Commanders of World War II

World War II
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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), Benito Mussolini (Italy), and Chiang Kai-shek (China), acted as supreme military commanders as well as civil commanders of their respective countries or empires.

Military commanders

Allied Forces

United Kingdom

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Alan Brooke		Field Marshal	Knight of the Garter.	Served as CIGS.		Chief of the Imperial General Staff Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal Operation Ariel
		Commanded the II corps of the British Expeditionary Force at the Battle of France. Later served as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff.
	Bernard Montgomery		Field Marshal	Knight of the Garter.	Served as CIGS, and deputy leader of NATO.		Western Desert Campaign Battle of Alam el Halfa Second Battle of El Alamein Battle of El Agheila Tunisia Campaign Battle of Medenine Operation Pugilist Battle of Wadi Akarit Operation Husky Operation Avalanche Western Front (World War II) Operation Overlord Battle for Caen Operation Epsom Operation Goodwood Operation Cobra Falaise pocket Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge Western Allied invasion of Germany
		A veteran of World War I and the Irish War of Independence, Great General of the British Army, entered the Second World War as a divisional commander within the British Expeditionary Force, defending France and then took command of II Corps during the evacuation at Dunkirk. After several Corps appointments was placed in command of South-Eastern Command before being dispatched to Egypt to take command of the Eighth Army, following the death of William Gott. Won the Second Battle of El Alamein and played a crucial role in the completion of the North African Campaign. Then led the Eighth Army during the Battle of Sicily and then the invasion of Italy itself. Was transferred back to the United Kingdom to take command of the 21st Army Group and led all Allied ground forces during Operation Overlord. Following the conclusion of this campaign, relinquishing the role of Ground Forces commander, he continued to lead 21st Army Group throughout the rest of the 1944-1945 North West Europe Campaign.
	Harold Alexander		Field Marshal	Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath	Governor General of Canada.		Battle of Dunkirk Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre Adriatic Campaign of World War II North African Campaign Battle of Tunisia Italian Campaign (World War II)
		The last British soldier to evacuate Dunkirk, replaced Auchinleck from command at North Africa, and turned the tide in the Allies' favour. Defeated the Germans in North Africa. Staged a successful invasion of Italy, and as Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces liberated it in 1944 before becoming Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces Headquarters, responsible for all military operations in the Mediterranean Theatre.
	Archibald Wavell		Field Marshal	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath	Viceroy of India, returned to England in 1947 and became High Steward of Colchester.		Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre Adriatic Campaign of World War II North African campaign East African Campaign Anglo-Iraqi War Syria–Lebanon Campaign Burma Campaign 1942–43
		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.
	Viscount Gort		Field Marshal	Holder of the Victoria Cross.	Died in 1946.		Western Front (World War II) Battle of France Battle of Dunkirk
		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.
	Claude Auchinleck		General	Order of the Bath	Commander-in-Chief, India		Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II Adriatic Campaign of World War II North African Campaign Anglo-Iraqi War Operation Crusader Battle of Gazala First Battle of El Alamein
		Organised the Home Guard to protect against Operation Sea Lion. 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, forced him to be reassigned back to India. He fared better in this theatre, successfully mobilising Indian forces against the Burma invasion.
Air Force	Charles Portal		Marshal of the Royal Air Force	Knight of the Garter	Chairman of British Aircraft Corporation.		Chief of Air Staff Adlertag Strategic bombing during World War II
		Strong advocate of area bombing. Took over as head of the RAF after the Battle of Britain. Continually launched air raids against Germany, especially targeting civilian populations.
	Arthur Harris		Air Chief Marshal	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath	Manager of the South African Marine Corporation		Strategic bombing during World War II Combined Bomber Offensive Pointblank directive Battle of the Ruhr Bombing of Kassel in World War II Battle of Berlin (RAF campaign)
		Assisted Charles Portal in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany.
	Hugh Dowding		Air Chief Marshal	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath	Dismissed as head of fighter command in November 1940. Became a theosophist after the war. Died in February 1970, aged 87 and buried in Westminster Abbey.		Battle of Britain
		Leader in World War I of an RFC Squadron. Commander of the Battle of Britain. Deservedly credited with saving Britain from defeat.
Navy	Andrew Cunningham		Admiral of the Fleet	Knight of the Thistle	Served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Died in June 1963, buried at sea off Portsmouth.		French West Africa in World War II Battle of the Mediterranean Battle of Calabria Battle of Taranto Battle of Cape Matapan Siege of Malta (World War II) Operation Torch Operation Retribution (1943) Operation Husky
		First Sea Lord 1943-1946.
	Louis Mountbatten		Admiral of the Fleet	Knight of the Garter	Viceroy of India until 1947. First Sea Lord from 1954 to 1957.		Battle of Dieppe South-East Asian theatre of World War II Burma Campaign Operation Tiderace
		Supreme Allied Commander of SEAC. Under him were such famous generals as William Slim and Joseph Stilwell.
	Sir Alfred Pound		Admiral of the Fleet	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath	Died of illness, October 1943.		Battle of the Atlantic
		First Sea Lord 1939-1943.

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 Battle of Montcornet Battle of Abbeville West African Campaign Battle of Dakar Battle of Gabon Free French Forces
		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.
	Jean de Lattre de Tassigny		Marshal of France	Grand Master Legion of Honor	Later commanded French troops in the First Indochina War.		Invasion of Elba Operation Dragoon Colmar Pocket French Resistance
		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.
	Alphonse Juin		Marshal of France	Grand Cross Legion of Honor	Became Resident General in Morocco.		Winter Line
		Commander of the Vichy French forces in North Africa until 1942, then commander of the French Expeditionary Corps in Tunisia and Italy.
	Maurice Gamelin		Général d'Armée	Grand Cross Legion of Honor	Died in 1958.		Saar Offensive Battle of Belgium Battle of France Battle of Sedan (1940)
		Commander-in-Chief of French army during Battle of France, was replaced on 20 May 1940.
	Maxime Weygand		General	Grand Cross Legion of Honor	Arrested on charges of treason but acquitted.		Battle of Belgium Battle of France Battle of Abbeville Battle of Dunkirk
		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.
French Navy	François Darlan		Admiral of the Fleet	War Cross	Murdered by Bonnier de La Chapelle December 1942.		North African Campaign 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.

