Commanders of World War II

The Commanders of World War II were for the most part career officers. They were forced to adapt to new technologies and forged the direction of modern warfare. Some political leaders, particularly those of the principal dictatorships involved in the conflict, Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito Mussolini (Italy), and Hirohito (Japan), acted as dictators for their respective countries or empires.

Military commanders

Allied Forces

United Kingdom

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Alan Brooke		Field Marshal	Knight of the Garter.	Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces Chief of the Imperial General Staff	Served as CIGS.	Chief of the Imperial General Staff Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal Operation Aerial
		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.	General Officer Commanding, 3rd Infantry Division General Officer Commanding, II Corps General Officer Commanding, V Corps General Officer Commanding, XII Corps General Officer Commanding-in-Chief South-Eastern Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eighth Army Supreme Commander, Allied Ground Forces (Normandy) General Officer Commanding-in-Chief 21st Army Group General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, British Army of the Rhine and Military Governor of British Occupation Zone in Germany	Served as CIGS, and later Commander-in-Chief of the Western Union and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe in 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, 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	General Officer Commanding, 1st Infantry Division General Officer Commanding, I Corps General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command General Officer Commanding, XII Corps General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South-Eastern Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Middle East Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, 18th Army Group General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, 15th Army Group Supreme Commander Allied Forces Headquarters	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	General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Middle East Command Commander-in-Chief, India Supreme Commander, American-British-Dutch-Australian Command Governor-General of India	Viceroy of India, returned to England in 1947 and became High Steward of Colchester and a Lord Temporal	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.	General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Force Governor of Gibraltar Governor of Malta High Commissioner for Palestine and Trans-Jordan	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 but 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	General Officer Commanding, IV Corps Commander-in-Chief, Northern Norway Governor of Malta General Officer Commanding, V Corps General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Middle East Command Commander-in-Chief, India	Commander-in-Chief, India during the Partition of 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 the British Indian Army against the Burma invasion.
Air Force	Charles Portal		Marshal of the Royal Air Force	Knight of the Garter	Air Member for Personnel Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RAF Bomber Command Chief of the Air Staff	Chairman of atomic energy division of Ministry of Supply, British Aluminium, and 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, and helped create Pathfinder forces.
	Arthur Harris		Air Chief Marshal	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath	Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RAF Bomber Command	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, issued the area bombing directive
	Hugh Dowding		Air Chief Marshal	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath	Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RAF Fighter Command	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 a Royal Flying Corps squadron. Commander of the Battle of Britain. Credited with saving Britain from defeat by devising the Dowding system
Navy	Andrew Cunningham		Admiral of the Fleet	Knight of the Thistle	Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff	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	Commanded HMS Kelly and HMS Illustrious Commander-in-Chief, Combined Operations Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command	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 generals as William Slim and Joseph Stilwell.
	Sir Alfred Pound		Admiral of the Fleet	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath	First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff	Died of illness, October 1943.	Battle of the Atlantic
		First Sea Lord 1939–1943.
	James Somerville		Admiral of the Fleet	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath	Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station Commander-in-Chief, Battlecruiser Squadron Supreme Allied Commander, Force H Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Fleet	Became Lord Lieutenant of Somerset in August 1946.	Attack on Mers-el-Kébir Battle of Cape Spartivento Indian Ocean raid

