army |
| Weichs, MaximilianMaximilian von Weichs (1881–1954) | 1 February 1943 | German Army |
| Richthofen, WolframWolfram Freiherr von Richthofen (1895–1945) | 16 February 1943 | Luftwaffe |
| Model, WalterWalter Model (1891–1945) | 1 March 1944 | German Army |
| Schörner, FerdinandFerdinand Schörner (1892–1973) | 5 April 1945 | German Army |
| Greim, RobertRobert Ritter von Greim (1892–1945) | 25 April 1945 | Luftwaffe |