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	As Secretary of State his name was given to the Marshall Plan, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.		Chief of Staff of the United States Army
		Was the aide to General Pershing during World War I. Was Chief of Staff having overall command of the US Army during and before World War II. Marshall served as the U.S. Army Chief of Staff during the war and as the chief military adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Many of the American generals that were given top commands during the war were either picked or recommended by Marshall, including Dwight Eisenhower, Lloyd Fredendall, Leslie McNair, Mark W. Clark and Omar Bradley. He led the rapid growth of US forces, co-ordinated the Western Allies and promoted postwar reconstruction of Europe.
	Dwight D. Eisenhower		General of the Army	Distinguished Service Cross, Medal of Honor (offered, but not accepted by him).	After liberating Europe, served as NATO head and president of Columbia University before being elected the 34th President of the United States.		Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II Adriatic Campaign of World War II North African Campaign Italian Campaign (World War II) Western Front (World War II) Western Allied invasion of Germany
		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. In December 1943, President Roosevelt decided that Eisenhower—not Marshall—would be Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. The following month, he resumed command of European Theater of Operations United States Army (ETOUSA) and the following month was officially designated as the Supreme Allied Commander of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), serving in a dual role until the end of hostilities in Europe in May 1945. He was charged in these positions with planning and carrying out the Allied assault on the coast of Normandy in June 1944 under the code name Operation Overlord, to head the liberation of Europe on the Western Front and the invasion of Germany.
	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.		South West Pacific theatre of World War II Philippines Campaign (1941–42) Solomon Islands campaign New Guinea campaign Salamaua–Lae campaign Admiralty Islands campaign Philippines Campaign (1944–45) Borneo campaign (1945) Japan campaign
		Recalled from retirement prior to the start of the Pacific war. Early on in World War II, received the Medal of Honor for extreme bravery. 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. MacArthur presided over the Japanese Unconditional Surrender in 1945. His strategy of maneuver, air strikes and force avoidance meant that soldiers under his command faced relatively low casualties.
	Omar Bradley		General of the Army	Distinguished Service Medal (Army and Navy).	Became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff		Battle of Hill 609 Western Front (World War II) Operation Cobra Operation Lüttich Falaise pocket Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine Battle of Hürtgen Forest Operation Queen Battle of the Bulge Western Allied invasion of Germany
		This former infantry school instructor entered the war under Patton, later becoming his boss. Towards the end of the war, led a force of over 1.3 million troops (America's largest to serve under one man).
	Mark W. Clark		General	Distinguished Service Medal (Army and Navy).	Became head of the Citadel		Allied invasion of Italy Bernhardt Line Battle of San Pietro Infine Battle of Monte Cassino Operation Shingle Battle of Cisterna Gothic Line Operation Grapeshot
		Led the triumphal entry into Rome. Served under General Harold Alexander. Ordered the destruction of the religious abbey at Monte Cassino. Was commander-in-chief in Italy from late 1944.
	George S. Patton, Jr.		General	Distinguished Service Cross	Died in a road accident 4 months after the end of the war.		Operation Torch Battle of El Guettar Operation Vulcan Battle of Sicily Battle of Chambois Falaise pocket Battle of Fort Driant Battle of Metz Battle of the Bulge
		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.
Navy	Ernest King		Fleet Admiral	Navy Cross	Retired on December 15, 1945.		Battle of the Atlantic
		United States Chief of Naval Operations.
	Chester W. Nimitz		Fleet Admiral	Legion of Honour, Distinguished Service Medal	Served as Chief of Naval Operations.		Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II Battle of Midway Solomon Islands campaign Philippines Campaign (1944–45) Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign Mariana and Palau Islands campaign Volcano and Ryukyu Islands campaign Japan campaign
		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.
	William Halsey, Jr.		Fleet Admiral	Navy Cross	Retired 1947.		Marshalls–Gilberts raids Solomon Islands Campaign Guadalcanal campaign New Georgia Campaign Philippines Campaign (1944–45) Bombing of Kure (July 1945)
		Commander of South Pacific Area 1942-1944. Commander of United States Third Fleet 1944-1945.
	Frank Jack Fletcher		Admiral	Medal of Honor	Chairman of the General Board, retired in 1947.		Marshalls–Gilberts raids Battle of Coral Sea Battle of Midway Solomon Islands Campaign Battle of the Eastern Solomons
		Recipient of the Medal of Honor for saving hundreds of refugees during the United States occupation of Veracruz in April 1914 during the Mexican Revolution. Operational commander at the pivotal Battles of Coral Sea and of Midway; nephew of Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher. 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].
	Raymond A. Spruance		Admiral	Navy Cross	Served as President of the Naval War College.		Battle of Midway Solomon Islands Campaign Mariana and Palau Islands campaign Volcano and Ryukyu Islands campaign Japan campaign
		Commander of two of the most significant battles of the war, Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
USAAF	Henry Arnold		General of the Air Force	Distinguished Service Medal			Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
		Member of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Combined Chiefs of Staff committees.
	Ira C. Eaker		General	Distinguished Service Medal (Army, Navy and Air Force)	Became deputy commander of the Army Air Forces until retirement in 1947.		Interception of the Rex Operation Cockade Strategic bombing campaign
		Commander of the 8th US Bomber command.
	Carl Spaatz		General	Air Force Cross	Replaced Arnold in September 1947 to become chief of the US Air Force.		Operation Flax Strategic bombing during World War II Combined Bomber Offensive Pointblank directive Bombing of Kassel in World War II
		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.