France

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Charles de Gaulle		Général de Brigade	Grand Master Legion of Honor	Commander, 4th Armored Division Leader of the Free French Forces Chairman of the Provisional Government of the French Republic	Took control of France as President and was instrumental in creating the Provisional Government of the French Republic and later 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	Commander, First Army Commander-in-Chief, Ground Forces in Western Europe	Later commanded the French Far East Expeditionary Corps 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	Commander, 15th Motorized Infantry Division Commander, French Expeditionary Corps Chief of the Defence Staff	Became Resident General in Morocco and member of the Académie Française, Allied Joint Force Commander Brunssum in NATO	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	Chief of Staff of the French Army	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		Général d'armée	Grand Cross Legion of Honor	Chief of Staff of the French Army Minister of National Defence	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	Chief of Staff of the French Navy High Commissioner for France in North and West Africa	Assassinated by Fernand 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	Command	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	George Marshall		General of the Army	Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star	Chief of Staff of the United States Army	As United States Secretary of State his name was given to the Marshall Plan, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. Also served as Secretary of Defense during the Korean War.	Chief of Staff of the United States Army
		Was the aide to General John J. Pershing after 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, Lesley J. 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	Army Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Distinguished Service Medal.	Commanding General, European Theater of Operations Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force Military Governor of the U.S. Occupation Zone in Germany	After liberating Europe, served as Army Chief of Staff, president of Columbia University, and Supreme Commander of NATO 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
		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	United States Military Advisor to the Philippines Commanding General, United States Army Forces in the Far East Supreme Allied Commander, South West Pacific Area Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers	Tasked with rebuilding Japan after the war. Later commanded the United Nations Command in the Korean War, and was controversially dismissed by President Harry S. Truman for considering the use of nuclear weapons against China and North Korea. Considered possible Republican Party candidate in 1952 United States presidential election, and chaired Remington Rand	South West Pacific theatre of World War II Philippines campaign (1941–1942) 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 while 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).	Commanding General, 82nd Airborne Division Commanding General, II Corps Commanding General, First Army Commanding General, Twelfth Army Group	Promoted to General of the Army during the Korean War (after serving in the rank of General during World War II). 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).	Commanding General, II Corps Commanding General, Fifth Army Commanding General, Seventh Army Commanding General, 15th Army Group	Commanded the United Nations Command at the end of the Korean War. Served as President of the Citadel from 1954 to 1965.	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	Commanding General, Desert Training Center Commanding General, II Corps Commanding General, Seventh Army Commanding General, First Army Group Commanding General, Third Army Acting Military Governor of U.S. Occupation Zone in Germany Commanding General, Fifteenth Army	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 many 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	Commander-in-Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet Chief of Naval Operations	Retired on 15 December 1945.	Battle of the Atlantic
		United States Chief of Naval Operations.
	William D. Leahy	Photograph of Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, who served as the senior officer of the United States Armed Forces during World War II.	Fleet Admiral	Navy Cross	Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief	Retired on 2 March 1949.	Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief
		As the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, Leahy was the most senior United States military officer on active duty during the war. Serving as the de facto first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he oversaw all of the American armed forces. He also presided over the American delegation to the Combined Chiefs of Staff. He was a major decision-maker during the war and was second only to the President in authority and influence. Was the first-ever five-star officer in the United States Armed Forces.
	Chester W. Nimitz		Fleet Admiral	Legion of Honour, Distinguished Service Medal	Commander-in-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet Commander, Pacific Ocean Areas Chief of Naval Operations	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	Commander, Carrier Division 2 Commander, South Pacific Area Commander-in-Chief, United States Third Fleet	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	Commander, Task Force 14 Commander, Task Force 17 Commander, Task Force 61 Commander, Northwestern Sea Frontier	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. Later, he was placed in charge of the Northern Pacific area.
	Raymond A. Spruance		Admiral	Navy Cross	Commander, Task Force 16 Deputy Commander-in-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet Commander, Central Pacific Force Commander-in-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas	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 significant battles during 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 the United States Army Air Forces Deputy Chief of Staff for Air		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)	Commander, Eighth Air Force Commander of Air Operations, Mediterranean Theater of Operations Deputy Commander of the United States Army Air Forces	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	Commander, Air Combat Command Commander of Air Operations, European Theater Commander, U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe Commander, U.S. Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific	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	Theatres / Battles
Army	Georgy Zhukov		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Twice an Order of Victory, four times Hero of the Soviet Union	Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army Commander, Reserve Front Commander, Leningrad Front Commander, Southwestern Front Military Governor of Soviet Occupation Zone in Germany	Became Soviet member of the Allied Control Council for Germany, influential in removal of Lavrentiy Beria and selection of Nikita Khrushchev as First Secretary after the death of Joseph Stalin, Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union 1955–57, member of the 20th Presidium of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union 1956-1957	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.	Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army Deputy People's Commissar for Defense of the Soviet Union Commander-in-Chief, Soviet Forces in the Far East	Chief of Staff of the Soviet Army, 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
		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.	Commander, 9th Mechanized Corps Commander, 4th Army Commander, 16th Army Commander, Bryansk Front Commander, Don Front Commander, Central Front and 1st Belorussian Front Commander, 2nd Belorussian Front Commander, Northern Group of Forces	Commanded the Northern Group of Forces during the Soviet occupation of Poland and the beginning of the Cold War. Appointed Minister of National Defense of the Communist Polish People's Republic.	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	Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army Deputy People's Commissar for Defense	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 Rostov Battle of Moscow Second Battle of Kharkov Battle of Kursk Operation Bagration Baltic Offensive Courland Pocket 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	Commander, Voronezh Front Commander, Southwestern Front Commander, 1st Ukrainian Front	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. Played a decisive role at Kursk, outmanoeuvered German commander Manstein and later routed German forces in Korsun salient.
	Ivan Konev		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Order of Victory, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union	Commander, 19th Army Commander, Kalinin Front Commander, Western Front Commander, Northwestern Front Commander, 2nd Ukrainian Front Commander, 1st Ukrainian Front Commander, Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in East Germany	Appointed head of the Soviet forces in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany. Served as Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Armed Forces and Supreme Commander of the Unified Armed Forces of the Warsaw Treaty Organization during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the Berlin Crisis of 1961, and the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia	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
		Played 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 Marshal Georgy Zhukov.
	Semyon Timoshenko		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Order of Victory, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.	Commander, Kiev Military District Commander, Ukrainian Front Commander, Leningrad Military District People's Commissar of Defense of the Soviet Union Commander, Western Front Commander, Southwestern Front Commander, Northwestern Front	Commanded the Belorussian Military District (Soviet Armed Forces in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic)	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 defeat Kharkov, Timoshenko was removed by Stalin from front-line command but given overall command in different fronts of the USSR.
Soviet Navy	Ivan Isakov		Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union	Hero of the Soviet Union	Chief-of-Staff of the Soviet Navy	Chief of Staff of the Soviet Navy, Deputy People's Commissar of the Navy	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	People's Commissar of the Navy during The Second World War	Eastern Front Yalta conference
	Ivan Yumashev		Admiral	Hero of the Soviet Union	Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet	Commander of Soviet Pacific Fleet	Pacific War Soviet–Japanese War
Soviet Aviation	Sergei Khudyakov		Marshal of Aviation of the Soviet Union	Order of Lenin	Chief of Staff of the Soviet Air Force	Chief of Staff of the Soviet Air Force, deputy commander of the Air Force	Eastern Front Battle of Moscow Battles of Rzhev Battle of Kursk Yalta conference Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation Soviet–Japanese War
	Alexander Novikov		Chief Marshal of Aviation of the Soviet Union	Two times Hero of the Soviet Union	Chief of Staff of the Soviet Air Force	Commander 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
	Alexander Golovanov		Chief Marshal of Aviation of the Soviet Union		Commander, 18th Air Army Commander, Long Range Aviation	Commander of the Long Range Aviation	Eastern Front

