Commanders of World War II

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v • d • e World War II Western Europe · Eastern Europe · Africa · Mediterranean · Asia and the Pacific · Atlantic Major participants Timeline Aspects To 1945 unless otherwise indicated. Principal co-belligerents in italics. Prelude • Causes • in Asia • in Europe 1939 • Invasion of Poland • Phoney War • Winter War • Battle of the Atlantic5 1940 • Denmark and Norway • Battle of France • Battle of Britain • Libya and Egypt • British Somaliland • Baltic Occupation • Bessarabia and Bukovina • Invasion of Indochina • Invasion of Greece 1941 • East Africa Campaign • Invasion of Yugoslavia • Invasion of the USSR • Middle East campaign • Siege of Leningrad • Battle of Moscow • Attack on Pearl Harbor 1942 • Battle of Midway • Battle of Stalingrad • 2nd Battle of El Alamein • Operation Torch • Guadalcanal Campaign 1943 • End in Africa • Battle of Kursk • Solomon Islands • Invasion of Sicily • Invasion of Italy5 • Gilbert and Marshall Islands 1944 • Cassino and Anzio • Invasion of Normandy • Mariana and Palau Islands • Operation Bagration • Battle of the Dnieper • Warsaw Uprising • Iassy-Kishinev Operation • Liberation of Paris • Operation Market Garden • Operation Crossbow • Operation Pointblank • Battle of Leyte Gulf 1945 • Battle of Iwo Jima • Battle of Okinawa • Battle of Berlin • Germany surrenders • Hiroshima and Nagasaki • Japan surrenders • List of military engagements • Attacks on North America • Blitzkrieg • Comparative military ranks • Cryptography • Home front • Military awards • Military equipment • Military production • Nazi plunder • Resistance • Technology • Total war Aftermath /consequences • Effects/Casualties • Expulsion of Germans • Operation Paperclip • Occupation of Germany • Morgenthau plan • Territorial changes • Occupation of Japan • Franco-Vietnamese War • Cold War • in contemporary culture Civilian impact / atrocities • Allied war crimes • German war crimes • Italian war crimes • Japanese war crimes • Soviet war crimes • The Holocaust • Bombing of civilians Allies Axis at war from 1937  China entered 1939  Czechoslovakia  Poland  UK  India  France  Australia  New Zealand  South Africa  Canada entered 1940  Norway  Belgium  Netherlands  Greece entered 1941  Yugoslavia  USSR  USA entered 1942  Mexico  Brazil entered 1943  Italy   entered 1944  Romania  Bulgaria  Finland • others at war from 1937  Japan entered 1939  Germany  Slovakia entered 1940  Italy  to 1943 entered 1941  Bulgaria  to 1944 Croatia Finland  to 1944  Hungary  Iraq  to 1941  Romania  to 1944 entered 1942  Thailand entered 1943  RSI • others • Allied Leaders • Axis Leaders • Commanders Resistance movements Austria · Baltic1 · Czech lands · Denmark · Ethiopia France · Germany2 · Greece · Italy Jewish2 · Korea · Netherlands · Moldavia2 Norway · Poland · Thailand · Soviet Union Slovakia4 · Ukraine3 · Vietnam Yugoslavia · others Lists Category · Topics Conferences 1 Anti-Soviet. 2 Anti-Soviet and anti-Nazi. 3 Anti-Nazi, anti-Polish, and anti-Soviet. 4 Anti-Magyar, anti-Nazi, and anti-Soviet. 5 Lasted to May 1945.  World War II at Wiktionary  WWII textbooks at Wikibooks      WWII quotes at Wikiquote  WWII source texts at Wikisource       WWII media at Commons  WWII news stories at Wikinews

The Commanders of World War II were for the most part career officers. They were forced to adapt to new technologies and shaped the direction of modern warfare. Some political leaders, particularly those of the principal dictatorships involved in the conflict, Adolf Hitler (Germany), Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union) and Benito Mussolini (Italy), acted as supreme military commanders as well as civil commanders of their respective countries or empires. .^[1]

