Commanders of World War II

World War II seriesv · d · e
Precursors
Asian events · European events · Timeline
1939 · 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 Eastern front · Western Front · Pacific War · Battles · Mediterranean, Middle East and African Campaigns · Commanders Technology · Military operations · Manhattan Project Air warfare of World War II · Home front · Collaboration · Resistance
Aftermath
Casualties · Further effects · War crimes · Japanese war crimes · Consequences of Nazism
Depictions
World War II articles Alphabetical index: 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Campaigns  |  Countries  |  Equipment Lists  |  Outline  |  Timeline  |  Portal  |  Category

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

Military commanders

Allied Powers

United Kingdom

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank held during World War II	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Alan Brooke		Field Marshal	1st Viscount Alanbrooke	Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast.		Second (II Corps) British Expeditionary Force CIGS
		Commanded the II corps of the British Expeditionary Force at the Battle of France. Later served as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff.[1]
	Bernard Montgomery		Field Marshal	1st Viscount of El Alamein, Knight of the Garter.	Served as CIGS, and deputy leader of NATO.		Battle of France North African campaign Sicily Western Campaign, 1944 Arnhem
		A veteran of 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 Eight 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.[1][2]
	Harold Alexander		Field Marshal	1st Earl of Tunis.	Governor General of Canada.		Battle of Dunkirk North African Campaign Battle of Tunisia Allied invasion of Italy
		The last British soldier to evacuate Dunkirk, replaced Auchinleck from command at North Africa, and turned the tide in the allies favour. 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.[1]
	Archibald Wavell		Field Marshal	1st Earl Wavell	Viceroy of India, returned to England in 1947 and became High Steward of Colchester.		North African campaign East African Campaign Anglo-Iraqi War Commander-in-Chief in India ABDACOM
		Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in the Middle East 1939–1941. Commander-in-Chief in India 1941–1942. Commander of ABDACOM 1942. Commander-in-Chief in India 1942–1943. Viceroy of India 1943-1947.[1]
	Viscount Gort		Field Marshal	John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort. Holder of the Victoria Cross (World War I).	Died in 1946.		Battle of France Battle of Dunkirk Battle of Malta
		A world war I hero, he played a major role in mobilising and arming the British forces during the Phony War. He took command of the British Expeditionary Force for the German invasion of France, and despite courageous fighting, was overwhelmed by German military tactics. When his troops were trapped in Dunkirk, he disobeyed orders from French and British command to attack and decided to evacuate, a decision which saved the lives of over 300,000 soldiers.[1]
	Claude Auchinleck		General	Order of the Bath	Commander-in-Chief, India		Norwegian campaign North African campaign
		Organised the Home Guard to protect against Operation Sea Lion. A quick response to the Iraq revolt impressed Churchill, who appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the North Africa forces. Frequent disagreements with British command, coupled with significant loss of territory against Rommel, forced him to be reassigned back to India. He fared better in this theatre, successfully mobilising Indian forces against the Burma invasion.[1]
Air Force	Charles Portal		Marshal of the Royal Air Force	Distinguished Flying Cross,[3] 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford.	Chairman of British Aircraft Corporation.[3]		Battle of Normandy Strategic bombing of Germany
		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.[1]
	Arthur Harris		Air Chief Marshal	1st Baronet of Chipping Wycombe	Manager of the South African Marine Corporation		Strategic bombing of Germany
		Assisted Charles Portal in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany.
	Hugh Dowding		Air Chief Marshal	1st Baron Dowding of Bentley Priory	Dismissed as head of fighter command in November 1940. Became a theosophist after the war. Died in February 1970, aged 87 and buried in Westminster Abbey.		Battle of Britain
		Leader in World War I of an RFC Squadron. Commander of the Battle of Britain. Deservedly credited with saving Britain from defeat.
Navy	Louis Mountbatten		Admiral of the Fleet	1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma Knight of the Garter	Viceroy of India until 1947. First Sea Lord from 1954 to 1957.		Battle of Dieppe Pacific Theatre of World War II
		Supreme Allied Commander of SEAC. Under him were such famous generals as William Slim and Joseph Stilwell.[1]
	Dudley Pound		Admiral of the Fleet	Knight of the British Empire	Died of illness, October 1943.		Battle of Atlantic
		First Sea Lord 1939-1943.[1]
	Andrew Cunningham		Admiral of the Fleet	Distinguished Service Order, 1st Viscount of Hyndhope	Served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Died in June 1963, buried at sea off Portsmouth.		Battle of Crete Battle of Taranto Battle of Cape Matapan Siege of Malta
		First Sea Lord 1943-1946.[1]