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, Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union 1955-57		Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad Battle of Moscow Battles of Rzhev Operation Mars Case Blue Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Kursk Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive Kamenets-Podolsky pocket Operation Bagration Vistula–Oder Offensive Operation Solstice Battle of Berlin
		Involved in nearly every major battle on the Eastern Front. He successfully led the defense 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.
	Aleksandr Vasilevsky		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Twice an Order of Victory, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.	Soviet Defence Minister		Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa Battle of Moscow Second Battle of Kharkov Case Blue Battle of Stalingrad Operation Bagration East Prussian Offensive Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation Soviet–Japanese War (1945)
		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 Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation.
	Konstantin Rokossovsky		Marshal of the Soviet Union, Marshal of Poland	Order of Victory, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.	Polish Defense Minister		Eastern Front Case Blue Battle of Stalingrad Third Battle of Kharkov Battle of Kursk Battle of Dnieper Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive Operation Bagration East Prussian Offensive East Pomeranian Offensive Battle of Berlin
		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.
	Boris Shaposhnikov		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Three Orders of Lenin	Commandant of the Voroshilov Military Academy. Died in 1945.		Pre-emptive war
		Chief of the General Staff 1937-1940, 1941-1942. Organized pre-war buildup of the Red Army.
	Ivan Bagramyan		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.	Soviet Army commander		Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa Battle of Moscow Second Battle of Kharkov Battle of Kursk Siege of Leningrad Operation Bagration Baltic Offensive East Prussian Offensive Battle of Memel Battle of Königsberg
		Bagramyan's experience in military planning as a chief of staff allowed him to distinguish himself as a capable commander in the early stages of the Soviet counter-offensives against Nazi Germany.
	Nikolai Vatutin		General of the Army	Hero of the Soviet Union	Killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.		Eastern Front Battle of Stalingrad Third Battle of Kharkov Battle of Kursk Battle of Kiev (1943) Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive Kamenets-Podolsky pocket 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.
	Ivan Konev		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Order of Victory, Hero of the Soviet Union	Appointed head of the Soviet forces in East Germany.Served as chief of the Soviet Armed Forces and Warsaw Pact.		Eastern Front Battles of Rzhev Battle of Kursk Battle of the Dnieper Battle of Kiev (1943) Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive Kamenets-Podolsky pocket Uman–Botoşani Offensive First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive Battle of the Dukla Pass Vistula-Oder Offensive Battle of Berlin Prague Offensive
		Play a pivotal role in the War, retaking much of Eastern Europe. Helped in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Konev was also a competitor of leading star, Marshal Georgy Zhukov.
	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 Summa Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa Battle of Smolensk (1941) Second Battle of Kharkov Case Blue
		Defence Commissar till 19 July 1941. Chairman of the Stavka (Soviet High Command). A capable commander in the early stages of World War II. Played a decisive role in the Winter War and the invasion of Poland.After the disaster at Kharkov, Timoshenko was removed by Stalin from front-line command but given overall commanders in different fronts of the USSR.
Soviet Navy	Ivan Isakov		Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union	Hero of the Soviet Union	Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces.		Eastern Front Baltic Sea campaigns Battle of the Caucasus
	Nikolay Kuznetsov		Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union	Hero of the Soviet Union	People's Commissar of the Navy during The Second World War		Eastern Front Yalta conference
Soviet Aviation	Sergei Khudyakov		Marshal of Aviation of the Soviet Union		Chief of Staff of the Air Forces of the Soviet Union, deputy commander of the Red Air Force		Eastern Front Battles of Rzhev Battle of Kursk Yalta conference Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation Soviet–Japanese War (1945)
	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		Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kursk Battle of Stalingrad Pacific War

Republic of China

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Chiang Kai-shek		Generalissimo	Order of National Glory	After the war against Japan, resumed Chinese 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		Great Leader of Chinese resistance movements	Honour Sabre of the Awakened Lion	Defeated the Kuomintang in the Chinese Civil War and established the People's Republic of China.		Organized Chinese guerrilla resistance in Japanese-held territories. Second Sino-Japanese War
		Greatly expanded communist base areas during the war, and eventually usurped control of China from Kuomintang.
	Yan Xishan		General	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun	Fought on the side of the Republic of China in the civil war.		Second Sino-Japanese War Operation Chahar Battle of Taiyuan Battle of Xinkou
		Warlord of Shanxi
	Chen Cheng		General	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun	Became the Chief of the general staff		Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Shanghai Battle of Wuhan 1st Battle of Changsha Battle of West Hubei Burma theatre
	Zhu De		Generalissimo	Honour Sabre of the Awakened Lion	Became the commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army.		Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Taiyuan Battle of Pingxingguan Battle of Xinkou Hundred Regiments Offensive
		Military leader of the Communist Eighth Route Army.
	Xue Yue		General	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun	Fought on the side of the Republic of China in the civil war.		Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Wuhan Battle of Wanjialing Battle of Nanchang 1st Battle of Changsha 1939–40 Winter Offensive 2nd Battle of Changsha 3rd Battle of Changsha 4th Battle of Changsha