Contents 1 Military commanders 1.1 Allied Powers 1.1.1 United Kingdom 1.1.2 United States 1.1.3 Soviet Union 1.1.4 Czechoslovakia 1.1.5 Poland 1.1.6 France 1.1.7 Republic of China 1.1.8 Greece 1.1.9 Netherlands 1.1.10 Yugoslavia 1.1.11 Canada 1.2 Axis Powers 1.2.1 Germany 1.2.2 Italy 1.2.3 Japan 1.2.4 Thailand 1.2.5 Finland 1.2.6 Romania 1.2.7 Slovakia 1.2.8 Azad Hind 1.3 Others 1.3.1 Burma 1.3.2 Ukraine 2 See also 3 References

[edit] Military commanders

[edit] Allied Powers

[edit] United Kingdom

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank held during WW2	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Alan Brooke		Field Marshal	1st Viscount Alanbrooke	Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast.		Second (II Corps) British Expeditionary Force CIGS
		Commanded the II corps of the British Expeditionary Force at the Battle of France. Later served as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff.[1]
	Bernard Montgomery		Field Marshal	1st Viscount of El Alamein, Knight of the Garter.	Served as CIGS, and deputy leader of NATO.		Battle of France North African campaign Sicily Western Campaign, 1944 Arnhem
		A veteran of the Irish War of Independence, entered the Second World War as part of the British Expeditionary Force, defending France. Was part of the evacuation of Dunkirk. Won the Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Sicily before heading the British Forces at the Battle of Normandy and the rest of the Western Campaign.[1][2]
	Harold Alexander		Field Marshal	1st Earl of Tunis.	Governor General of Canada.		Battle of Dunkirk North African Campaign Battle of Tunisia Allied invasion of Italy
		The last British soldier to evacuate Dunkirk, replaced Auchinleck from command at North Africa, and turned the tide in the allies favour. After defeating the Germans in North Africa, staged a successful invasion of Italy, liberating it in 1944/5.[1]
	Archibald Wavell		Field Marshal	1st Earl Wavell	Viceroy of India, returned to England in 1947 and became High Steward of Colchester.		North African campaign East African Campaign Anglo-Iraqi War Commander-in-Chief in India ABDACOM
		Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in the Middle East 1939–1941. Commander-in-Chief in India 1941–1942. Commander of ABDACOM 1942. Commander-in-Chief in India 1942–1943. Viceroy of India 1943-1947.[1]
	John Vereker		Field Marshal	6th Viscount Gort. Holder of the Victoria Cross (World War I).	Died in 1946.		Battle of France Battle of Dunkirk Battle of Malta
		A world war I hero, he played a major role in mobilising and arming the British forces during the Phony War. He took command of the British Expeditionary Force for the German invasion of France, and despite courageous fighting, was overwhelmed by German military tactics. When his troops were trapped in Dunkirk, he disobeyed orders from French and British command to attack and decided to evacuate, a decision which saved the lives of over 300,000 soldiers.[1]
	Claude Auchinleck		General	Order of the Bath	Commander-in-Chief, India		Norwegian campaign North African campaign
		Organised the Home Guard to protect against Operation Sealion. A quick response to the Iraq revolt impressed Churchill, who appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the North Africa forces. Frequent disagreements with British command, coupled with significant loss of territory against Rommel (with the exception of Tobruk), forced him to be reassigned back to India. He fared better in this theatre, successfully mobilising Indian forces against the Burma invasion.[1]
Air Force	Charles Portal		Marshal of the Royal Air Force	Distinguished Flying Cross,[1] 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford.	Chairman of British Aircraft Corporation.[2]		Battle of Britain Battle of Normandy Strategic bombing of Germany
		Held back the Luftwaffe at the Battle of Britain. Continually launched air raids against Germany.[1]
	Arthur Harris		Air Chief Marshal	1st Baronet of Chipping Wycombe	Manager of the South African Marine Corporation		Strategic bombing of Germany
		Vigorously prosecuted the strategic air campaign against Germany.
	Hugh Dowding		Air Chief Marshal	1st Baron Dowding of Bentley Priory			Battle of Britain
Royal Navy	Dudley Pound		Admiral of the Fleet	Knight of the British Empire	Died of illness, October 1943.		Battle of Atlantic
		First Sea Lord 1939-1943.[1]
	Andrew Cunningham		Admiral of the Fleet	Distinguished Service Order, 1st Viscount of Hyndhope			Battle of Crete Battle of Taranto Battle of Cape Matapan Siege of Malta
		First Sea Lord 1943-1946.[1]

