AMERICA’S ARMY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 19 October 1942, Page 6

AMERICA’S ARMY

ORDER OF RANK THE DUTIES OF OFFICERS The order of rank in the United States-i*vmy and the duties of noncommissioned and commissioned officers 1. Corporal —‘Commands a squad of from four to twelve men. 2. Sergeant —Commands a squad or a section of two or more squads. 3. Staff-Sergeant —Commands a section or serves as a headquarters clerk. 4. Technical-Sergeant —Serves as first sergeant or on similar duty. 5. Master-Sergeant —Highest ranking non-commissioned officer. 6. Warrant-Officer —Band leader, administrative assistant, or other appropriate duty. He holds a warrant or certificate of title to his office, but a technical distinction separates him from the commissioned officer status. COMMISSIONED OFFICERS 7. Second-Lieutenant —Lowest ranking commissioned officer. He commands a platoon of two or more sections, or three or more squads. 8. First-Lieutenant —Commands a platoon or similar unit. 9. Captain —Commands a company of infantry, a battery of artillery, or a troop of cavalry, each of which consists of the equivalent of two or more platoons with a headquarters. 10. Major—Commands a battalion of two or more companies, batteries or troops with battalion headquarters, or he may serve as battalion executive. 11. Lieutenant-Colonel —Commands a battalion or serves as regimental executive. 12. Colonel —Commands a regiment of two or more battalions plus regimental headquarters and service company. THE HIGHER GRADES 13. Brigadier-General —Commands a brigade of two or more regiments of the same arm, infantry, cavalry or artillery, with necessary headquarters units. 14. Major-General Commands a division, which is the basic large unit of combined arms. It consists of a headquarters and troops of the essential arms and services so proportioned as to be self-contained and capable of independent action. Or he may command a corps area. 15. Lieutenant-General —Commands a corps of two or more divisions with corps headquarters and certain auxiliary units, such as engineers, which are called corps troops. Or he may command an army. 16. General —Commands an army or group of armies. A field army consists of a headquarters. certain organic troops and a variable number of divisions which, all or part, are organised into corps. Such an army might consist of headquarters, three corps, two divisions and organic troops, such as engineers, aviation units, etc. 17. General ol' the Armies—Commander in the field of al l the services.