Australia

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank held during World War II	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Brudenell White		General	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath	Killed in the Canberra air disaster, 1940.		Chief of the General Staff
		Chief of the General Staff (March–August 1940)
	Thomas Blamey		General	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire	Promoted to Field Marshal in 1950. Became an author and promoted welfare of ex-servicemen.		Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II Battle of Greece South West Pacific theatre of World War II New Guinea campaign Kokoda Track campaign Battle of Wau Landing at Nadzab
		Commander-in-chief of Australian Armed Forces and commander-in-chief of Allied Land Forces in the South West Pacific Area.
	Edmund Herring		Lieutenant General	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire	Later Chief Justice of Australia. Received KCMG in 1949		South West Pacific theatre of World War II Kokoda Track campaign Landing at Nadzab Battle of Buna–Gona
		Commander of Australian forces in the Kokoda Track campaign.
	Leslie Morshead		Lieutenant General	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath	Became General Manager of the Orient Steam Navigation Company.		Western Desert Campaign Siege of Tobruk Battle of Sio South West Pacific theatre of World War II Borneo campaign
		Led the famous Australia defence against Rommel's in siege of Tobruk. Commander at the Battle of El Alamein. Australia forces took 22 percent of the casualties there. After learning the art of jungle warfare, was a very competent commander of operations against the Japanese in New Guinea.
Air Force	Charles Burnett		Air Chief Marshal	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath	RAF officer loaned to Australia and served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1940 to 1942. Oversaw a 20-fold increase in the size of the RAAF which supported the Empire Air Training Scheme. Returned to Great Britain in 1942 and while suffering poor health worked in the RAF's cadet organisation, the Air Training Corps. Died of a coronary thrombosis months before the end of the War.		Chief of Air Force
		Fighter ace during the First World War. Deputy Commander of RAF in the Middle East.
Air Force	Peter Roy Maxwell Drummond		Air Marshal	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath	Died in an air crash at sea, 1945.		Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Middle East
		Fighter ace during the First World War. Deputy Commander of RAF in the Middle East.
Navy	John Gregory Crace		Vice Admiral	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire	Commanded Chatham Dockyard in Britain.		Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II Battle of the Coral Sea
		Commanded the Australian navy in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Commander of the Allied Naval Squadron, ANZAC Force.

New Zealand

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank held during World War II	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg		Lieutenant General	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, Distinguished Service Order Holder of the Victoria Cross plus three other Distinguished Service Orders (World War I)	Returned to New Zealand and later became Governor-General		Battle of Greece Battle of Thermopylae (1941) Battle of Crete North African Campaign Tunisia Campaign Italian Campaign (World War II)
		A veteran of the Mexican Revolution and Victoria Cross recipient during the First World War. First soldier on beach for the Battle of Gallipoli during the First World War and the youngest general in the British Army during the First World War. He liked to be in the thick of action—Churchill called him "the Salamander" due to his love of fire. Involved in the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Greece. Again defeated as the Allied Commander in the Battle of Crete after Churchill failed to provide enigma intelligence. Very successful as a Commander in various campaigns in the North African Campaign, including the Battle of El Alamein. Defeated again at the Battle of Cassino as a Corps Commander (this is nonsense-the Germans lost at Cassino-how could Freyberg be defeated?). Relieved Padua and Venice, and was first to enter Trieste in the race for Trieste, and successfully confronted Josip Broz Tito's Partisans there. By the end of World War II, Freyberg had spent ten and a half long years fighting the Germans (1940-1945 plus 1916-1918 equals 7 years-he fought the Turks in 1915).
Air Force	Arthur Coningham		Air Marshal	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath	Missing in Bermuda Triangle.		North African Campaign Western Desert Campaign First Battle of El Alamein Second Battle of El Alamein Operation Torch Italian Campaign North-West Europe Campaign Normandy campaign
		A high scoring air ace in World War I. Air force Commander working with famous Major General George Patton during Operation Torch. Commander of tactical Air Forces for Operation Husky and D-Day.
	Keith Park		Air Chief Marshal	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath	Returned to New Zealand		Battle of France Battle of Britain Battle of Malta Pacific Theatre of Operations
		A veteran of World War I and air ace. Served under Hugh Dowding and commanded the defense of London during the Luftwaffe attacks. Dowding and Park are credited with winning the Battle of Britain. Led the defense of Malta.
	Roderick Carr		Air Marshal	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire	Air Officer Commanding Indian Air Force, 1946		Battle of Britain RAF Bomber Command
		Served in the Royal Naval Air Service during the First World War. Commander of Northern Ireland RAF. Bomber Command Commander 4 Group. Deputy Chief of Staff (Air), SHAEF.

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) Fighting Poland Movement
		Was commander-in-chief of Poland during its invasion by German and Russian troops.
	Władysław Sikorski		General	Order of the White Eagle	Died in plane crash July 1943.		Polish Armed Forces in the West
		Served as Commander-in-Chief of the Polish government in exile, and formed the Polish Armed Forces.
	Władysław Anders		General	Order of the White Eagle	Became Inspector-General of the Polish Armed Forces in Exile.		Polish Armed Forces in the East
		Founder & commander of the Polish Forces Armed in Iran (1942), better known as Anders Army.
	Michał Rola-Żymierski		Marshal of Poland	Order of the Builders of People's Poland	He was a member of the Polish United Workers Party		Eastern Front (World War II) People's Army of Poland.
		Was commander-in-chief of the Polish Army fighting alongside the Soviet Union.
	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.

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 Battle of Sokolovo Battle of the Dukla Pass
		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.

Greece

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Alexander Papagos		Field Marshal	the Commander's Cross of the Cross of Valour	Deported to Dachau Concentration Camp, led Greek army in Greek Civil War, later Field Marshal and Prime Minister of Greece.		Balkan Campaign (World War II) Greco-Italian War Capture of Klisura Pass Italian Spring Offensive Battle of Greece
		Commander-in-Chief of the Greek Army in 1940-41.
	Aris Velouchiotis		Corporal (actual rank) Major of Artillery (assumed rank)		Committed suicide after the Second World War.		Greek Resistance Operation Harling
		Founder and chief leader of the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS).
	Stefanos Sarafis		Major General		Later MP for the United Democratic Left, died in a car accident in 1957.		Greek Resistance
		Chief military officer of the Greek People's Liberation Army after April 1943.
	Napoleon Zervas		Lieutenant Colonel		Twice minister, died in 1957.		Greek Resistance Operation Harling
		Commander of the National Republican Greek League resistance army.
Navy	Alexandros Sakellariou		Vice Admiral	the Commander's Cross of the Cross of Valour	MP, Navy and National Defense Minister after the war. Died in 1982.		Battle of the Mediterranean
		Chief of staff of the Royal Hellenic Navy 1940-41, Minister for National Defence, 1951–52

Netherlands

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Henri Winkelman		General	Military William Order	Died in 1952.		Battle of the Netherlands Battle of Maastricht Battle for The Hague Battle of Zeeland Battle of Belgium Battle of France
		Was Commander-in-Chief of the Netherlands army during the Battle of the Netherlands.
	Hein ter Poorten		Lieutenant General		He spent the rest of the war in various prisoner of war camps, and in 1945 returned to the Netherlands. Died in 1968.		Netherlands East Indies campaign Battle of Java island
		Commander of the ABDA land forces in early 1942.
Navy	Conrad Helfrich		Vice Admiral	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Died in 1962.		Netherlands East Indies campaign Battle of the Java Sea
		Commander of the ABDA Naval forces in 1942.
	Karel Doorman		Rear admiral	Knight of the Military William Order	Died in Battle of the Java Sea.		Netherlands East Indies campaign Battle of Makassar Strait Battle of Badung Strait Battle of the Java Sea
		Commander of the combined American, British, Dutch and Australian (ABDA) fleet in the Dutch East Indies.