Army: Filipp Golikov

Australia

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank held during World War II	Highest Award	Command	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Vernon Sturdee		Lieutenant General	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire	Chief of the General Staff General Officer Commanding, First Army	Sturdee served as the Chief of General Staff and commanded the First Australian Army (1939-1945). On 6 September 1945 he was the senior Allied officer present at the surrender of Japanese Forces in Rabaul in the South West Pacific theatre. On 1 December 1945 Sturdee was appointed Commander in Chief of the Australian Military Forces, overseeing the demobilisation of the wartime army. He was mentioned in despatches for a third time on 6 March 1947.	Chief of General Staff and then Commander in Chief
	Brudenell White		General	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath	Chief of the General Staff	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	General Officer Commanding, Second Australian Imperial Force General Officer Commanding, I Corps Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Military Forces Commander of Allied Land Forces, South West Pacific Area	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	General Officer Commanding, 6th Division General Officer Commanding, 7th Military District General Officer Commanding, Northern Territory Force General Officer Commanding, II Corps General Officer Commanding, New Guinea Force General Officer Commanding, I Corps	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	General Officer Commanding, 18th Infantry Brigade General Officer Commanding, 9th Division General Officer Commanding, II Corps General Officer Commanding, New Guinea Force General Officer Commanding, Second Army General Officer Commanding, I Corps	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 Australian 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, he became the commander of operations against the Japanese in New Guinea.
Air Force	Charles Burnett		Air Chief Marshal	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath	Inspector-General of the Royal Air Force Chief of Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force	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	Deputy Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Middle East Air Member for Training	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	Commander, ANZAC Squadron Commander, Task Force 44	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.

Canada

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award		Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Harry Crerar		General	Order of the Companions of Honour	General Officer Commanding, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division General Officer Commanding, I Canadian Corps General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, First Canadian Army Chief of Staff of the Canadian Army	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.
	Rod Keller		Major General	Commander of the Order of the British Empire
	Guy Simonds		Lieutenant General	Companion of the Order of Canada	General Officer Commanding, 1st Canadian Infantry Division General Officer Commanding, II Canadian Corps General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, First Canadian Army	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	General Officer Commanding, 1st Canadian Infantry Division General Officer Commanding, VII Corps General Officer Commanding, Canadian Corps General Officer Commanding, I Canadian Corps General Officer Commanding, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division Minister of National Defence of Canada	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.
Air Force	George Croil		Air Marshal	Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire	Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Canadian Air Force Inspector-General of the Royal Canadian Air Force	Died in 1959 in Vancouver, British Columbia.	Defence of Canada Overseas operations
		Croil succeeded in obtaining the RCAF's independence from the Army just before the war. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1938 to 1940 and Inspector-General of the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1940 to 1944.
	Lloyd Samuel Breadner		Air Chief Marshal	Companion of the Order of the Bath	Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Canadian Air Force Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RCAF Overseas	Retired after the war. Died in 1952 in Boston, Massachusetts.	Defence of Canada Overseas operations
		A decorated Royal Naval Air Service pilot in World War I, Breadner served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1940 to 1943 and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RCAF Overseas from 1944 to 1945. He was one of only two Canadian air chief marshals, the other being Frank Robert Miller.

