Commanders of World War II

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The Commanders of World War II were for the most part career soldiers.^{[verification needed]} 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 (USSR) and Benito Mussolini (Italy), acted as supreme military commanders as well as civil commanders of their respective countries or empires.^[1]

Contents 1 Military commanders 1.1 Allied Powers 1.1.1 United Kingdom 1.1.2 United States 1.1.3 Soviet Union 1.1.4 Poland 1.1.5 France 1.1.6 Republic of China 1.1.7 Greece 1.1.8 Netherlands 1.1.9 Yugoslavia 1.2 Axis Powers 1.2.1 Germany 1.2.2 Italy 1.2.3 Japan 1.2.4 Finland 1.2.5 Romania 2 See also 3 References

[edit] Military commanders

[edit] Allied Powers

[edit] United Kingdom

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Alan Brooke		Field Marshal	1st Viscount Alanbrooke	Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast.[verification needed]		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 (WWI).	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		Field Marshal	Order of the Bath	Commander-in-Chief, India		Battle of Norway 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]
Royal Navy	Dudley Pound		Admiral of the Fleet	Knight of the British Empire	Died of illness, October 1943.		Battle of Atlantic
		First Sea Lord 1939-1943.[1]
	Andrew Cunningham		Admiral of the Fleet	Distinguished Service Order, 1st Viscount of Hyndhope			Battle of Crete Battle of Taranto Battle of Cape Matapan Siege of Malta
		First Sea Lord 1943-1946.[1]

[edit] United States

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	George Marshall		General of the Army	Distinguished Service Medal,[verification needed] Silver Star,[verification needed] GCB[verification needed]	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,[verification needed] Medal of Honor (offered).[verification needed]	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	Distinguished Service Medal (Army and Navy).[verification needed]	Became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff[verification needed]		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[verification needed]	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,[verification needed] Philippine Medal of Valor[verification needed]	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.[verification needed][1]
Navy	Ernest King		Fleet Admiral	Navy Cross[verification needed]	Retired on December 15, 1945.		Battle of Atlantic
		[1]
	Chester Nimitz		Fleet Admiral	Distinguished Service Medal[verification needed]	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 Harbour, 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.		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[verification needed]	Chairman of the General Board,[verification needed] retired in 1947.[verification needed]		Battle of Coral Sea Battle of Midway Battle of the Eastern Solomons
		Sunk 6 enemy carriers.[verification needed] In November 1942, he became Commander, Thirteenth Naval District and Commander, Northwestern Sea Frontier.[verification needed] 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 Army				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		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		Major General		Replaced Arnold in September 1947 to become chief of the US Air Force.		North African Campaign (Air support) Normandy campaign (Air support)
		One of the pioneers of US military aviation, Spaatz advocated the use of scientific analysis to bombing raids, and made effective use of long range fighters, tactics which helped the Allies achieve air superiority over Europe.[1]

[edit] Soviet Union

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Georgy Zhukov		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Twice an Order of Victory,[verification needed] four times Hero of the Soviet Union[verification needed]	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
		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	Order of Victory[verification needed]	Polish Defense Minister[verification needed]		Battle of Moscow Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Kursk Battle of the Lower Dnieper
		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 a Order of Victory,[verification needed] twice Hero of the Soviet Union.[verification needed]	Soviet Defence Minister[verification needed]		Battle of Moscow Second Battle of Kharkov Battle of Stalingrad - Operation Uranus Battle of the Lower Dnieper Operation Bagration Operation August Storm (Battle of Manchuria)
		Stalin's strategic specialist who planned and carried through many successful Soviet operations as overall commander, particularly the encirclement at Stalingrad and the grand plan for Bagration. Commander-in-Chief of Soviet Forces in the Far East during Operation August Storm.[1]
	Nikolai Vatutin		General of the Army		Killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.[verification needed]		Battle of Moscow[verification needed] Voronezh Front Battle of Kursk[verification needed] Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket[verification needed]
		Deputy of the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army.[verification needed] Decisive Soviet commander at Kursk,[verification needed] outmanouvered German commander Manstein[verification needed] and later routed German forces in Korsun salient.[verification needed][1][Alternate reference needed]
	Ivan Konev		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Order of Victory,[verification needed] Hero of the Soviet Union[verification needed]	Appointed head of the Soviet forces in East Germany.[verification needed]		Kalinin Front Battle of Kursk Belgorod[verification needed] Odessa[verification needed] Kharkov Kiev[verification needed] Vistula-Oder Offensive
		[1]
	Semyon Timoshenko		Marshal of the Soviet Union	Order of Victory,[verification needed] twice a Hero of the Soviet Union.[verification needed]	Soviet Army commander in Belarus[verification needed]		Invasion of Poland Winter War Battle of Smolensk Second Battle of Kharkov
Soviet Navy	Nikolai Kuznetsov[verification needed]		Admiral of the Fleet[verification needed]	Hero of the Soviet Union[verification needed]	Deputy Minister of the USSR Armed Forces[verification needed] and Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces.[verification needed]		Barbarossa (Soviet naval defence)[verification needed] Battle of the Caucasus[verification needed]
		[verification needed]

