What are the reasons for the inflationary awarding of the rank of Field Marshal in the Wehrmacht during World War II?
The rank of field marshal is – presumably in every military – a special honour for outstanding military achievements in war time and by no means the standard culmination of a military career. Throughout the First World War, only seven field marshals^(1) were appointed on the German side; there would probably have been even fewer had it not been for dynastic reasons. Hitler, on the other hand, made 11 Generals as soon as after the invasion of france
By the end of the war, this number had risen to 22 (counting only promotions during the war). It stands to reason that he wished to secure the generals’ personal loyalty in this way. Was there also a motive to emulate the admired Napoleon, who likewise created numerous Marcheaux d´Empire? Why this devaluation of the rank by bestowing it on people who, breaking with tradidition, did not hold direct command of troops (Keitel, Milch) or to those who had not earned it through a great victory (Busch, Paulus)?
Given the very strict criteria for awarding military honors, one gets the impression (wrongly?) that there has been an absolute inflation of the title “Field Marshal.”
^(1) von Hindenburg (1914), von Bülow (1915), von Mackensen, Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, Prince Leopold of Bavaria, Duke of Wurttemberg (1916), von Eichhorn (1917).