Yugoslavia

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Draža Mihailović		General of the Army	Legion of Merit	Executed by Communists in 1946.		World War II in Yugoslavia Chetniks
		Led the Chetniks.
	Josip Broz Tito		Marshal	Order of the National Hero	Became President of Yugoslavia		World War II in Yugoslavia Yugoslav Partisans
		Led the People's Liberation Army.

Canada

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Harry Crerar		General	Order of the Companions of Honour	Became a diplomat, postings in Czechoslovakia, Netherlands and Japan.		Operation Tractable Falaise pocket Operation Astonia Siege of Dunkirk (1944–45) Battle of the Scheldt Operation Veritable
		De facto commander-in-chief of the Canadian military.
	Guy Simonds		Lieutenant General	Companion of the Order of Canada	In 1951 he was appointed Chief of the General Staff		Operation Atlantic Battle of Verrières Ridge Operation Spring Operation Totalize Operation Tractable Battle of the Scheldt Operation Infatuate
		Devised the Kangaroo armoured personnel carrier.
	Andrew McNaughton		Lieutenant General	Order of the Companions of Honour	First President of the United Nations Security Council		Minister of National Defense
		A noteworthy scientist and inventor of a direction finding device for artillery, a precursor to Radar. Fought in Vimy Ridge during World War I and was a Lieutenant Colonel. Commander of the Canadian troops until 1943. Was defeated in the Dieppe Raid. Opposed the breaking up of the Canadian Army, and insisted it fight as a single unit. Grandfather of Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie of Canada.

India

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Subhas Chandra Bose		Supreme Commander of the Indian National Army	Sher-e-Hind	Died under mysterious circumstances.		South-East Asian theatre of World War II Burma Campaign Battle of Imphal
		Led the Indian National Army.
	Mohan Singh Deb		Captain	Vir-e-Hind	Became a member of the Rajya Sabha.		Burma Campaign
		Commander-in-chief of the 1st Indian National Army.
	Shah Nawaz Khan		Major General	Vir-e-Hind	Became a member of the Lok Sabha.		Operation C Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations
		Chief of the General Staff of The 2nd Indian National Army.
	Lakshmi Sahgal		Captain	Padma Vibhushan	Became a prominent leftist politician.		Battle of Imphal

South Africa

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Jan Smuts		Field Marshal	Légion d'honneur Croix de Commandeur	Helped drafting of the United Nations Charter, died 11 September 1950		Imperial War Cabinet
		Smuts signed the Paris Peace Treaty, resolving the peace in Europe, thus becoming the only signatory of both the treaty ending the First World War, and that ending the Second.