[edit] United States

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	George Marshall		General of the Army	Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, GCB	Established the Marshall Plan, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize.		Home Front
		Mentored by General Pershing. Led the rapid growth of US forces, co-ordinated the Western Allies and promoted postwar reconstruction of Europe.[1]
	Dwight D Eisenhower		General of the Army	Distinguished Service Medal, Medal of Honor (offered).	After liberating Europe, served as NATO head before being elected the 34th President of the United States.		Operation Torch Battle of Sicily Battle of Italy Battle of Normandy Western Front (World War II)
		Entered the war as an assistant to the more senior Officers MacArthur and George Patton, showed his worth as a commander during the North Africa Campaign, before being chosen by Roosevelt to head the liberation of Europe on the Western Front as commander of SHAEF.[1]
	Omar Bradley		General of the Army	Distinguished Service Medal (Army and Navy).	Became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff		Battle of Sicily Battle of Normandy Western Front (World War II)
		This former infantry school instructor entered the war under Patton, and towards the end of the war, led a force of over 1.3 million troops (America's largest to serve under one man).[1]
	George S. Patton		General	Distinguished Service Cross	Died in a road accident 4 months after the end of the war.		Operation Torch Battle of Tunis Battle of Sicily Operation Cobra Falaise pocket Battle of the Bulge German and Czechoslovakian invasion
		An aggressive general whose ferocious military thrusts earned him admiration and respect from all participants in the war (and at times endangered his military career). Successfully used the German tactic of armored blitzkrieg against the Germans.[1]
	Douglas MacArthur		General of the Army	Medal of Honor, Philippine Medal of Valor	Tasked with rebuilding Japan after the war. Later involved in the Korean War.		Battle of the Philippines Southwest Pacific Area Battle of Leyte Battle of Leyte Gulf
		Recalled from retirement prior to the start of the Pacific war, was disappointed to relinquish the Philippines to the Japanese. Promising to return, he did so in 1945 and whilst in Manila, prepared for war in Japan itself.[1]
Navy	Ernest King		Fleet Admiral	Navy Cross	Retired on December 15, 1945.		Battle of Atlantic
		[1]United States Chief of Naval Operations.
	Chester Nimitz		Fleet Admiral	Distinguished Service Medal	Served as Chief of Naval Operations.		Battle of Coral Sea Battle of Midway Solomon Islands Campaign Battle of the Philippine Sea Battle of Leyte Gulf Battle of Iwo Jima Battle of Okinawa
		After the attack on Pearl Harbor, took command of the Pacific Ocean areas, and turned around USA's fortunes in the Battle of Midway. Closed the war with operations in the Leyte Gulf and Okinawa.[1]
	William Halsey, Jr.		Fleet Admiral	Navy Cross	Retired 1947.		Solomon Islands Campaign Guadalcanal campaign Battle of Leyte Gulf
		Commander of South Pacific Area 1942-1944. Commander of United States Third Fleet 1944-1945.[1][3]
	Frank Jack Fletcher		Vice Admiral	Medal of Honor	Chairman of the General Board, retired in 1947.		Battle of Coral Sea Battle of Midway Battle of the Eastern Solomons
		Sunk 6 enemy carriers. In November 1942, he became Commander, Thirteenth Naval District and Commander, Northwestern Sea Frontier. A year later, he was placed in charge of the Northern Pacific area [according to Oxford companion to second world war, this occurred in October 1942].[1]
Air Force	Henry Arnold		General of the Air Force	Distinguished Service Cross			Head of the USAAF[1]
		Member of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Combined Chiefs of Staff committees.[1]
	Ira Clarence Eaker		Lieutenant General	Legion of Merit, Distinguished Service Medal (Army, Navy and Air Force)	Became deputy commander of the Army Air Forces until retirement in 1947.		North African Campaign Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission
		Commander of the 8th US Bomber command.[1]
	Carl Spaatz		General	Distinguished Service Cross	Replaced Arnold in September 1947 to become chief of the US Air Force.		North African Campaign (Air support) Normandy campaign (Air support)
		One of the pioneers of US military aviation, Spaatz advocated the use of scientific analysis to bombing raids, and made effective use of long range fighters, tactics which helped the Allies achieve air superiority over Europe.[1]