France

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

United States

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	George Marshall		General of the Army	Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, GCB	As Secretary of State his name was given to the Marshall Plan, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.		Chief of Staff of the United States Army
		Was the aide to General Pershing during World War I. Was Chief of Staff having overall command of the US Army during and before World War II. Marshall served as the U.S. Army Chief of Staff during the war and as the chief military adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Many of the American generals that were given top commands during the war were either picked or recommended by Marshall, including Dwight Eisenhower, Lloyd Fredendall, Leslie McNair, Mark W. Clark and Omar Bradley.[4] He led the rapid growth of US forces, co-ordinated the Western Allies and promoted postwar reconstruction of Europe.[1]
	Dwight D. Eisenhower		General of the Army	Distinguished Service Medal, Medal of Honor (offered, but not accepted by him).	After liberating Europe, served as NATO head before being elected the 34th President of the United States.		Operation Torch Battle of Sicily Battle of Italy Battle of Normandy Western Front (World War II)
		Entered the war as an assistant to the more senior Officers MacArthur and George Patton, showed his worth as a commander during the North Africa Campaign, before being chosen by Roosevelt to head the liberation of Europe on the Western Front as commander of SHAEF.[1]
	Douglas MacArthur		General of the Army	Medal of Honor, Philippine Medal of Valor	Tasked with rebuilding Japan after the war. Later involved in the Korean War.		Battle of the Philippines Southwest Pacific Area Battle of Leyte Battle of Leyte Gulf
		Recalled from retirement prior to the start of the Pacific war. Early on in World War II, received the Medal of Honor for extreme bravery. Was disappointed to relinquish the Philippines to the Japanese. Promising to return, he did so in 1945 and whilst in Manila, prepared for war in Japan itself. MacArthur presided over the Japanese Unconditional Surrender in 1945. His strategy of maneuver, air strikes and force avoidance meant that soldiers under his command faced relatively low casualties. [1]
	Omar Bradley		General of the Army	Distinguished Service Medal (Army and Navy).	Became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff		Battle of Sicily Battle of Normandy Western Front (World War II)
		This former infantry school instructor entered the war under Patton, 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).[1]
	Mark W. Clark		General	Distinguished Service Medal (Army and Navy).	Became head of the Citadel		Battle of Sicily Battle of Anzio Battle of Italy Battle of Cassino
		Led the triumphal entry into Rome. Served under General Alexander. Ordered the destruction of the religious abbey at Monte Cassino. Was Commander in Chief in Italy from late 1944.[1]
	George S. Patton, Jr.		General	Distinguished Service Cross	Died in a road accident 4 months after the end of the war.		Operation Torch Battle of Tunis Battle of Sicily Operation Cobra Falaise pocket Battle of the Bulge German and Czechoslovakian invasion
		An aggressive general whose ferocious military thrusts earned him admiration and respect from all participants in the war (and at times endangered his military career). Successfully used the German tactic of armored blitzkrieg against the Germans.[1]
Navy	Ernest King		Fleet Admiral	Navy Cross	Retired on December 15, 1945.		Battle of Atlantic
		[1] United States Chief of Naval Operations.
	Chester W. Nimitz		Fleet Admiral	Distinguished Service Medal	Served as Chief of Naval Operations.		Battle of Coral Sea Battle of Midway Solomon Islands Campaign Battle of the Philippine Sea Battle of Leyte Gulf Battle of Iwo Jima Battle of Okinawa
		After the attack on Pearl Harbor, took command of the Pacific Ocean areas, and turned around USA's fortunes in the Battle of Midway. Closed the war with operations in the Leyte Gulf and Okinawa.[1]
	William Halsey, Jr.		Fleet Admiral	Navy Cross	Retired 1947.		Solomon Islands Campaign Guadalcanal campaign Battle of Leyte Gulf
		Commander of South Pacific Area 1942-1944. Commander of United States Third Fleet 1944-1945.[1][5]
	Frank Jack Fletcher		Admiral	Navy Cross	Chairman of the General Board, retired in 1947.		Battle of Coral Sea Battle of Midway Battle of the Eastern Solomons
		Recipient of the Medal of Honor for saving hundreds of refugees during the United States occupation of Veracruz in April 1914 during the Mexican Revolution. Operational commander at the pivotal Battles of Coral Sea and of Midway; nephew of Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher. In November 1942, he became Commander, Thirteenth Naval District and Commander, Northwestern Sea Frontier. A year later, he was placed in charge of the Northern Pacific area [according to Oxford companion to second world war, this occurred in October 1942].[1]
	Raymond A. Spruance		Admiral	Navy Cross	Served as President of the Naval War College.		Battle of Midway Solomon Islands Campaign Battle of the Philippine Sea Battle of Leyte Gulf Battle of Iwo Jima Battle of Okinawa
		Commander of two of the most significant battles of the war, Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
Air Force	Henry Arnold		General of the Air Force	Distinguished Service Cross			Head of the USAAF[1]
		Member of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Combined Chiefs of Staff committees.[1]
	Ira C. Eaker		Lieutenant General	Legion of Merit, Distinguished Service Medal (Army, Navy and Air Force)	Became deputy commander of the Army Air Forces until retirement in 1947.		North African Campaign Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission
		Commander of the 8th US Bomber command.[1]
	Carl Spaatz		General	Distinguished Service Cross	Replaced Arnold in September 1947 to become chief of the US Air Force.		North African Campaign (Air support) Normandy campaign (Air support)
		One of the pioneers of US military aviation, Spaatz advocated the use of scientific analysis to bombing raids, and made effective use of long range fighters, tactics which helped the Allies achieve air superiority over Europe.[1]