South Africa

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank held during World War II	Highest Award	Command	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Evered Poole		Major-General	Companion of the Order of the Bath	General Service Officer Grade 1, 1st Infantry Division General Service Officer Grade 1, 2nd Infantry Division General Officer Commanding, 2nd Infantry Brigade General Officer Commanding, 6th Armoured Division General Officer Commanding, South African Forces in Allied Central Mediterranean Force	Passed over as Chief of Staff in 1948 by the newly elected National Party. Posted as head of the South African military mission in Berlin, before embarking on a successful diplomatic career. In 1960, he became ambassador to Greece.	Western Desert Campaign Italian Campaign
		Commanded the 6th Armoured Division upon its formation in February 1943, and led the division throughout the Italian campaign until 1945. He was among the very few South Africans to be invested as a Commander of the United States Legion of Merit, and was invested as a Commander of the French Legion of Honour. He also received the French Croix de Guerre.
	Dan Pienaar		Major-General	Companion of the Order of the Bath	General Officer Commanding, 1st Infantry Brigade General Officer Commanding, 1st Infantry Division General Officer Commanding, 5th Infantry Brigade General Officer Commanding, 2nd Infantry Division	Killed in an air crash near Lake Victoria, Kenya on his way back to South Africa in December 1942. Pienaar was arguably one of South Africa's most charismatic and popular military commanders. An infantry regiment, the exhibition hall at the South African National Museum of Military History and a suburb of his home town, Bloemfontein, were later named after him.	East African Campaign Western Desert Campaign
		Fought in the East African Campaign, and led the 1st South African Infantry Division in the Western Desert. He was recorded by the press after El Alamein as saying, "Rommel will not get to Alexandria, he will not get the Canal, and he will never dine in Cairo - unless as a tourist."
	George Brink		General	Companion of the Order of the Bath	General Officer Commanding, 1st Infantry Division General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Inland Area Command	Declared unfit for field duty and recalled to South Africa. Although he retired from the military in 1946, Brink led South Africa's demobilisation efforts from 1944 to 1948.	East African Campaign Western Desert Campaign
		From 1940, Brink commanded the 1st South African Division during the East African Campaign, and later commanded the division during the Western Desert Campaign in North Africa. In 1942, Brink turned over command of the division to Dan Pienaar after being declared unfit for field duty due to a back injury.
	Hendrik Klopper		General	Distinguished Service Order	General Officer Commanding, 3rd Infantry Brigade General Officer Commanding, 2nd Infantry Division	Escaped from captivity in 1943 and was later exonerated by a 1942 Court of Inquiry into the Tobruk disaster, however, Klopper never commanded in the field again. Officer Commanding the South African Army College from 1944 to 1945, before being appointed in command of Northern Command in 1945. From 1951 to 1953, Klopper served as Army Chief of Staff, as Inspector-General from 1953 to 1956, and as Commandant General of the Union Defence Force from 1956 to 1958.	Western Desert Campaign
		Briefly commanded the 2nd South African Infantry Division from May to June 1942, and was tasked as Fortress Commander of Tobruk. Forced to surrender the Tobruk garrison to Axis forces, with over 30,000 British and Commonwealth troops being taken prisoner. Klopper later escaped from captivity in 1943 and returned to South Africa.
	Isaac Pierre de Villiers		Major-General	Companion of the Order of the Bath	General Officer Commanding, 2nd Infantry Division	Retired in 1945, became Chairman of the Immigrants Selection Board from 1946 to 1948.	Western Desert Campaign
		Commanded the 2nd South African Infantry Division between 1940 and 1942, later overseeing Coastal Area Command in South Africa until 1945. Relinquished command of the 2nd SA Division just one month before the Fall of Tobruk where over 10,000 South Africans were taken prisoner by Axis forces.
Air Force	Pierre van Ryneveld		General	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire	Chief of the General Staff of the Union Defence Force Founder of the South African Air Force	Retired in 1949 after serving as CGS for sixteen years, including the whole of the Second World War. The Pretoria suburb of Pierre van Ryneveld Park was named in his honour and the airport just north of Upington in the Northern Cape is also named after Van Ryneveld. Sir Pierre van Ryneveld High School is in Kempton Park, Gauteng. The SAAF's annual air power symposium, is known as the Sir Pierre Van Ryneveld Air Power Symposium.	Chief of the General Staff
		Established the SAAF in 1920 and directed it until 1933, when he was promoted to Chief of the General Staff (CGS), in command of the Union Defence Forces. However, for the next four years, the SAAF remained under Van Ryneveld's direct control as no one was appointed as the Air Force's director until 1937.
Air Force	Jimmy Durrant		Major-General	Companion of the Order of the Bath	Officer Commanding, No. 40 Squadron SAAF Officer Commanding, No. 24 Squadron SAAF Officer Commanding, No. 205 Group RAF Air Officer Commanding, No. 231 Group SAAF	In 1946, he became Director-General of the South African Air Force and qualified on a special course at the Imperial Defence College in 1951. He resigned from the SAAF as a result of the de-anglicisation policy instituted by the National Party after they took power after the 1948 general election.	East African Campaign North African Campaign Far East Campaign
		Appointed officer commanding of No. 40 Squadron SAAF, which he commanded in East Africa from May 1940 to September 1941 when was promoted lieutenant-colonel and appointed officer commanding 24 Squadron SAAF. He commanded this squadron throughout the bitter fighting in the Western Desert Campaign in 1941–42. Later promoted colonel and given command of 3 (Bomber) Wing SAAF in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. In 1945, he was posted to the Far East as AOC No. 231 Heavy Bomber Group, RAF, with the rank of major-general. At the age of 32, he was the youngest major-general in the Allied forces.
Navy	Guy Hallifax		Rear Admiral	Order of St Michael and St George		Killed in an air crash at Baboon Point, 74 kilometres (46 mi) north of Saldanha while returning from a tour of inspection to the newly established naval detachment in Walvis Bay in March 1941.	South African Coastal Defence
		Instrumental in overseeing large-scale industrial and administrative expansion of the South African Navy between 1939 and 1941, as well as assuming operational responsibility from the Royal Navy for the first time.

New Zealand

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank held during World War II	Highest Award	Command	Fate	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)	General Officer Commanding, New Zealand Expeditionary Force General Officer Commanding, 2nd New Zealand Division	Returned to New Zealand and later became Governor-General of New Zealand	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 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 First Battle of Cassino as a Corps Commander. 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 years fighting the Germans during both the second and first world wars.
Air Force	Arthur Coningham		Air Marshal	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath	Air Officer Commanding, No. 4 Group RAF Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Desert Air Force Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northwest African Tactical Air Force Air Officer Commanding, RAF Second Tactical Air Force	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	Air Officer Commanding, No. 11 Group RAF Air Officer Commanding, No. 23 Group RAF Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Air Headquarters Egypt Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Air Headquarters Malta Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Middle East Command Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Air Command South East Asia	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, No. 4 Group RAF	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	Command	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Edward Rydz-Śmigły		Marshal of Poland	Order of the White Eagle	General Inspector of the Polish Armed Forces	Suffered heart attack before he could participate in the Polish resistance.	Invasion of Poland 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	General Inspector of the Polish Armed Forces Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile Commander-in-Chief, Polish Armed Forces in the West	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	Commander, Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade Commander, Anders’ Army Commander, Polish 2nd Corps	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	Commander-in-Chief, Polish Armed Forces in the East Minister of National Defense of the Provisional Government of the Republic of 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	Commander-in-Chief, Home Army	Elected Prime Minister of Polish government in Exile.	Polish Resistance Warsaw Uprising
		Commanded the main part of the Warsaw Uprising.
	Franciszek Kleeberg		Major General	Virtuti Militari Iron Cross	Commander, Independent Operational Group Polesie	He was one of the officers of the Polish Legion against the Soviets. He was imprisoned in Oflag IV-B Königstein and died in 1941.	Polish–Soviet War Invasion of Poland Eastern Front (World War I)
		The last remaining Polish General holding the Germans off until the battle of Kock, he had never lost a battle until Kock.