[edit] Soviet Union

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Georgy Zhukov		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Twice an Order of Victory, four times Hero of the Soviet Union	Became Soviet member of the Allied Control Council for Germany.		Siege of Leningrad Battle of Moscow Battle of Stalingrad (Battles of Rzhev) Operation Bagration Battle of Berlin Eastern Front
		Successfully led the defence of Moscow and later relieved Leningrad. After vying with Rokossovsky for overall command, he led all Soviet armies in the closing stages of the war and at the Battle for Berlin.[1]
	Konstantin Rokossovsky		Marshal of the Soviet Union, Marshal of Poland	Order of Victory, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.	Polish Defense Minister		Battle of Moscow Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Kursk Battle of the Lower Dnieper Eastern Front
		Decisive role in the Battle for Moscow, led encirclement forces at Stalingrad, broke German counter-attack at Kursk, advanced into Poland and eventually linked up with the Americans at Wismar.[1]
	Aleksandr Vasilevsky		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Twice an Order of Victory, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.	Soviet Defence Minister		Battle of Moscow Second Battle of Kharkov Battle of Stalingrad - Operation Uranus Battle of the Lower Dnieper Operation Bagration Operation August Storm (Battle of Manchuria) Eastern Front
		Stalin's strategic specialist who planned and carried through many successful Soviet operations as overall commander, particularly the encirclement at Stalingrad and the grand plan for Bagration. Commander-in-Chief of Soviet Forces in the Far East during Operation August Storm.[1]
	Boris Shaposhnikov		Marshal of the Soviet Union		Commandant of the Voroshilov Military Academy. Died in 1945.		Invasion of Poland Winter War Eastern Front
		Chief of the General Staff 1937-1940, 1941-1942. Organized pre-war build up of the Red Army.
	Nikolai Vatutin		General of the Army	Hero of the Soviet Union	Killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.		Battle of Moscow Voronezh Front Battle of Kursk Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket
		Deputy of the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army. Decisive Soviet commander at Kursk, outmanoeuvered German commander Manstein and later routed German forces in Korsun salient.[1][Alternate reference needed]
	Ivan Konev		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Order of Victory, Hero of the Soviet Union	Appointed head of the Soviet forces in East Germany.		Kalinin Front Battle of Kursk Belgorod Odessa Kharkov Kiev Vistula-Oder Offensive
		[1]
	Semyon Timoshenko		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Order of Victory, twice a Hero of the Soviet Union.	Soviet Army commander in Belarus		Invasion of Poland Winter War Battle of Smolensk Second Battle of Kharkov
Soviet Navy	Nikolai Kuznetsov		Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union	Hero of the Soviet Union	Deputy Minister of the USSR Armed Forces and Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces.		Barbarossa (Soviet naval defence) Battle of the Caucasus Eastern Front
Soviet Aviation	Alexander Novikov		Chief Marshal of Aviation of the Soviet Union	Two times Hero of the Soviet Union	Commander-in-Chief of the Air Forces of the Soviet Union Chief of the High school of civil aviation		Barbarossa (Soviet air forces) Eastern Front

[edit] Czechoslovakia

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Ludvík Svoboda		General	People's Hero of Yugoslavia, Hero of the Soviet Union	Later president of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.		Eastern Front
		Commander of the Czechoslovak military units on the Eastern front
	Ján Golian		Brigadier General	Czechoslovak War Cross	Executed by the Germans in a concentration camp in Flossenburg.		Slovak National Uprising
		Led the insurgent Slovak Army during the Slovak National Uprising.

[edit] Poland

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Edward Rydz-Śmigły		Marshal of Poland	Order of the White Eagle	Suffered heart attack before he could participate in the Polish resistance.		Invasion of Poland (1939)
		Was commander-in-chief of Poland during its invasion by German and Russian troops. [1]
	Władysław Sikorski		General	Order of the White Eagle	Died in plane crash July 1943.		Invasion of Poland (1939) Polish Armed Forces in the West
		Served as Commander-in-Chief of the Polish government in exile, and formed the Polish Armed Forces.[1]
	Władysław Anders		General	Order Virtuti Militari	Became Inspector-General of the Polish Armed Forces in Exile.		Battle of Monte Cassino
		Founder & commander of the Polish Forces Armed in Iran (1942), better known as Anders Army.[1]
	Michał Rola-Żymierski		Marshal of Poland	Order of the White Eagle	He was a member of the Polish United Workers Party		Polish Armed Forces in the East.
		Was commander-in-chief of the Polish Army fighting alongside the Soviet Union. [1]
	Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski		Lieutenant General	Order of the White Eagle	Elected Prime Minister of Polish government in Exile.		Polish Resistance Warsaw Uprising
		Commanded the main part of the Warsaw Uprising.[1]

