U.S. General of the Army 5 star Flag - WWII.

U.S. Army General of the Army Personal Flag, 5 Stars, 1944-1945, WWII
This extremely rare, wool, five-star rank flag designates the personal presence of General of the Army, the highest possible wartime grade in the United States Army. General of the Army 'positional colors,' as flags such as this are officially styled, almost never come to auction as most are in institutional collections. It was formerly displayed in The Jim Mountain Historical Collection, a significant archive of Second World War items. One can assume its rarity by the fact that only four men achieved the grade of General of the Army during the war: George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Henry H. Hap Arnold, all in December 1944.

This flag cannot yet be attributed to any specific general, but it was acquired with a significant collection of SHAEF material leading to the speculation that is was used by General Eisenhower, as he was the only 5 star general to command SHAEF.

The United States Army created the grade of General of the Army in December 1944. This was done, in part, to grant the most senior American commanders parity with Allied counterparts identified as Field Marshals. These included Bernard Montgomery (conqueror of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrikakorps), Alan Brooke - Chief of the British Imperial General Staff, Soviet Marshalls Georgi Zhukov and Konstantin Rokossovskiy, General d'Arme Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (French WWII hero) and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the Nationalist Chinese Leader.

A glance at the careers of America's four WWII Generals of the Army quickly reveals the magnitude of achievement needed to attain this grade. As Army Chief of Staff from his swearing-in on September 1, 1939, the very day of Germany's momentous invasion of Poland, until 1945, George Marshall presided over the largest military expansion in U.S. history, creating a monumentally powerful force that eventually realized victory against one fascist empire to the East and another to the West of the USA. Douglas MacArthur, routed from the Philippines by Japan's strikes in late 1941 and early 1942, escaped to Australia to become Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area, and went on to accept the official Japanese surrender aboard the battleship Missouri in September 1945.
As Supreme Commander of Allied forces in Europe, Dwight D. Eisenhower took a leading responsibility for planning and implementing the invasions of France and Germany in 1944 and 1945. Hap Arnold, as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces between 1941 and 1945, oversaw the devastating bombing campaigns against Germany and Japan.

A General of the Army ranks immediately above a General; equivalent to a Fleet Admiral or a General of the Air Force. The Army reserves the grade of General of the Army for wartime. At present, this rank is vacant. This particular General of the Army personal color is in good condition, showing only moderate wear and tear and minor moth damage.

Exhibitions

University of California - Santa Cruz
Board of Councilors Meeting, Rare Flags Exhibit
Santa Cruz, CA
7 June 2012

ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed

Provenance:
• Anonymous general officer collector, Washington, D.C. area.
• Acquired by James Mountain, Ashburnham, MA.
• James Mountain Collection,Ashburnham, MA., until 2009.
• Sold via Alderfer Auction, to the Zaricor Flag Collection, 2009.


Sources:

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General Officer Flags, The Institute of Heraldry, 13 November 2011, from: http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/UniformedServices/Flags/Gen_Officer_Flags.aspx

Haggard, John V. , Flag Making Tradition at the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot, 12 November 2011, from: http://www.qmfound.com/Flag_Making_Philadelphia_Depot.htm

Army - General of the Army (U.S.), Flags of the World, 13 November 2011, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us%5Ear5s.html

Army Regulation 840-10, Heraldic Activities Flags, Guidons, Streamers, Tabards, and Automobile and Aircraft Plates, Washington, DC, Headquarters Department of the Army, 1998

GENERAL OFFICERS' RANK FLAGS, War Flags Through the Ages & Around the World,
13 November 2011, from:
http://tmg110.tripod.com/usarmyr.htm

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	36
Length of Fly	48

Stars
Comments on Star Measurements	Five 5-point stars in a pentagram

Stripes
Size of Hoist	2.75

Frame
Is it framed?	yes
Frame Height	47.5
Frame Length	63.5
Comments on Frame	Wood frame & golden filet were chosen & designed by Tanya Marie Zaricor

Stars
Number of Stars	5
Are there stars on obverse?	yes
Are there stars on reverse?	yes

Stripes
Has a Blood Stripe?	no

Crest/Emblem
Description of Crest/Emblem	Insignia of grade for a U.S. General of the Army

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Wool

Stitching
Stitching	Machine

Weave
Type of Weave	Plain

Attachment
Method of Attachment	Grommets

Applica
Applique Sides	Single Faced = Mirror Image Reverse

Documentation
Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Public Copy & Signs

Condition
Condition	Good
Damage	Used, soiled, worn and mothed
Displayable	yes

Date
Date	1944-1946

Exhibits

Exhibition Copy

University of California - Santa Cruz Board of Councilors Meeting, 7 June 2012 Rare Flags Exhibit Santa Cruz, CA, June 7, 2012: The Zaricor Flag Collection exhibited 34 flags and artifacts at the University of California Santa Cruz Campus for the Board of Councilors Meeting. U.S. Army 5 Star General Officer Flag WWII Date: 1944-1945 Media: Machine sewn wool bunting with cotton double appliqué stars. Comment: This extremely rare wool flag is attributed to General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower. It indicates the personal presence of general officer of that grade, the highest possible wartime grade in the United States Army. Its rarity is underscored by the fact that only four men achieved the grade of General of the Army during the war: George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Henry H. Hap Arnold, all in December 1944. As Supreme Commander of Allied Forces Europe (SHAEF), General of the Army Eisenhower had responsibility for the planning and implementing the invasions of France and Germany in 1944 and 1945, and after the war as Military Governor of the U.S. Occupation Zone and later as Chief of Staff of the Army of the United States. A General of the Army ranks immediately above a full general, and is equivalent in grade to a Fleet Admiral in the U.S. Navy or a General of the Air Force. The Army reserves the grade of General of the Army for wartime. At present, this rank is vacant. Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC3275) in 2009 from the Jim Mountain Historical Collection via auction at Alderfer Auctions, Hatboro, PA. www.FlagCollection.com