Military ranks of Serbia

This is a list of ranks used by the Serbian Armed Forces.

Generals
There were only two ranks in pre-WWI Serbia: General (from 1872) and Vojvoda (from 1900). Four ranks were introduced in Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovens in 1923, and lasted until 1945. There were only two types of shoulder cords: with doubleheaded eagle and coat of arms of Kingdom of SHS or Kingdom of Yugoslavia for vojvoda and without for all other General ranks. The different general grades were indicated by 6-pointed stars on the cuffs. Also the backing cloth for the shoulder cords was light blue for generals of the army and divisional generals and in a colour of service for brigadier general. During the Middle Ages, the Vojvoda was a military commander rank and a noble titule. In the Balkan Wars and World War I this title was used to designate the highest military rank in Serbian Army and later Royal Yugoslav Army (above the General - as equalent of Field Marshal in other armies). This rank was introduced by the law on the Organization of the Army Kingdom of Serbia in 1901. It has been awarded only during the war for: special merits of top generals. The first Voivoda was promoted by the Great military decree of the Kingdom of Serbia on 20 October 1912. Only five people ever officially held that military rank: Radomir Putnik (got it in 1912), Stepa Stepanović (1914), Živojin Mišić (1914), Petar Bojović (1918) and the French General Louis Franchet d'Espérey (1921). After unification of Kingdom of Serbia in to Kingdom SHS (later Kingdom Yugoslavia) no further officers where promoted to rank Vojvoda. King of Yugoslavia held the rank of Supreme Commander (Generalissimo in military hierarchy) with special rank insignia representing his royal monogram, with coat of arms of the country.