Soviet Union

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

Republic of China

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

Australia

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

New Zealand

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

Poland

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

Czechoslovakia

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

Greece

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

Netherlands

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

Yugoslavia

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

Canada

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

South Africa

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Jan Smuts		Field Marshal	Légion d'honneur Croix de Commandeur	Helped drafting of the United Nations Charter, died 11 September 1950		Imperial War Cabinet
		Smuts signed the Paris Peace Treaty, resolving the peace in Europe, thus becoming the only signatory of both the treaty ending the First World War, and that ending the Second.[1]

Axis Powers

Germany

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Wilhelm Keitel		Field Marshal		Executed in 1946.		Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
		Chief of the OKW during World War II.[1]
	Alfred Jodl		Colonel General		Executed in 1946.		Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
		Chief of the Operations Staff of the OKW.[1]
	Heinrich Himmler		Reichfuhrer-SS		Suicide 1945.		The Holocaust Operation Nordwind
		Chief of the SS during World War II.[1]
	Walther von Brauchitsch		Field Marshal		Died in 1948.		Oberkommando des Heeres
		Commander-in-Chief of Heeres 1938-1941.
	Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist		Field Marshal		Died in 1954 in a Soviet prison. Most senior German officer to die in a Soviet prison.		German Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa
		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		Died in 1948.		Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad
		Exemplary service in World War I. Given the command of Army Group North in Operation Barbarossa. Was in charge of the unsuccessful siege of Leningrad, which lasted nearly 1000 days.
	Gerd von Rundstedt		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and Swords[8]	Died in 1953.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa (Army Group South). Battle of Uman[9] Battle of Kiev (1941) Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge
		A Kriegsakademie graduate of the Prussian nobility, and a major World War I veteran, Rundstedt distinguished himself as commander of numerous fronts of World War II including the Western and Eastern fronts of Europe.[1]
	Günther von Kluge		Field Marshal		Committed suicide in 1944.		German Invasion of Poland Operation Barbarossa Battle of France Falaise Gap
		Commander of many successful operations including the invasion of Poland, France and the Soviet Union. Involved in the failed Hitler assassination, he deicded to commit suicide.[1]
	Georg von Küchler		Field Marshal		Arrested in 1948 and sent to the Soviet Union by the Americans. Released in 1953.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of the Netherlands Operation Barbarossa
		Relieved von Leeb as commander of the siege of Leningard. After this failed, withdrew Army Group North, which saved them.[1]
	Fedor von Bock		Field Marshal		Was killed in bombing raid in 1945.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of the Netherlands Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok-Minsk Battle of Moscow Second Battle of Kharkov
		Recipient of the Pour le Mérite from World War I, rose rapidly in rank to Field Marshal by the fall of France. Took command of Army Group Centre, whose Panzer groups penetrated the furthest into Russia.[1]
	Erich von Manstein		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves and Swords[8]	Imprisoned after war, later released and served as senior advisor to the Bundeswehr.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Sevastopol Battle of Stalingrad Third Battle of Kharkov Battle of Kursk Battle of the Dnieper
		The master of mobile battle, authored the original Sichelschnitt plan, a plan which enabled Germany to capture France with minimal casualties.[1]
	Erwin Rommel		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds[8]	Committed suicide in 1944.		Battle of France Battle of Gazala Siege of Tobruk First Battle of El Alamein Second Battle of El Alamein Battle of the Kasserine Pass Battle of Medenine Battle of Normandy