Czechoslovakia

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Ludvík Svoboda		General	People's Hero of Yugoslavia, Hero of the Soviet Union	Commander-in-Chief, 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in 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	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Alexander Papagos		Field Marshal	the Commander's Cross of the Cross of Valour	Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff	Deported to Dachau Concentration Camp, led Greek army in Greek Civil War, later Field Marshal and Prime Minister of Greece.	Greek Resistance
		Commander-in-Chief of the Greek Army in 1940–41.
	Napoleon Zervas		Lieutenant Colonel		Commander, National Republican Greek League	Twice minister, died in 1957.	Greek Resistance Operation Harling
		Commander of the National Republican Greek League resistance army.
	Stefanos Sarafis		Major General		Commander, Greek People's Liberation Army	Later MP for the United Democratic Left, died in a car accident in 1957.	Balkan Campaign (World War II) Greco-Italian War Capture of Klisura Pass Italian Spring Offensive Battle of Greece
		Founder and chief leader of the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS).
	Aris Velouchiotis		Corporal (actual rank) Major of Artillery (assumed rank)		Leader of the National Liberation Front	Committed suicide after the Second World War.	Greek Resistance Operation Harling
		Chief military officer of the Greek People's Liberation Army after April 1943.
Navy	Alexandros Sakellariou		Vice Admiral	the Commander's Cross of the Cross of Valour	Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff	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	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Henri Winkelman		General	Military William Order	Chief of Defence of the Netherlands Armed Forces	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	Commander-in-Chief, Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Commander, American-British-Dutch-Australian Land Command		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	Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy Commander, American-British-Dutch-Australian Sea Command	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	Commander, American-British-Dutch-Australian Combined Striking Force	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.

Luxembourg

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Émile Speller		Major-Commandant	Order of the Oak Crown	Chief of Defence	Arrested by Germany in 1940 following the invasion of Luxembourg but later released, died 17 January 1952	German invasion of Luxembourg

Yugoslavia

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Draža Mihailović		General of the Army	Legion of Merit	Commander of the Chetnik Detachments of Yugoslav Army	Executed by Communists in 1946.	World War II in Yugoslavia Chetniks
		Led the Chetniks.
	Josip Broz Tito		Marshal	Order of the National Hero	President of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia Commander-in-Chief of the Yugoslav Partisans Founder of Democratic Federal Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia	Became President of Yugoslavia	World War II in Yugoslavia Yugoslav Partisans
		Led the People's Liberation Army.

Dušan Simović
Milan Nedić

China

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Chiang Kai-shek		Generalissimo	Order of National Glory	Premier of the Republic of China Commander-in-Chief of the National Revolutionary Army Chairman of the Military Affairs Commission Chairman of the Nationalist government	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.
	Yan Xishan		General	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun	Commander of the National Revolutionary Army in Shanxi	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	Commander-in-Chief, Chinese Expeditionary Force	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		Marshal of the People's Republic of China	Honour Sabre of the Awakened Lion	Commander-in-Chief, Chinese Red Army Commander, Eighth Route Army	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	Commander, 19th Army Group Commander, Eastern Henan Army Commander, 1st Army Corps Commander, 9th Front	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
	Li Zongren		General	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun	Commander of the KMT Fifth War Zone	Became the Vice President of the Republic of China.	Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Taierzhuang Battle of Wuhan Battle of Suixian–Zaoyang Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang Battle of South Henan
	Bai Chongxi		General	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun		Became the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of China.	Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Taierzhuang Battle of Wuhan Battle of South Guangxi Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi
Navy	Chen Shaokuan		Fleet Admiral	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun	Chief of Navy of the Republic of China Navy	Became the Minister of Navy of the Republic of China, the Vice Governor of Fujian Province of the People's Republic of China	Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Jiangyin
	Chen Ce		Admiral	Order of the British Empire			Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Humen Battle of Hong Kong
	Shen Honglie		Admiral	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun			Second Sino-Japanese War Manchurian Incident Battle of Shanghai