Axis Forces

Germany

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Wilhelm Keitel		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Executed in 1946.		Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
		Chief of the OKW during World War II.Was convicted of war crimes in the Nurembeg Trials and executed by the Allies.
	Alfred Jodl		Colonel General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Executed in 1946.		Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
		Chief of the Operations Staff of the OKW.
	Heinrich Himmler		Reichsführer-SS	Blood Order, Golden Nazi Party	Chief of the SS during World War II. Suicide, 1945.		Operation Konserve Operation Nordwind Colmar Pocket Western Allied invasion of Germany
		Military commander and a leading member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) of Nazi Germany. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler later appointed him Commander of the Replacement (Home) Army and General Plenipotentiary for the administration of the entire Third Reich. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and one of the persons most directly responsible for the Holocaust.
	Walther von Brauchitsch		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Died in 1948.		Oberkommando des Heeres Operation Barbarossa
		Commander-in-Chief of the German Army 1938-1941.
	Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords	Died in 1954 in a Soviet prison. Most senior German officer to die in a Soviet prison.		Invasion of Yugoslavia Battle of Sedan (1940) Battle of Dunkirk Battle of Rostov (1941) Battle of Brody (1941) Case Blue
		An aristocrat and senior commander in World War I. Commander of tank armies in the German Army in World War II. Fought in most of the actions involving blitzkrieg techniques.
	Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Died in 1948.		German occupation of Czechoslovakia Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad
		Exemplary service in World War I. Given the command of Army Group North in Operation Barbarossa. Was in charge of the unsuccessful siege of Leningrad, which lasted nearly 1000 days.
	Gerd von Rundstedt		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and Swords	Died in 1953.		Invasion of Poland Battle of Belgium Battle of France Battle of Sedan (1940) Battle of Dunkirk Dunkirk evacuation Operation Barbarossa Battle of Uman Dieppe Raid Battle of Kiev (1941) Battle of Rostov (1941) Battle of Normandy Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge Western Allied invasion of Germany Pointe du Hoc
		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.
	Günther von Kluge		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords	Committed suicide in 1944.		Operation Mars Battle of Kursk Battle of Smolensk (1943) Operation Atlantic Operation Goodwood Battle of Verrières Ridge Operation Cobra Operation Lüttich Falaise Gap
		Commander of many successful operations including the invasion of Poland, France and the Soviet Union. Involved in the failed Hitler assassination, he decided to commit suicide.
	Georg von Küchler		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves	Arrested in 1948 and sent to the Soviet Union by the Americans. Released in 1953.		Battle of France Battle of the Netherlands Battle of the Lys (1940) Siege of Leningrad Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive
		Relieved von Leeb as commander of the siege of Leningard. After this failed, withdrew Army Group North, which saved them.
	Fedor von Bock		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Was killed by a British fighter pilot in 1945 and became the only one of two of Adolf Hitler's field marshal's to die from enemy fire.		Invasion of Poland Battle of the Netherlands Battle of Belgium Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok-Minsk Yelnya Offensive Battle of Smolensk (1941) Battle of Moscow Second Battle of Kharkov Case Blue
		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.Was one of the Senior Wehrmacht Commander before the outbreak of war. Play a decisive role in the defeat of Poland and France. Bock was German Army Group Center commander during Operation Barbarossa, after the defeat at Moscow was relieved of command by Hitler. After Reichenau death, he was appointed to take over Army Group South. He was instructmental in defeating Marshal Timoshenko forces at Kharkov. However, Hitler was displeased with Bock and dismissed him. Played no further part in the war
	Erich von Manstein		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and Swords	Imprisoned after war, later released and served as senior advisor to the Bundeswehr.		Battle of France Battle of Sevastopol Siege of Odessa (1941) Case Blue Battle of Stalingrad Operation Winter Storm Third Battle of Kharkov Battle of Kursk Battle of the Dnieper Battle of Kiev (1943) Kamenets-Podolsky pocket
		The master of mobile battle, authored the original Sichelschnitt plan, a plan which enabled Germany to capture France with minimal casualties. Manstein was one of the ablest general Hitler had. Manstein captured Sevastapol and was responsible for shoring up the Southern Front after the defeat at Stalingrad. He later recaptured Kharkov and gave the Soviets a beating. After the defeat at Kursk, he skillfully handled his army group retreat. However, he was dismissed by Hitler after frequently clashing with him in 1944. He then played no further part in the war from then on.
	Erwin Rommel		Field Marshal	Pour le Mérite, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds	Committed suicide after being implicated in the Valkyrie plot. Official cause of death by the State was succumbing to wounds from an Allied air attack.		Battle of France Battle of Arras (1940) Siege of Lille (1940) North African Campaign Western Desert Campaign Operation Sonnenblume Siege of Tobruk Operation Brevity Operation Battleaxe Operation Crusader Battle of Gazala Battle of Bir Hakeim First Battle of El Alamein Battle of Alam Halfa Second Battle of El Alamein Battle of El Agheila Tunisia Campaign Battle of the Kasserine Pass Battle of Medenine Battle of Normandy Battle for Caen
		A legend in his own time, The Desert Fox headed the German campaign of North Africa. Rommel was highly decorated in World War I with the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest award. During World War II, he made an immediate impact in the Saharan desert, conquering all of West Africa and threatening to reach Suez. A number of factors such as stretching supply lines and the reinforcement of Allied military power (both in Morocco 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. Rommel failed to stop the allied invasion of Normandy. Though typically linked to the assassination of Hitler, Rommel probably did not take part in the July 20 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.
	Walter Model		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds	Committed suicide in 1945.		Battle of Moscow Battles of Rzhev Operation Mars Battle of Kursk Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive Operation Tractable Battle of Chambois Hill 262 Falaise pocket Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine Operation Market Garden Operation Bagration Battle of Hürtgen Forest Operation Queen Battle of the Bulge Western Allied invasion of Germany
		German Army officer whose expertise in defensive warfare earned him the nickname of the 'Führer's fireman'
	Heinz Guderian		Colonel General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves	Died in 1954.		Oberkommando des Heeres Battle of Wizna Battle of Kobryń Invasion of Luxembourg Battle of France Battle of Sedan (1940) Battle of Montcornet Battle of Boulogne (1940) Battle of Smolensk (1941) Operation Wotan Battle of Moscow
		Main creator of Blitzkrieg tactics. Chief of OKH General Staff 1944-1945.
	Friedrich Paulus		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves	Soviet captivity until 1953. Became a vocal critic of the Nazi regime.		Second Battle of Kharkov Battle of Stalingrad Operation Uranus
		Commander of the disastrous campaign in the Battle of Stalingrad.
	Josef Dietrich		SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds	Sentenced to life, reduced to 25 years imprisonment in 1946. Promoted welfare of ex-servicemen on release.		Battle of Vevi (1941) Battle of Kleisoura Pass Operation Perch Operation Epsom Operation Charnwood Operation Goodwood Battle of Verrières Ridge Operation Spring Battle for Caen Battle of the Bulge Operation Spring Awakening
		Before World War II, Dietrich was very close to Hitler, and played a part in the Night of the Long Knives. Later in World War II he became the commander of 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, General of the Waffen-SS and member of the Prussian state council. Dietrich came into prominence for his role in the Battle of the Bulge in late 1944. He later commanded the defense of Vienna. He was a widely respected person in Germany both during and after the war.
Air force	Hermann Göring		Reichsmarschall	Grand Cross of the Iron Cross	Committed suicide after being sentenced to death for war crimes.		Oberkommando der Luftwaffe Rotterdam Blitz Battle of France Battle of Britain Battle of the Atlantic Battle of Berlin
		Was a high scoring air ace and took over the Red Baron's famous squadron, and won the prestigious Pour le Mérite in World War I. Hitler's second in charge. Commander-in-Chief of Luftwaffe 1935-1945. During World War II, he did not live up to his prior high standards. He was involved with the running of Germany and the war, and the central decision making, including implementation of the Holocaust.
	Albert Kesselring		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds	Died in 1960 at the age of 75.		Oberkommando der Luftwaffe Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Britain Battle of Moscow Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II North African Campaign Tunisia Campaign Siege of Malta (World War II) Italian Campaign (World War II) Western Allied invasion of Germany
		Was commander-in-chief of Luftwaffe South (1941–1943), then South-west (1943–1945), then West Europe (1945). Was a very competent commander as chief of the defense of Italy against the allies, when he caused plenty of problems, even though heavily outnumbered, including at the prolonged battles of Anzio and Monte Cassino. Was a leader in the defense of Germany at the end of the war. Kesselring was widely admired and acknowledged on both sides as a "fair fighter" and was responsible for protecting priceless artworks and even the City of Rome from destruction.
	Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves	Died in 1945.		Battle of France Battle of Montcornet Case Blue Battle of Greece Battle of Stalingrad
	Robert Ritter von Greim		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds	Committed suicide in 1945.		Western Front (World War II) Eastern Front (World War II)
		An ace of World War I and winner of the prestigious Pour Le Merite award. Before World War II, went to China to help build their air force. A commander of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Poland. He was loyal to Hitler to the end, flying in on 26 April 1945 with Hanna Reitsch. He and Hanna Reitsch said "It was the blackest day when we could not die at our Führer's side.".
	Kurt Student		General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves	Held as a Prisoner of War by the British and freed in 1948.		Battle of Rotterdam Balkan Campaign (World War II) Battle of Crete Operation Market Garden Battle of Overloon
		An ace of World War I. Before World War II, trained troops in airborne operations. Commanded the successful airborne operations in the Battle of Crete. Commanded the highly successful operation to free Benito Mussolini. Successful again in the defense against airborne landings near Arnhem.
Navy	Erich Raeder		Grand Admiral	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Died in 1960.		Oberkommando der Marine German occupation of Norway Battle of the Atlantic Operation Sea Lion
		Commander-in-Chief of Kriegsmarine 1936-1943.
	Karl Dönitz		Grand Admiral	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves	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.