[edit] France

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Charles de Gaulle		Général de Brigade	Grand Master Legion of Honor	Took control of France as President and was instrumental in creating the Fifth French Republic.		Battle of France West African Campaign Normandy Campaign Liberation of Paris
		Defied Vichy France by vowing to continue fighting after the French surrender. He headed with de Tassigny the Free French Forces, who assisted the Allies in the liberation of France in 1944.[1]
	Jean de Lattre de Tassigny		Marshal of France	Grand Master Legion of Honor	Later commanded French troops in the First Indochina War.		Battle of France West African Campaign Normandy Campaign Liberation of Paris
		Defied Vichy France by vowing to continue fighting after the French surrender. He headed with Charles de Gaulle the Free French Forces, who assisted the Allies in the liberation of France in 1944.[1]
	Maurice Gamelin		Général d'Armée		Died in 1958.		Battle of France
		Commander-in-Chief of French army during Battle of France, was replaced in 20 May 1940.[1]
	Maxime Weygand	Image:Weygand-1.jpg	General		Arrested on charges of treason but acquitted.		Battle of France
		Commander-in-Chief of French army during the Battle of France from 20 May 1940 until the surrender of France. Oversaw the creation of the Weygand line, an early application of the Hedgehog tactic.[1]
French Navy	François Darlan		Admiral of the Fleet		Murdered by Bonnier de La Chapelle December 1942.		Mers-el-Kébir Operation Torch
		Built up the French Navy to prepare for war, only to see it destroyed by the British Navy. Served the Vichy France government and was tipped to become Pétain's successor. Was commander of Vichy French forces in Operation Torch. After arranging a ceasefire, he defected to the Allied side.[1]

[edit] Republic of China

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Chiang Kai-shek		Generalissimo		After the war against Japan, resumed civil war against the communists. Retreated to Taiwan and led the Kuomintang (KMT) government there until his death.		Supreme Leader of the China Front
		Was both the head of the Republic of China and the supreme Allied commander in the China Theatre. Led the nation to total war from his temporary capital at Chongqing.
	Mao Zedong		Head of the Communist Party of China		Defeated the Kuomintang in the civil war and established the People's Republic of China.		Organized resistance in Japanese-held territories
		Greatly expanded communist base areas during the war, and eventually usurped control of China from Kuomintang.[1]
	Yan Xishan		General		Fought on the side of the Republic of China in the civil war.		Battle of Taiyuan Battle of Xinkou
		Warlord of Shanxi
	Chen Cheng		General		Became the Chief of the general staff		Battle of Shanghai Battle of Wuhan Battle of Changsha Battle of Zaoyang-Yichang Burma theatre
	Zhu De		General		Became the commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army.		Hundred Regiments Offensive
		Military leader of the communist Eighth Route Army.
	Xue Yue		General		Fought on the side of the Republic of China in the civil war.		Battle of Wuhan Battle of Nanchang 2nd Battle of Changsha 3rd Battle of Changsha 4th Battle of Changsha

[edit] Greece

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Alexander Papagos		Lieutenant General		Deported to Dachau Concentration Camp, led Greek army in Greek Civil War, later Field Marshal and Prime Minister of Greece.		Greco-Italian War Battle of Greece
		Commander-in-Chief of the Greek Army in 1940-41.[1]
	Aris Velouchiotis		Corporal		Committed suicide after the Second World War.		Greek Resistance
		Founder and chief leader of the Greek People's Liberation Army.
	Stefanos Sarafis		Colonel		Later MP for the United Democratic Left, died in a car accident in 1957.		Greek Resistance
		Military leader of the Greek People's Liberation Army after April 1943.
	Napoleon Zervas		Colonel		Twice minister, died in 1957.		Greek Resistance
		Commander of the National Republican Greek League resistance army.
Navy	Alexandros Sakellariou		Vice Admiral		MP, Navy and National Defense Minister after the war. Died in 1982.		Greco-Italian War Mediterranean Theatre
		Chief of staff of the Royal Hellenic Navy 1940-41, Navy Minister in exile, 1941-44