		A legend in his own time, The Desert Fox headed the German campaign of North Africa. 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 Morroco and Egypt) turned the tide in the favour of the Allies, and his forces were routed in the Battle of Tunisia in 1943. Before he could counterattack, German high command reassigned him to defend the Atlantic Wall. Rommel failed to stop the allied invasion of Normandy. Though typically linked to the assassination of Hitler, Rommel probably did not take part in the July 20 plot as he did not want future generations to think that the Axis lost the war due to backstabbing. Nevertheless, Rommel had to commit suicide, lest he face a mock-trial which would have surely ended in the death of him, his family and his aides.[1]
	Walter Model		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds[8]	Committed suicide in 1945.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Moscow Battle of Kursk Battle of Narva Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge
		German Army officer whose expertise in defensive warfare earned him the nickname of the 'Führer's fireman'[1]
	Heinz Guderian		Colonel General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves[8]	Died in 1954.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Moscow Oberkommando des Heeres
		Main creator of Blitzkrieg tactics. Chief of OKH General Staff 1944-1945.[1]
	Friedrich Paulus		Field Marshal		Soviet captivity until 1953. Became a vocal critic of the Nazi regime.		Invasion of Poland (1939) Fall of France (1940) Operation Barbarossa (1941) Operation Blue (1942) Operation Fridericus (1942) Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943)
		Commander of the disastrous campaign in the Battle of Stalingrad.
	Josef Dietrich		Colonel General		Sentenced to life, reduced to 25 years imprisonment in 1946. Promoted welfare of ex-servicemen on release.		Eastern Front Battle of Normandy Battle of the Bulge
		Before World War II, Dietrich was very close to Hitler, and played a part in the Night of the Long Knives. Later in World War II he was a veteran of many hard battles on the Eastern Front and in France. 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.[1]
Air force	Hermann Göring		Reichsmarschall	Grand Cross of the Iron Cross[8]	Committed suicide after being sentenced to death for war crimes.		Oberkommando der Luftwaffe Battle of Britain
		Was a high scoring air ace and took over the Red Baron's famous squadron, and won the prestigious Pour le Mérite in World War I. Hitler's second in charge. Commander-in-Chief of Luftwaffe 1935-1945. During World War II, he did not live up to his prior high standards. He was involved with the running of Germany and the war, and the central decision making, including implementation of the Holocaust.[1]
	Albert Kesselring		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds[8]	Died in 1960 at the age of 75.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Britain Operation Shingle Battle of Monte Cassino
		Was Commander in Chief of Luftwaffe South (1941–1943), then South-west (1943–1945), then West Europe (1945). Was a very competent commander as chief of the defense of Italy against the allies, when he caused plenty of problems, even though heavily outnumbered, including at the prolonged battles of Anzio and Monte Cassino. Was a leader in the defense of Germany at the end of the war. Kesselring was widely admired and acknowledged on both sides as a "fair fighter" and was responsible for protecting priceless artworks and even the City of Rome from destruction.[1]
	Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves[8]	Died in 1945.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Britain Battle of Greece Operation Barbarossa Battle of Stalingrad
	Robert Ritter von Greim		Field Marshal	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds[8]	Committed suicide in 1945.		Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Britain Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kursk
		An ace of World War I and winner of the prestigious Pour Le Merite award. Before World War II, went to China to help build their air force. A commander of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Poland. He was loyal to Hitler to the end, flying in on the 26th 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.".[1]
	Kurt Student		Colonel General	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves[8]	Held as a Prisoner of War by the British and freed in 1948.		Invasion of Poland Battle of Crete Battle of Rotterdam Operation Market Garden
		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.[1]
Navy	Erich Raeder		Grand Admiral	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Died in 1960.		Oberkommando der Marine Operation Weserübung Battle of the Atlantic
		Commander-in-Chief of Kriegsmarine 1936-1943.[1]
	Karl Dönitz		Grand Admiral	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves[8]	Briefly became President of Germany. Spent 10 years in prison. Died in 1980.		Oberkommando der Marine Battle of the Atlantic
		Commander-in-Chief of Kriegsmarine 1943-1945.[1]