Italy

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army
	Pietro Badoglio		Marshal of Italy	Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation	Succeeded Mussolini and arranged an Armistice of his country with the Allies. Died in 1956 of natural causes (Cardiac asthma).		Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II Adriatic Campaign of World War II
		Was not in favour of Italy's alliance to Germany, and resigned after the Battle of Greece.
	Rodolfo Graziani		Marshal of Italy	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus	Graziani was sentenced to 19 years in jail but only 4 months were served. Died in 1955.		North African Campaign Italian Campaign
		Viceroy of Italian East Africa, Governor-General of Italian Libya, Minister of Defense of RSI.
	Ugo Cavallero		Marshal of Italy	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Committed suicide in 1943 after alienating both Germany and non-fascist Italy.		Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II Adriatic Campaign of World War II North African Campaign Balkan Campaign (World War II) Greco-Italian War Capture of Klisura Pass Battle of Greece
		Chief of the Italian Supreme Command 1940-1943.
	Giovanni Messe		Marshal of Italy	Grand Officer of the Military Order of Savoy	Became a member of the Italian Senate. Died in 1968.		North African Campaign Tunisia Campaign Operation Pugilist Battle of El Guettar Battle of Wadi Akarit Operation Vulcan Balkan Campaign (World War II)
		Commander of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia
	Ettore Bastico		Marshal of Italy	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic	Marshal of Italy and high rank officer during North Africa Campaign. Died in 1972.		North African Campaign
		Governor of the Italian Aegean Islands and Libya.
	Mario Roatta		Chief of Staff of the Italian Army	Silver Medal of Military Valor (3)	Removed from service by Badoglio in 1943 under Allies' request. He later fled to Spain living under protection of Francisco Franco. In Italy he was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment but his sentence was overturned in 1948. Died in 1968.		World War II in Yugoslavia Invasion of Yugoslavia Case White
		General of the Italian Second Army known for his cruelty against civilians in the Italian-occupied Yugoslavia and for the deportation of many Slavs to the Rab concentration camp.
	Alfredo Guzzoni		General	Commander of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus	Died in 1965.		Italian invasion of France Allied invasion of Sicily
		Commander-in-Chief of Army Group Liguria.
Navy	Arturo Riccardi		Admiral	Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus	Removed from office by Badoglio. Died in 1966.		Battle of the Mediterranean
		Served as Chief of staff of the Italian Navy.
	Angelo Iachino		Admiral	Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy	Died in 1976.		Battle of the Mediterranean Battle of Cape Spartivento Battle of Cape Matapan First Battle of Sirte Second Battle of Sirte Operation Vigorous
		Commander of the Italian Naval Academy
	Junio Valerio Borghese		Frigate captain	Knight of the Military Order of Savoy	Died under mysterious circumstances in 1974. His death could be compatible with arsenic poisoning.		Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II Raid on Alexandria
		Known for his neofascist activism in post-war Italy and for the Golpe Borghese.
Air Force	Italo Balbo		Marshal of the Air Force	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus	Killed by friendly fire over Tobruk.		North African Campaign
		Governor-General of Libya, Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa.