[edit] Netherlands

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Henri Winkelman		General	Order of William	Died in 1952.		Battle of the Netherlands
		Was Commander-in-Chief of the Netherlands army during the Battle of the Netherlands.[1]
	Hein ter Poorten		Lieutenant General		Died in 1968.		Netherlands East Indies campaign Battle of Java (1942)
		Commander of the ABDA land forces in early 1942.
Navy	Conrad Helfrich		Vice admiral		Died in 1962.		Netherlands East Indies campaign
		Commander of the ABDA Naval forces in 1942.
	Karel Doorman		Rear admiral		Died in Battle of the Java Sea.		Netherlands East Indies campaign
		Commander of the combined American, British, Dutch and Australian (ABDA) fleet in the Dutch East Indies.[1]

[edit] Yugoslavia

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Josip Broz Tito		Marshal of Yugoslavia	Order of the National Hero	President of Yugoslavia.		People's Liberation War
		Led the People's Liberation Army.[1]
	Draža Mihailović		General	Legion of Merit	Executed by the Communist regime in 1946.		Yugoslav Front (WWII)
		Commander of the Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland.

[edit] Canada

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Henry Crerar		General	Venerable Order of Saint John	Became a diplomat		Invasion of Normandy
		De facto commander-in-chief of the Canadian military.[1]
	Guy Simonds		General	Order of the Bath	Chief of the General Staff		Operation Market Garden Battle of the Scheldt
		Devised the Kangaroo armoured personnel carrier.[1]
	Andrew McNaughton		General	Order of the Companions of Honour	First President of the United Nations Security Council		Dieppe Raid Minister of National Defense
		Grandfather of Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie of Canada.[1]

[edit] Axis Powers

[edit] Germany

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Wilhelm Keitel		Field Marshal		Executed in 1946.		Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
		Chief of the OKW during World War II.[1]
	Alfred Jodl		Colonel General		Executed in 1946.		Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
		Chief of the Operations Staff of the OKW.[1]
	Walther von Brauchitsch		Field Marshal		Died in 1948.		Oberkommando des Heeres
		Commander-in-Chief of Wehrmacht 1938-1941.
	Gerd von Rundstedt		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and Swords[4]	Died in 1953.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa (Army Group South). Battle of Uman[5] Battle of Kiev (1941) Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge
		A Kriegsakademie graduate of the Prussian nobility, and a major World War I veteran, Rundstedt distinguished himself as commander of numerous fronts of World War II including the Western and Eastern fronts of Europe.[1]
	Fedor von Bock		Field Marshal		Was killed in bombing raid in 1945.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of the Netherlands Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok-Minsk Battle of Moscow Second Battle of Kharkov
		Recipient of the Pour le Mérite from World War I, rose rapidly in rank to Field marshal by the Fall of France. Took command of Army Group Centre, whose Panzer Groups penetrated the furthest into Russia.[1]
	Erich von Manstein		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and Swords[4]	Imprisoned after war, later released and served as senior advisor of Bundeswehr.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Sevastopol Battle of Stalingrad Third Battle of Kharkov Battle of Kursk Battle of the Dnieper
		The master of mobile battle, authored the original Sichelschnitt plan, a plan which enabled Germany to capture France with minimal casualties.[1]
	Erwin Rommel		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds[4]	Committed suicide in 1944.		Battle of France Battle of Gazala Siege of Tobruk First Battle of El Alamein Second Battle of El Alamein Battle of the Kasserine Pass Battle of Medenine Battle of Normandy
		A legend in his own time, The Desert Fox headed the German campaign of North Africa. he made an immediate impact in the Saharan desert, conquering all of West Africa and threatening to reach Suez. Due to a number of factors such as stretching supply lines and the reinforcement of Allied military power (both in Morroco and Egypt) turned the tide in the favour of the Allies, and his forces were routed in the Battle of Tunisia in 1943. Before he could counterattack, German high command reassigned him to defend the Atlantic Wall. Poor intelligence and overmanipulation by the Wehrmacht made led to the allied invasion of Normandy, which Rommel failed to stop. Though typically linked to the assassination of Hitler, Rommel probably did not take part in the July Plot as he did not want future generations to think that the Axis lost the war due to backstabbing. Nevertheless, Rommel had to commit suicide, lest he face a mock-trial which would have surely ended in the death of him, his family and his aides.[1]
	Walter Model		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds[4]	Committed suicide in 1945.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Moscow Battle of Kursk Battle of Narva Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge
		German Army officer whose expertise in defensive warfare earned him the nickname of the 'Führer's fireman'[1]
	Heinz Guderian		Colonel General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves[4]	Died in 1954.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Moscow Oberkommando des Heeres
		Main creator of Blitzkrieg tactics. Chief of OKH General Staff 1944-1945.[1]
Air force	Hermann Göring		Reichsmarschall	Grand Cross of the Iron Cross[4]	Committed suicide in 1946.		Oberkommando der Luftwaffe
		Commander-in-Chief of Luftwaffe 1935-1945.[1]
	Albert Kesselring	Image:AAKesselring.jpg	Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds[4]	Died in 1960 at the age of 75.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Britain Operation Shingle Battle of Monte Cassino
		Was Commander in Chief of Luftwaffe South (1941-1943), then South-west (1943-1945), then West Europe (1945)[1]
	Wolfram von Richthofen		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves[4]	Died in 1945.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Britain Battle of Greece Operation Barbarossa Battle of Stalingrad
Navy	Erich Raeder		Grand Admiral	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Died in 1960.		Oberkommando der Marine Operation Weserübung Battle of the Atlantic
		Commander-in-Chief of Kriegsmarine 1936-1943.[1]
	Karl Dönitz		Grand Admiral	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves[4]	Briefly became President of Germany. Spent 10 years in prison. Died in 1980.		Oberkommando der Marine Battle of the Atlantic
		Commander-in-Chief of Kriegsmarine 1943-1945.[1]

