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Table of Grades and Insignia | Artillery Ratings
U.S Army enlisted rank insignia reached its greatest complexity in the First World War period. The expansion of new branches and grades caused a proliferation of insignia which taxed the army's supply system and left room for reform, which would come in the grade consolidation of 1920.
The number of grades and the fact that not all branches had the same structure makes it difficult to present all the information in tabular form. The following table presents all grades and insignia together, sortable by precedence, title, branch and date.
The table is based on the War Department's Special Regulations No. 42: Specifications for the Uniform of the United States Army of 15 August, 1917,1 and subsequent changes through 1919. Ranks and insignia earlier in 1917 are essentially the same as in the August order.
Before the war, chevrons worn on blue dress uniforms were colored according to branch, while those of service uniforms were in dull colors like the olive drab or khaki uniform. On 15 May 1917 use of blue dress uniforms was suspended for the duration of the war, except for use at the White House.2 On 26 June 1917 blue uniforms were suspended completely.3 In May 1918, soldiers were ordered to wear grade insignia only on the right sleeve.4
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| Field Artillery, Coast Artillery (scarlet) |
Cavalry (yellow) |
Infantry, U.S. Military Academy Band (white) |
Corps of Engineers (scarlet piped with white) |
Ordnance Corps (black piped with scarlet) |
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| Signal Corps (orange piped with white) |
Medical Department (maroon piped with white) |
Quartermaster Corps (buff) |
Army Detachment, U.S. Military Academy (green piped with white) |
Army Service School Detachments (green) |
Initial regulations still reflected the army organization of the late 1800s, with divisions between "line" or combat units that operated in the field (Infantry, Cavalry, Field Artillery, Coast Artillery and Engineers) and supporting units or staff that were usually attached to posts. The line NCOs generally wore "plain" chevrons, while others had a branch device. Musicians and specialists in all branches also wore distinctive devices, as did all privates first class.
The first change to the uniform specifications was issued 29 December 1917. For enlisted grades it addressed mostly musicians, but there were also new chevrons for the Ordnance Corps, after wartime authorization added the grade of sergeant first class to that branch.
"Changes No. 3" of 19 February 1918 was the first to address newly-organized wartime branches. The Chemical Service (later renamed the Chemical Warfare Service), Tank Corps, Corps of Intelligence Police and Corps of Interpreters were prescribed new insignia, based on those of the Medical Department, but with their own newly-authorized branch devices.
The biggest reform to enlisted grade insignia during the war came with "Changes No. 4" of 5 May 1918. It listed 32 insignia "of general application," which could be used by any branch. Branch devices were removed from the chevrons of sergeants first class, sergeants and corporals that had used them before. Designs with a wreath and branch device were standardized for most senior technical or administrative specialist NCOs across all branches. At the same time, distinctions returned to some company-level NCOs: Mess sergeants, supply sergeants and stable sergeants. Musician insignia remained distinctive. Because of the large-scale adoption of motorized transport in the American Expeditionary Force, motor sergeant and chauffeur grades were authorized in all branches. Because privates first class and some specialized senior NCOs used branch devices in their insignia, though, there were still a significant number of branch-specific insignia. The branch insignia of the Tank Corps had also been changed since the February order, from the front view of a French tank to a side view of a Mark VIII tank, with dragons and a wreath below. Though the regulations specified only "a tank" for enlisted grade insignia, many were made using the entire branch device.
Wartime expansion meant that there were some privates who were not assigned to traditional regimental units or post staff, and new insignia were authorized for privates first class of headquarters and the recruiting service, as well as USMA and school detachments which had not previously had privates assigned.
"Changes No. 5" of 17 July 1918 introduced enlisted insignia for the Air Service, newly separated from the Signal Corps. The winged propeller device was specified for master signal electricians and privates first class. All other grades would wear "general application" insignia, but in practice unauthorized insignia with branch devices were commonly worn. "Changes No. 6" of 15 October 1918 added insignia for the Motor Transport Corps, and "Changes No. 7" added the Transportation Corps and the Provost Marshal General's Department on 25 January 1919.
By this point the only enlisted grade insignia that were branch-specific were those of senior noncommissioned officers and privates first class. With 20 to 30 of the latter in every company, stocking 18 different designs created an obvious supply challenge. "Changes No. 11" of 26 July 1919 addressed this by prescribing all privates first class the same insignia: "an arc of one bar."
NOTES ON THE TABLE
"Precedence group" is a number created for this table, based on official sources. Before enlisted pay grades were established in 1920, army regulations specified precedence starting with the rank of general as number one, lieutenant general as number two and so on through all grades down to private. When new grades were created during the war, the numbering also changed. To make this table sortable, positions on the army's precedence list have been converted to a whole number. As an example, in 1917 the grade of regimental sergeant major was numbered "12(a)," quartermaster sergeant senior grade was "12(b)," hospital sergeant was "12(c)," and ordnance sergeant was "13".5 In the table below those have been numbered "1" through "4". To reflect army practice before 1949, the number one is used for the most senior position.
The dates used for "general application" insignia in any particular branch is the same date as other insignia of that branch appeared in the regulations. In actual use, any insignia that was superseded by a new design might still be worn.
An effort has been made to determine what grades were actually used in specific branches or units by checking tables of organization.6 For instance, as far as the author can determine, the only grades used in the Corps of Interpreters or the Corps of Intelligence Police were sergeant first class and sergeant.
The chevrons were generally applied pieces of drab fabric. Other devices could be applied or embroidered. The insignia illustrated in the table are intended to be typical of the period, but are not the only types that could be worn.
The table can also be viewed on its own page here.
Sergeants, corporals, privates first class and privates of the artillery branches could qualify for special ratings which carried additional pay. For sergeants and corporals, the insignia was worn below the chevrons.
| Title | Insignia | Branch | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casemate Electrician |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Casemate Electrician |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1918/05/07 |
| Observer 1st Class |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Plotter |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Plotter |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1918/05/07 |
| Chief Planter | | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Coxswain |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Chief Loader |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Observer 2nd Class |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Gun Commander |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Gun Pointer |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Gunner 1st Class |  | Field Artillery | 1917/08/15 |
| Gunner 1st Class, gun or mortar company | | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Gunner 1st Class, mine company |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Gunner 2nd Class |  | Field Artillery | 1917/08/15 |
| Gunner 2nd Class, gun or mortar company | | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
| Gunner 2nd Class, mine company |  | Coast Artillery Corps | 1917/08/15 |
Acknowledgement:
Lieut. Colonel William Emerson has done the definitive research on army grade insignia, and his work has been a great influence on this site. His website: emersoninsignia.net
His books, which include extensive historical information and a cataloging system for enlisted grade insignia:
Notes:
All text and images © Justin T. Broderick, 2013-2021.