Band of Brothers mini series - strangecharms

First lieutenant 52
British Army
In the British Army and Royal Marines, the rank above second lieutenant is simply lieutenant (pronounced
Lef-tenant), with no ordinal attached.
Before 1871, when the whole British Army switched to using the current rank of "lieutenant", the Royal Artillery,
Royal Engineers and Fusilier regiments used "first lieutenant" and "second lieutenant".
Royal Navy
The first lieutenant (often abbreviated "1st Lt") in a Royal Navy ship is a post or appointment, rather than a rank.
Historically the lieutenants in a ship were ranked in accordance with seniority, with the most senior being termed the
first lieutenant and acting as the second-in-command, unless the ship was complemented with a commander.
Although lieutenants are no longer ranked by seniority, the post of "first lieutenant" remains. In minor war vessels,
destroyers and frigates the first lieutenant is second in command, executive officer (XO) and head of the executive
branch; in larger ships where a commander of the warfare specialisation is appointed as the executive officer, a first
lieutenant is appointed as his deputy. The post of first lieutenant in a shore establishment carries a similar
responsibility to the first lieutenant of a capital ship. Colloquial terms in the Royal Navy for the first lieutenant
include "number one", "the jimmy" (or "jimmy the one") and "James the First" (a back-formation referring to James
I of England). [1]
United States
U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, a first lieutenant is a junior commissioned
officer. It is just above the rank of second lieutenant and just below the rank of captain. It is
equivalent to the rank of lieutenant (junior grade) in the other uniformed services.
A second lieutenant (grade O-1) is usually promoted to first lieutenant (grade O-2) after 18 months
in the Army or 24 months in the Air Force [2] and Marine Corps. The difference between the two
ranks is slight, primarily being experienced and having higher pay. It is not uncommon to see
officers moved to positions requiring more experience after promotion to first lieutenant. For
example, in the Army and Marine Corps these positions can include leading a specialty platoon, or
assignment as the executive officer for a company-sized unit (70-250 soldiers or marines). In the
Air Force, a first lieutenant may be a flight commander or section's officer in charge with varied
supervisory responsibilities, including supervision of as many as 100+ personnel, although in a
flying unit, a first lieutenant is a rated officer (pilot, navigator, or air battle manager) who has just
finished training for his career field and has few supervisory responsibilities.
U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard
In the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, first lieutenant is a position title, instead of a rank. It is held by
Army, Air
Force, and
Marine Corps
insignia of
the rank of
First
Lieutenant.
Style and
method of
wear may
vary between
the services.
the officer in command of the deck department. On smaller ships, the first lieutenant holds the rank of lieutenant,
junior grade or ensign. On larger vessels, the position is held by a lieutenant or, in the case of extremely large
warships such as aircraft carriers, a lieutenant commander or even commander. However, on submarines, where the
deck department may only have a few junior sailors, the first lieutenant may be a senior enlisted member, such as a
first-class petty officer or chief petty officer.