[edit] Italy

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Pietro Badoglio		Marshal of Italy	Duke of Addis Abeba	Succeeded Mussolini and arranged an Armistice of his country with the Allies.
		Was not in favour of Italy's alliance to Germany, and resigned after the Battle of Greece.[1]
	Ugo Cavallero		Marshal of Italy		Committed suicide after alienating both Germany and non-fascist Italy.		Battle of Greece North African Campaign
		Chief of the Italian Supreme Command 1940-1943.[1]
	Giovanni Messe		Marshal of Italy		Became a member of the Italian Senate.		Greco-Italian War North African Campaign
Navy	Arturo Riccardi		Admiral		Removed from office by Badoglio		Battle of the Mediterranean
		Served as Chief of staff of the Italian Navy.

[edit] Japan

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Hideki Tojo		General		Executed in 1948.		Operation Chahar Supreme War Council
		Prime minister of Japan 1941-1944 was also a military commander. Chief of the Army General Staff in 1944.[1]
	Hajime Sugiyama		Field Marshal		Committed suicide shortly after the end of the war.		Supreme War Council
		Chief of the Army General Staff 1940-1944.[1]
	Kotohito Kan'in		Field Marshal		Died in 1945		Supreme War Council
		Chief of staff of the Army, 1931-1940
	Hisaichi Terauchi		Field Marshal	Order of the Rising Sun	Died in a prisoner of war camp in Malaya June 1946.		North China Area Army Southern Expeditionary Army Group
		Son of former PM Terauchi Masatake, became the senior officer of the Imperial Japanese after the coup of 1936. Was at one time considered as Tojo successor after the latter's resignation.
	Shunroku Hata		Field Marshal		Sentenced to imprisonment.		Battle of Wuhan Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi
	Tomoyuki Yamashita		General		Executed at 1946.		Battle of Malaya Battle of Singapore Battle of Leyte Battle of Luzon
		Defender of the Philippines against MacArthur.[1]
	Iwane Matsui[citation needed]		General		Retired 1938, executed in 1948.		Battle of Shanghai Battle of Nanjing
Navy	Osami Nagano		Fleet Admiral		Died of a heart attack in 1947.		Supreme War Council Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
		Chief of the Navy General Staff, 1941-1944.
	Hiroyasu Fushimi		Fleet Admiral		Died in 1946.		Supreme War Council Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
		Chief of staff of the Navy, 1932-1941.
	Isoroku Yamamoto		Fleet Admiral	Order of the Chrysanthemum	Shot down by USA in 1943.
		Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1939-1943.[1]
	Mineichi Koga		Fleet Admiral	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves[4]	Killed in plane crash 1944.		Battle of Hong Kong
		Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1943-1944.[1]
	Soemu Toyoda		Fleet Admiral		Died in 1957 at the age of 73.		Supreme War Council
		Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1944-1945, Chief of staff of the Navy 1945.[1]
	Chuichi Nagumo		Vice Admiral	Order of the Rising Sun	Committed suicude in 1944 during the battle of Saipan.		Attack on Pearl Harbor Indian Ocean raid Bombing of Darwin Battle of Midway Battle of the Eastern Solomons Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
		Torpedo specialist and commander of the Carrier Striking Task Force that attacked Pearl Harbor. Successful raids at Darwin and the Indian Ocean were reversed at the Battle of Midway. Although he had tactical victories in the Guadalcanal campaigns, his battle strength was severely depleted, and was switched to the defence of the Mariana Islands.[1]
	Jisaburo Ozawa		Admiral		Died in 1966.		Battle of the Philippine Sea Battle of Leyte Gulf
		Replaced Toyoda in 1945 to become Commander in Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet[1]