Axis Forces

Germany

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Wilhelm Keitel		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht	Executed in 1946.	Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
		Chief of the OKW during World War II. Was convicted of war crimes in the Nuremberg Trials and executed by the Allies.
	Alfred Jodl		Colonel General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Chief of the Operations Staff of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht	Executed in 1946.	Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
		Chief of the Operations Staff of the OKW.
	Heinrich Himmler		Reichsführer-SS	Blood Order, Golden Nazi Party	Reichsfuhrer-SS Reichsleiter Chief of German Police Director of the Reich Security Main Office Reichsminister of the Interior	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 influential 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	Supreme Commander of the German Army	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	Commander, 1st Panzer Army Commander-in-Chief, Army Group A	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 Battle of the Dnieper
		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	Commander-in-Chief, Army Group C Commander-in-Chief, Army Group North	Died in 1956.	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 with Oak Leaves and Swords	Commander-in-Chief, Army Group South Commander-in-Chief, Army Group A Oberbefehlshaber West	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	Commander, 4th Army Commander-in-Chief, Army Group Centre Oberbefehlshaber West	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	Commander, 18th Army Commander-in-Chief, Army Group North	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 Leningrad. After this failed, withdrew Army Group North, which prevented its destruction.
	Fedor von Bock		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Commander-in-Chief, Army Group North Commander-in-Chief, Army Group B Commander-in-Chief, Army Group Centre Commander-in-Chief, Army Group South	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 commanders 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	Commander, 18th Infantry Division Commander, XXXVIII Army Corps Commander, LVI Panzer Corps Commander, 11th Army Commander-in-Chief, Army Group Don Commander-in-Chief, Army Group South	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 captured Sevastapol and was responsible for shoring up the Southern Front after the defeat at Stalingrad. He later recaptured Kharkov. After the defeat at Kursk, he successfully 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	Commander, 7th Panzer Division Commander, Afrika Korps Commander, Panzer Army Africa Commander, Army Group Africa Commander-in-Chief, Army Group B	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
		Nicknamed The Desert Fox, Rommel 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 likely 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 committed suicide in order to avoid trial after the war.
	Walter Model		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds	Commander, 3rd Panzer Division Commander, XLI Panzer Corps Commander, Ninth Army Commander-in-Chief, Army Group North Commander-in-Chief, Army Group North Ukraine Commander-in-Chief, Army Group Centre Commander-in-Chief, Army Group B Oberbefehlshaber West	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	Commander, 2nd Panzer Division Commander, XVI Army Corps Commander, XIX Army Corps Commander, 2nd Panzer Army Acting Chief of the Oberkommando des Heeres	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
		Early pioneer of Blitzkrieg tactics. Chief of OKH General Staff 1944–1945.
	Friedrich Paulus		Generalfeldmarschall	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves	Deputy Chief of the Oberkommando des Heeres Commander, 6th Army	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 und Generaloberst der Waffen-SS	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds	Commander, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Commander, I SS Panzer Corps Commander, 5th Panzer Army Commander, 6th Panzer Army	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, commanded his bodyguard unit, was a member of the Prussian State Council, and played a key part in the Night of the Long Knives. In World War II, he became the commander of 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and General of the Waffen-SS. 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	Reichsmarschall of the Greater German Reich (supreme commander of the Wehrmacht) Chief of the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe	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 command. Commander-in-Chief of Luftwaffe 1935–1945. He was involved with the running of Germany and the war, including implementation of the Holocaust.
	Albert Kesselring		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds	Commander, Luftflotte 1 Commander, Luftflotte 2 Oberbefehlshaber Süd Commander, Army Group C Oberbefehlshaber West	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). Chief of the defense of Italy against the allies during the prolonged battles of Anzio and Monte Cassino. Was a leader in the defense of Germany at the end of the war. Kesselring was admired by both sides of the war 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	Commander, 8th Air Corps Commander, Luftflotte 2 Commander, Luftflotte 4	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	Commander, 5th Air Corps Commander, 8th Air Corps Commander, Luftflotte 6 Chief of the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe	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 Mérite 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	Commander, 1st Parachute Division	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	Chief of the Oberkommando der Marine	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	Befehlshaber der U-Boote Chief of the Oberkommando der Marine President of Germany	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	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army
	Pietro Badoglio		Marshal of Italy	Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation	Chief of the Supreme General Staff Viceroy of Ethiopia Prime Minister of Italy	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
		Supreme commander of the Royal Italian Army. 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	Chief of Staff of the Royal Italian Army Governor-General of Libya Governor-General of Italian East Africa Minister of National Defense of the Italian Social Republic	Graziani was sentenced to 19 years in jail but only 4 months were served. Died in 1955.	North African Campaign Italian Campaign Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II
		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	Chief of the Supreme General Staff Viceroy of Ethiopia	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	Commander, Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia Commander, First Army Chief of the Supreme General Staff	Became a member of the Italian Senate. Died in 1968.	North African Campaign Battle of Petrikowka 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. Later defected to the Allies as leader of the Italian Co-belligerent Army
	Ettore Bastico		Marshal of Italy	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic	Governor of the Italian Islands of the Aegean Governor-General of Libya Commander-in-Chief of Italian forces in North Africa	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		General	Silver Medal of Military Valor (3)	Deputy Chief of Staff of the Royal Italian Army Commander, Second Army	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.	Battle of Málaga Battle of Guadalajara 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	Commander-in-Chief, Higher Forces Command Albania Commander, Fourth Army Commander, Army Group Liguria	Died in 1965.	Italian invasion of France Allied invasion of Sicily
		Commander-in-Chief of Army Group Liguria.
	Vittorio Ambrosio		General	Commander of the Military Order of Savoy	Commander, 2nd Army Chief of Staff of the Italian Army	Was Chief of Staff of the Italian Army. Was demoted to Inspector-General of Army by Badoglio because the Allies didn't trust him. Died in 1958.	Invasion of Yugoslavia
		Served an instrumental role in the fall of Benito Mussolini and the breakdown of the alliance between Italy and Germany.
	Giuseppe Castellano		General	Bronze Medal of Military Valor		Negotiated the armistice between Italy and the Allied armed forces in September 1943. Died in 1977.	Invasion of Yugoslavia
	Emilio de Bono		Marshal of Italy	Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation		He was one of the members of the Fascist Grand Council who voted oust Benito Mussolini. After Mussolini was put in charge of the Italian Social Republic, de Bono was sentenced to death after the Verona trial in 1944.	Second Italo-Ethiopian War
Navy	Arturo Riccardi		Admiral	Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus	Chief of Staff of the Regia Marina	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	Commander-in-Chief, Battle Fleet	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 Operation Halberd
		Commander of the Italian Naval Academy
	Junio Valerio Borghese		Frigate captain	Knight of the Military Order of Savoy	Commander of the Decima Flottiglia MAS	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.
	Inigo Campioni		Admiral	Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus		Executed by a firing squad at Parma on 24 May 1944 after being convicted of high treason by the military tribunal of the Italian Social Republic.	Battle of the Mediterranean Battle of Calabria Battle of Taranto Operation White Battle of Cape Spartivento Dodecanese Campaign
	Giuseppe Fioravanzo		Admiral	Military Order of Italy		Died in 1975.	Operation Harpoon Battle of Cape Matapan
	Alberto Da Zara		Admiral	Military Order of Italy		Died in 1951.	Operation Pedestal Operation Harpoon
Air Force	Italo Balbo		Marshal of the Air Force	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus	Quadrumvir of the Grand Council of Fascism Minister of Aeronautics Governor-General of Libya	Killed by friendly fire over Tobruk in 1940.	North African Campaign
		Governor-General of Libya, Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa.
	Rino Corso Fougier		Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus	Chief of Staff of the Royal Italian Air Force Commander of the Corpo Aereo Italiano	Served as the commander of the Corpo Aereo Italiano. Served as the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force between 1941 and 1943. Died in 1963.	Battle of Britain
		Commanded the Regia Aeronautica between 1941 and 1943.
	Francesco Pricolo		Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force	Military Order of Savoy	Chief of Staff of the Royal Italian Air Force	Served as the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force from 1939 to 1941. Died in 1980	Siege of Malta

