General Douglas MacArthur's TemporaryWWII 5-Star Automobile Plate
In December, 1944, in the midst of WWII, a new five-star officer rank was created, allowing generals and admirals to place a total of five stars on their uniforms, flags, and vehicle plates. General MacArthur was upset when he found out that after he and Admiral Chester Nimitz were both promoted to five-star rank, Nimitz's stars had already arrived from the War Department and he was wearing them on his collar for a conference both men were about to attend. MacArthur ordered his staff to have Filipino artisans craft five star insignias for his own uniform out of coin silver. He had no intention of allowing army photographers to embarrass him in front of his peers. It is believed that he also had this auto plate made for his military jeep until official, professionally-made, plates could be sent out from Washington. The plate, which shows wear and tear from being attached to a vehicle, came from the collection of an unidentified officer on MacArthur's SWPA staff.
The Official Five-Star Plate On General MacArthur's Vehicle In Tokyo in 1948