[edit] Thailand

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Plaek Pibulsonggram		Field Marshal		Later ousted after the defeat of the Japanese, only to return to power in 1948 and become Prime Minister until 1957.		French-Thai War
		Prime Minister and dictator of Thailand during the war, eventually commanding Thai forces during the French-Thai War.

[edit] Finland

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim		Marshal of Finland	Mannerheim Cross	Succeeded Risto Ryti as President of Finland		Winter War Continuation War Lapland War
		Was Commander-in-Chief of Finnish army during World War II. Organised the Mannerheim Line in the Karelian Peninsula.[1]
	Karl Lennart Oesch		Lieutenant General	Mannerheim Cross	Died in 1978		Fourth strategic offensive Battle of Tali-Ihantala
		Was one of the most important Finnish generals. Two-thirds of the Finnish ground forces were under his command at the end of the Continuation War.

[edit] Romania

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Ion Antonescu		Marshal of Romania		Executed in 1946.		Operation Barbarossa
		Took control of Romania when Carol II abdicated, and established a fascist dictatorship with the Iron Guard Party. Acted as Commander-in-Chief of the Romanian Army and Conducător of Romania, recapturing Bessarabia and northern Bucovia, then appointed himself marshal. When his forces were decimated at Stalingrad, he started negotiating for peace. His career ended in 1944 when he was arrested by King Michael, who signed an armistice with the Allies.[1]
	Petre Dumitrescu		General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves	Died in 1950.		Operation Barbarossa Battle of Stalingrad

[edit] Slovakia

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Ferdinand Čatloš		Major General		Was briefly imprisoned, set free in 1948, died in 1972.		Invasion of Poland Operation Barbarossa Slovak National Uprising
		Slovakian Minister of Defence and Chief General Staff.

[edit] Azad Hind

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Subhas Chandra Bose		Supreme Commander of the Indian National Army		Died under mysterious circumstances.		Burma Campaign
		Led the Indian National Army.
	Mohan Singh Deb		General		Became a member of the Rajya Sabha.		Burma Campaign
		First commander-in-chief of the Indian National Army.
	Shah Nawaz Khan		Major		Became a member of the Lok Sabha.		Battle of Imphal
		Led the 1st Guerrila Detachment of the INA.
	Lakshmi Sahgal		Captain		Became a prominent leftist politician.		Battle of Imphal
		Commander of the all-female Rani of Jhansi regiment.

[edit] Others

[edit] Burma

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Aung San		Major General		Arranged for the establishment of Burmese independence, assassinated under mysterious causes in 1947.		Burma Campaign
		Led the Burma National Army and the Anti-Fascist Organisation.

[edit] Ukraine

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Roman Shukhevych		General	Gold Cross of Combat Merit, First Class	Died fighting NKVD forces in Lviv in 1950.
		Supreme commander of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

[edit] See also

Allied leaders of World War II
Axis leaders of World War II

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br} (2005) Oxford Companion to the Second World War, paperback, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-1928-0666-1. 
2. ^ Lord Ismay (2001). NATO, the first 5 years. NATO archives. 
3. ^ Fleet Admiral Halsey Jr Profile at Naval Historical center. Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} List of Knight's Cross recipients
5. ^ Marcus Wendel's Axis history site. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.

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