Japan

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Hideki Tojo		General	Order of the Rising Sun	Executed in 1948.		Supreme War Council Second Sino-Japanese War Pacific War
		Prime minister of Japan 1941-1944 was also a military commander. Chief of the Army General Staff in 1944.
	Hajime Sugiyama		Field Marshal	Order of the Rising Sun	Committed suicide shortly after the end of the war.		Supreme War Council Second Sino-Japanese War Pacific War
		Chief of the Army General Staff 1940-1944.
	Prince Kotohito Kan'in		Field Marshal	Order of the Chrysanthemum	Died in 1945		Supreme War Council Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Wuhan Pacific War
		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.		South West Pacific theatre of World War II Kokoda Track campaign South-East Asian theatre of World War II Battle of Mount Song
		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	Order of the Rising Sun	Sentenced to imprisonment.		Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Taierzhuang Battle of Wuhan Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi
	Tomoyuki Yamashita		General	Order of the Rising Sun	Executed at 1946.		South-East Asian theatre of World War II Japanese invasion of Thailand Malayan Campaign Battle of Kampar Battle of Singapore Invasion of Sumatra Battle of Leyte Battle of Ormoc Bay Invasion of Lingayen Gulf Battle of Luzon Battle of Bessang Pass Raid at Cabanatuan Battle of Maguindanao
		Forced the surrender of the allies in the Battle of Singapore. Defender of the Philippines against MacArthur. an American military tribunal in Manila tried General Yamashita for war crimes relating to the Manila Massacre and many atrocities in the Philippines and Singapore against civilians and prisoners of war, such as the Sook Ching massacre, and sentenced him to death. This controversial case has become a precedent regarding the command responsibility for war crimes and is known as the Yamashita Standard.
	Iwane Matsui		General	Order of the Rising Sun	Retired 1938, executed in 1948.		Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Shanghai Battle of Nanjing
		Arrested by the American occupation authorities after the surrender of Japan, Matsui was charged with war crimes in connection with the actions of the Japanese army in China also known as The Nanking Massacre. In 1948, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) found him guilty of class B and C war crimes, and he was hanged that December at Sugamo Prison, alongside six others, including Hideki Tojo. He was 70 at the time of his death.
Navy	Osami Nagano		Fleet Admiral	Order of the Rising Sun	Died of a heart attack in 1947.		Supreme War Council Pacific War
		Chief of the Navy General Staff, 1941-1944.
	Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu		Fleet Admiral	Order of the Chrysanthemum	Died in 1946.		Supreme War Council Pacific War
		Chief of staff of the Navy, 1932-1941.
	Isoroku Yamamoto		Fleet Admiral	Order of the Chrysanthemum	The plane carrying him was shot down in 1943.		Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II Attack on Pearl Harbor Battle of Midway Solomon Islands campaign Invasion of Tulagi (May 1942) Guadalcanal Campaign Battle of Savo Island Battle of the Eastern Solomons Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands Naval Battle of Guadalcanal Battle of Rennell Island Operation Ke Operation I-Go
		Commander of the Dec. 7, 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1939-1943. Isoroku Yamamoto, was killed on Bougainville Island when his transport bomber aircraft was shot down by United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft operating from Kukum Field on Guadalcanal.
	Mineichi Koga		Fleet Admiral	Order of the Rising Sun	Killed in plane crash 1944.		Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II Battle of Hong Kong Bombing of Rabaul (November 1943)
		Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1943-1944.
	Soemu Toyoda		Admiral	Order of the Rising Sun	Died in 1957 at the age of 73.		Supreme War Council Pacific War
		Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1944-1945, Chief of staff of the Navy 1945.
	Chūichi Nagumo		Admiral	Order of the Rising Sun	Committed suicide 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 Battle of Saipan
		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.
	Jisaburō Ozawa		Vice Admiral	Order of the Sacred Treasure	Died in 1966.		Invasion of Sumatra (1942) Battle of Palembang Battle of the Philippine Sea Battle of Leyte Gulf
		Replaced Toyoda in 1945 to become commander-in-chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet

Hungary

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Gusztáv Jány		Colonel General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Sentenced to death in 1947.		Battle of Voronezh Battle of Stalingrad Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh Offensive Operation Little Saturn
		Commanders of the Hungarian Second Army at Battle of Stalingrad.
	Dezső László		Colonel General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Sentenced to death in 1949.		Battle of the Dukla Pass Battle of Budapest
		Commanders of the Hungarian First Army at Battle of Budapest
	Géza Lakatos		Colonel General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Died in 1967, Australia at the age of 77.		militarily organized corps
		Was a Colonel General in the Hungarian Army during World War II who served briefly as Prime Minister of Hungary, under governor Miklós Horthy from 29 August 1944, until 15 October 1944.

Thailand

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Plaek Phibunsongkhram		Field Marshal	Order of the Nine Gems	Later ousted after the defeat of the Japanese, only to return to power in 1948 and become Prime Minister until 1957.		South-East Asian theatre of World War II French-Thai War Japanese invasion of Thailand Malayan Campaign Burma Campaign
		Prime Minister and dictator of Thailand during the war, eventually commanding Thai forces during the French-Thai War.
	Jarun Rattanakun Seriroengrit		Lieutenant general	Order of the Crown of Thailand	Commander of an infantry battalion and took part in the invasion and occupation of the Shan States in Burma.		Japanese conquest of Burma
		Commander of Phayap Army during the Pacific War.

Finland

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim		Marshal of Finland	Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty	Succeeded Risto Ryti as President of Finland		Winter War Battle of Summa Continuation War Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive Eastern Front (World War II) Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad
		Was Commander-in-Chief of Finnish army during World War II. Organised the Mannerheim Line in the Karelian Peninsula.
	Karl Lennart Oesch		Lieutenant General	Mannerheim Cross	Died in 1978		Finnish reconquest of the Karelian Isthmus (1941) Eastern Front (World War II) Fourth strategic offensive Battle of Tienhaara Battle of Tali-Ihantala
		Was one of the most important Finnish generals. II Corps and III Corps of the Finnish ground forces were under his command at the end of the Continuation War.

Romania

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Ion Antonescu		Marshal of Romania	Order of Michael the Brave	Executed in 1946.		Eastern Front (World War II) Operation München second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive
		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 Bucovina, 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.
	Petre Dumitrescu		General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves	Died in 1950 after a bout with cancer.		Eastern Front (World War II) Operation München Battle of Stalingrad Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive

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 Eastern Front (World War II) Slovak National Uprising
		Slovakian Minister of Defence and Chief General Staff.

Burma

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

Switzerland

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Henri Guisan		General	Special war time four star General of Swiss Armed Forces	Retired in Switzerland feeling his mission was fulfilled, 1945		Operation Tannenbaum
		General Guisan developed his famous Swiss National Redoubt concept in summer 1940, He made it very clear that Switzerland would resist any Nazi invasion. If they ran out of bullets they were to resort to the bayonet. He said that Switzerland would defend itself against any invader and would never surrender. Indeed, Swiss citizens had been instructed to regard any surrender broadcast as enemy lies and resist to the end.

Ukraine

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

See also

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

References

FOR MORE INFO VISIT: https://sites.google.com/site/generalidrugesvetovnevojne/