Commanders of World War II

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

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

Military commanders

Allied Powers

United Kingdom

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

United States

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

Soviet Union

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Georgy Zhukov		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Twice an Order of Victory, four times Hero of the Soviet Union	Became Soviet member of the Allied Control Council for Germany.		Siege of Leningrad Battle of Moscow Battle of Stalingrad (Battles of Rzhev) Operation Bagration Battle of Berlin Eastern Front
		Successfully led the defence of Moscow and later relieved Leningrad. After vying with Rokossovsky for overall command, he led all Soviet armies in the closing stages of the war and at the Battle for Berlin.[1]
	Konstantin Rokossovsky		Marshal of the Soviet Union, Marshal of Poland	Order of Victory, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.	Polish Defense Minister		Battle of Moscow Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Kursk Battle of the Lower Dnieper Eastern Front
		Decisive role in the Battle for Moscow, led encirclement forces at Stalingrad, broke German counter-attack at Kursk, advanced into Poland and eventually linked up with the Americans at Wismar.[1]
	Aleksandr Vasilevsky		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Twice an Order of Victory, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.	Soviet Defence Minister		Battle of Moscow Second Battle of Kharkov Battle of Stalingrad - Operation Uranus Battle of the Lower Dnieper Operation Bagration 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][Alternate reference needed]
	Ivan Konev		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Order of Victory, Hero of the Soviet Union	Appointed head of the Soviet forces in East Germany.		Kalinin Front Battle of Kursk Belgorod Odessa Kharkov Kiev Vistula-Oder Offensive
		[1]
	Semyon Timoshenko		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Order of Victory, twice a Hero of the Soviet Union.	Soviet Army commander in Belarus		Invasion of Poland Winter War Battle of Smolensk Second Battle of Kharkov
Soviet Navy	Nikolai Kuznetsov		Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union	Hero of the Soviet Union	Deputy Minister of the USSR Armed Forces and Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces.		Barbarossa (Soviet naval defence) Battle of the Caucasus Eastern Front
Soviet Aviation	Alexander Novikov		Chief Marshal of Aviation of the Soviet Union	Two times Hero of the Soviet Union	Commander-in-Chief of the Air Forces of the Soviet Union Chief of the High school of civil aviation		Barbarossa (Soviet air forces) Eastern Front

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.

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]

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]

Republic of China

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