Japan

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Hideki Tojo		General	Order of the Rising Sun	Prime Minister of Japan Minister of War Chief of Army General Staff Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army	Executed in 1948.	Supreme War Council Second Sino-Japanese War Pacific War
		Prime minister of Japan and President of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association in 1941-1944 was also a military commander. Chief of the Army General Staff in 1944.
	Hajime Sugiyama		Field Marshal	Order of the Rising Sun	Minister of the Army Inspector-General of Military Training Commander North China Area Army Commander Mongolia Garrison Army Chief of Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Commander First General Army	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	Chief of Imperial Japanese Army General Staff	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	Commander, Taiwan Army of Japan Commander, North China Area Army Minister of the Army Commander-in-Chief, Southern Expeditionary Army Group	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	Commander, 14th Division Commander, Taiwan Army of Japan Inspector-General of Military Training Commander, Central China Expeditionary Army Minister of the Army Commander-in-Chief, China Expeditionary Army Commander-in-Chief, 2nd General Army	Sentenced to imprisonment.	Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Taierzhuang Battle of Wuhan Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi
		Commanded the Second General Army, based in Hiroshima from 1944 to 1945 in preparation for the anticipated Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands.
	Tomoyuki Yamashita		General	Order of the Rising Sun	Commander, 3rd Imperial Infantry Regiment Commander, 4th Division Commander, 25th Army Commander, First Area Army Military Governor of the Philippines Commander, Fourteenth Area Army	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	Commander, 11th Division Commander, Taiwan Army of Japan Commander, Shanghai Expeditionary Army Commander, Central China Expeditionary Army	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	Minister of the Navy Chief of Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff	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	Chief of Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff	Died in 1946.	Supreme War Council Pacific War
		Chief of staff of the Navy, 1932–1941.
	Isoroku Yamamoto		Fleet Admiral	Order of the Chrysanthemum	Director of the Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Bureau Vice-Minister of the Navy Commander-in-Chief, First Fleet Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet	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 7 December 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	Vice Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff Commander, 2nd Fleet Commander-in-Chief, China Area Fleet Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet	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	Commander-in-Chief, 4th Fleet Commander-in-Chief, 2nd Fleet Commander-in-Chief, Kure Naval District Commander-in-Chief, Yokosuka Naval District Chief of Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff	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	Commander-in-Chief, 1st Air Fleet Commander-in-Chief, 3rd Fleet Commander-in-Chief, Sasebo Naval District Commander-in-Chief, Kure Naval District Commander-in-Chief, 1st Fleet Commander-in-Chief of Central Pacific Area Fleet and 14th Air Fleet	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	Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet	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

Army: Korechika Anami

Hungary

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Gusztáv Jány		Colonel General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Commander, Hungarian Second Army	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	Commander, Hungarian First Army	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	Commander, Hungarian First Army Commander, Hungarian Second Army Prime Minister of Hungary	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.
	Ferenc Szombathelyi		Colonel General	Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary	Chief of General Staff of the Royal Hungarian Army	Died in 1946.	Operation Barbarossa Hungarian occupation of Yugoslav territories
		Served as Chief of Army Staff of the Royal Hungarian Army.
	Ferenc Feketehalmy-Czeydner		Colonel General	Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary	Commanding General, V Corps	Died in 1946.	Hungarian occupation of Yugoslav territories
		Had a significant role in the Novi Sad massacre.
	Béla Miklós		Colonel General	Order of Vitéz	Commander, Hungarian First Army Prime Minister of Hungary	Died in 1948.	Operation Panzerfaust
		Commanded the Hungarian First Army. He supported leaving the Axis powers and joining the Red Army.

Thailand

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Plaek Phibunsongkhram		Field Marshal	Order of the Nine Gems	Commander of the Royal Thai Army Prime Minister of Thailand Minister of Defence of Thailand	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, Phayap Army	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.