[edit] Poland

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Edward Rydz-Śmigły		Marshal of Poland	Order of the White Eagle[verification needed]	Suffered heart attack[verification needed] 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		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]
	Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski		Lieutenant General	Order of the White Eagle[verification needed]	Elected Prime Minister of Polish government in Exile.		Polish Resistance Warsaw Uprising
		Commanded the main part of the Warsaw Uprising.[1]

[edit] France

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Charles de Gaulle		Brigade General	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 Battle of Paris
		Defied Vichy France by vowing to continue fighting after the French surrender. He headed the Free French Forces, who assisted the Allies in the liberation of France in 1944.[1]
	Maurice Gamelin		General		Died in 1958.		Battle of France
		Commander-in-Chief of French army during Battle of France, was replaced in 20 May 1940.[1]
	Maxime Weygand	Image:General maxime weyland.jpg	General		Arrested on charges of treason but acquitted.		Battle of France
		Commander-in-Chief of French army during the Battle of France from 20 May 1940 until the surrender of France. Oversaw the creation of the Weygand line, an early application of the Hedgehog tactic.[1]
French Navy	François Darlan	Image:Darlan.jpg	Admiral of the Fleet		Murdered by Bonnier de La Chapelle December 1942.		Mers-el-Kébir Operation Torch
		Built up the French Navy to prepare for war, only to see it destroyed by the British Navy. Served the Vichy France government and was tipped to become Pétain's successor. Was commander of Vichy French forces in Operation Torch. After arranging a ceasefire, he defected to the Allied side.[1]

[edit] Republic of China

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Chiang Kai-shek		Generalissimo		After the war against Japan, resumed civil war against the communists. Retreated to Taiwan and led the Kuomintang (KMT) government there until his death.		Battle of Shanghai Battle of Wuhan
		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.
		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
	Li Zongren		General		Fought on the side of the Republic of China in the civil war.		Battle of Taierzhuang Battle of Xuzhou
	Xue Yue		General		Fought on the side of the Republic of China in the civil war.		Battle of Wuhan Battle of Nanchang 2nd Battle of Changsha 3rd Battle of Changsha 4th Battle of Changsha

[edit] Greece

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Alexander Papagos		Lieutenant General		Led Greek army in Greek Civil War and later became the country's Prime Minister.		Greco-Italian War Battle of Greece
		Was Commander-in-Chief of Greek Army during World War II.[1]

[edit] Netherlands

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Henri Winkelman		General	Order of William[verification needed]	Died in 1952.		Battle of the Netherlands
		Was Commander-in-Chief of the Netherlands army during the Battle of the Netherlands.[1]
Navy	Karel Doorman		Rear admiral		Died in Battle of the Java Sea.		Netherlands East Indies campaign
		Commander of the combined American, British, Dutch and Australian (ABDA) fleet in the Dutch East Indies.[1]

[edit] Yugoslavia

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Josip Broz Tito		Marshal of Yugoslavia		Became leader of Yugoslavia.		People's Liberation War
		Led Yugoslav Partisans.[1]

[edit] Axis Powers

[edit] Germany

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

[edit] Italy

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

[edit] Japan

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

Prince Kan'in (Kotohito), Chief of staff of the Army, 1931-1940, died in 1945

Prince Hiroyasu Fushimi, Chief of staff of the Navy, 1932-1941, died in 1946

[edit] Finland

Armed Force	Name		Highest Rank	Highest Award	Fate	Casualties inflicted	Theatres / Battles
Army	Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim		Marshal of Finland	Mannerheim Cross[verification needed]	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]

[edit] Romania

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

[edit] See also

World War II Allied Leaders

[edit] References

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