Italy

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

Japan

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Hideki Tōjō		General		Executed in 1948.		Operation Chahar Supreme War Council
		Prime minister of Japan 1941-1944 was also a military commander. Chief of the Army General Staff in 1944.[1]
	Hajime Sugiyama		Field Marshal		Committed suicide shortly after the end of the war.		Supreme War Council
		Chief of the Army General Staff 1940-1944.[1]
	Kotohito Kan'in		Field Marshal		Died in 1945		Supreme War Council
		Chief of staff of the Army, 1931–1940
	Hisaichi Terauchi		Field Marshal	Order of the Rising Sun	Died in a prisoner of war camp in Malaya June 1946.		North China Area Army Southern Expeditionary Army Group
		Son of former PM Terauchi Masatake, became the senior officer of the Imperial Japanese after the coup of 1936. Was at one time considered as Tojo successor after the latter's resignation.
	Shunroku Hata		Field Marshal		Sentenced to imprisonment.		Battle of Wuhan Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi
	Tomoyuki Yamashita		General		Executed at 1946.		Battle of Malaya Battle of Singapore Battle of Leyte Battle of Luzon
		Forced the surrender of the allies in the Battle of Singapore. Defender of the Philippines against MacArthur.[1]
	Iwane Matsui[citation needed]		General		Retired 1938, executed in 1948.		Battle of Shanghai Battle of Nanjing
Navy	Osami Nagano		Fleet Admiral		Died of a heart attack in 1947.		Supreme War Council Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
		Chief of the Navy General Staff, 1941-1944.
	Hiroyasu Fushimi		Fleet Admiral		Died in 1946.		Supreme War Council Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
		Chief of staff of the Navy, 1932-1941.
	Isoroku Yamamoto		Fleet Admiral	Order of the Chrysanthemum	The plane carrying him was shot down in 1943.
		Commander of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1939-1943.[1]
	Mineichi Koga		Fleet Admiral	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves[8]	Killed in plane crash 1944.		Battle of Hong Kong
		Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1943-1944.[1]
	Soemu Toyoda		Admiral		Died in 1957 at the age of 73.		Supreme War Council
		Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1944-1945, Chief of staff of the Navy 1945.[1]
	Chūichi Nagumo		Admiral	Order of the Rising Sun	Committed suicide in 1944 during the battle of Saipan.		Attack on Pearl Harbor Indian Ocean raid Bombing of Darwin Battle of Midway Battle of the Eastern Solomons Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
		Torpedo specialist and commander of the Carrier Striking Task Force that attacked Pearl Harbor. Successful raids at Darwin and the Indian Ocean were reversed at the Battle of Midway. Although he had tactical victories in the Guadalcanal campaigns, his battle strength was severely depleted, and was switched to the defence of the Mariana Islands.[1]
	Jisaburō Ozawa		Vice Admiral		Died in 1966.		Battle of the Philippine Sea Battle of Leyte Gulf
		Replaced Toyoda in 1945 to become Commander in Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet[1]

Thailand

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

Finland

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

Romania

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

Slovakia

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

Azad Hind

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

Others

Burma

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

Switzerland

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

Ukraine

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

See also

	World War II portal
	War portal
	History portal

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

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca} Oxford Companion to the Second World War (paperback ed.). Oxford University Press. 2005. ISBN 978-0-19-280666-6. 
2. ^ Lord Ismay (2001). NATO, the first 5 years. NATO archives. http://www.nato.int/archives/1st5years/annexes/c4.htm. 
3. ^ ^{a b} C A Portal_P
4. ^ Ossad, Steven L., Command Failures: Lessons Learned from Lloyd R. Fredendall, Army Magazine, March 2003
5. ^ "Fleet Admiral Halsey Jr Profile at Naval Historical center". http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq36-5.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-03. 
6. ^ Youngest General WW1
7. ^ Freyberg - Archives from Italy
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} List of Knight's Cross recipients
9. ^ "Marcus Wendel's Axis history site". http://www.axishistory.com/. Retrieved 2007-01-06.