Romania

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Ion Antonescu		Marshal of Romania	Order of Michael the Brave	Prime Minister of Romania Conducător of Romania Minister of War of Romania Commander-in-Chief of Romanian Armed Forces	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 the Battle of 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	General Officer Commanding, Romanian Third Army	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
		Commanded the Romanian First Army between 1940 and 1941. Commanded the Romanian Third Army between 1941 and 1944.
	Constantin Constantinescu-Claps		General	Order of Michael the Brave	General Officer Commanding, Romanian Fourth Army	Died in 1961.	Eastern Front (World War II) Battle of Stalingrad
		Commanded the Romanian Fourth Army between 1941 and 1943.
	Gheorghe Avramescu		General	German Cross in Gold	General Officer Commanding, 10th Division General Officer Commanding, Mountain Corps General Officer Commanding, III Corps General Officer Commanding, VI Corps General Officer Commanding, 4th Army	Died in 1945.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the Romanian Mountain Corps between 1941 and 1943. Commanded the Romanian Fourth Army between 1944 and 1945.
	Ioan Mihail Racoviță		General	Order of Michael the Brave	General Officer Commanding, Romanian Cavalry Corps General Officer Commanding, Romanian Fourth Army Minister of Defense of Romania	Died in 1954.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the Romanian Cavalry Corps between 1941 and 1943. Commanded the Romanian Mechanized Troops between 1943 and 1944.
	Vasile Atanasiu		General	Order of the White Lion	General Officer Commanding, 1st Romanian Army	Died in 1964.	Eastern Front (World War II) Prague Offensive
		Commanded the 3rd Army Corps in the liberation of Bessarabia, the battle for the beachhead of Albiţa on the Prut River, the advance to the Dniester at Tiraspol between 1941 and 1943. Commanded the Romanian First Army in 1945, in the battles on the Czechoslovakian front in the Javorina, between the rivers Hron and Morava and thereafter in Bohemia.
	Mihail Lascăr		General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves		Died in 1959.	Eastern Front (World War II) Crimean Campaign Battle of Stalingrad
		Commanded the 1st Mixed Mountain Brigade, an elite unit of the Romanian Third Army between 1941 and 1942. Commanded the 6th Division of the Romanian Third Army in 1942. Was taken prisoner at the Battle of Stalingrad and became commander of the Romanian Fourth Army in 1945.
	Constantin Sănătescu		General		General Officer Commanding, 4th Army Corps General Officer Commanding, Romanian Fourth Army Chief of the Romanian General Staff	Died in 1948.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the 4th Army Corps between 1941 and 1943. Commanded the Romanian Fourth Army between 1943 and 1944. Major participant in the 1944 Romanian coup d'état.
	Constantin Nicolescu		Lieutenant General	Order of Michael the Brave	Minister of Defense of Romania	Died in 1972.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the Bucharest Military between 1941 and 1943. Commanded the 4th Army Corps between 1943 and 1944. Was among the generals who prepared the King Michael Coup, and from November 1944 until the abolition of the monarchy in December 1947 served as head of the royal household.
	Corneliu Dragalina		Lieutenant General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Governor-General of Bukovina	Died in 1949.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the 6th Army Corps between 1940 and 1943.
	Ioan Dumitrache		Major General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	General Officer Commanding, 2nd Mountain Division General Officer Commanding, Mountain Corps	Died in 1977.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the 2nd Mountain Division between 1942 and 1944. Was promoted to major general in 1944 and commanded the Romanian Mountain Corps.
	Gheorghe Manoliu		Major General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	General Officer Commanding, 4th Mountain Division	Died in 1974.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the 4th Mountain Division between 1940 and 1942. Was promoted to major general in 1943 and commanded the 4th Army Corps.
	Emanoil Bârzotescu		Major General	Order of the Crown (Romania)	General Officer Commanding, 1st Division General Officer Commanding, 6th Corps	Died in 1968.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the 1st Infantry Division between 1940 and 1942. Retired in 1942 and was recalled in 1945. Commanded the 6th Crops Area in 1945.
	Dumitru Dămăceanu		Brigadier General	Order of Michael the Brave	General Officer Commanding, 10th Roșiori Cavalry Regiment General Officer Commanding, Capital Military Command	Died in 1978.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the 10th Cavalry Regiment between 1941 and 1942. Chief of Staff in Bucharest Military between 1942 and 1944. Major participant in King Michael's Coup of 1944.
	Leonard Mociulschi		Brigadier General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross		Died in 1979.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the 1st Mixed Mountain Brigade, an elite unit of the Romanian Third Army between 1940 and 1941. Commanded the 3rd Mixed Mountain Brigade between 1942 and 1943.
	Corneliu Teodorini		Brigadier General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves		Died in 1976.	Eastern Front (World War II)
		Commanded the 6th Cavalry Regiment.
Navy	Horia Macellariu		Rear Admiral	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Commander-in-Chief, Black Sea Fleet	Died in 1989.	Black Sea Campaigns (1941–44) Operation Achse Evacuation of the Crimea
		Commanded the Royal Romanian Navy's Black Sea Fleet between 1941 and 1944.

Slovakia

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Ferdinand Čatloš		Major General		General Officer Commanding, Field Army Bernolák Minister of Defence of Slovakia	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.

Bulgaria

Air force Stoyan Stoyanov

Others

Finland

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim		Marshal of Finland	Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty	Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces President of Finland	Succeeded Risto Ryti as President of Finland. Died in 1951	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	Commander, II Corps Commander, IV Corps	Died in 1978	Finnish reconquest of the Karelian Isthmus (1941) Eastern Front (World War II) Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive Battle of Tienhaara Battle of Tali-Ihantala
		An influential Finnish general. II Corps and III Corps of the Finnish ground forces were under his command at the end of the Continuation War.
	Ruben Lagus		Lieutenant General	Mannerheim Cross	Commander, Finnish Armoured Division	Died in 1959.	Winter War Continuation War Lapland War Battle of Taipaleenkylä Battle of Ylimaa Battle of Rovaniemi
		Commanded the Finnish Armoured Division (Panssaridivisioona) during the Lapland War.
	Erik Heinrichs		General	Mannerheim Cross	Commander, III Corps Commander, Army of the Isthmus Commander, Army of Karelia	Died in 1965.	Winter War Continuation War Battle of Taipale
		Commanded the Army of Karelia and the Army of the Isthmus.
	Vilho Nenonen		General	Mannerheim Cross		Died in 1960.	Winter War Continuation War
		He was extremely influential in the development of the Finnish Army's artillery. The trajectory calculation formulas he developed are still in use today by modern artillery.
	Paavo Talvela		General	Mannerheim Cross	Commander, IV Corps Commander, III Corps Commander, VI Corps	Died in 1973.	Winter War Battle of Tolvajärvi Continuation War Finnish reconquest of Ladoga Karelia (1941)
		He commanded the Finnish III Corps in the Winter War from February 1940 to the end of the Winter War.

Burma

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

Ukraine

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Commands	Fate	Theatres / Battles
Army	Roman Shukhevych		General	Gold Cross of Combat Merit First Class, the Cross of Merit in gold	Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army	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