Gen. George S. Patton Jr. observed that, “By perseverance, study and eternal desire, any man can become great.” Patton was among a few leaders throughout World War II that embodied these principles and truly became great. While the Second World War was one of the bloodiest conflicts in history, it was marked by great leaders that ultimately turned the tide and saved countless more lives from being lost. (These are the highest ranking generals and admirals in U.S. military history.)
On the other side, there were leaders opposed to the ideals of freedom and liberty that sought to break the world order and remake it in their own vision. Although these men are not remembered favorably for their actions during this time, they wielded incredible military power, which would in the end fall to an Allied victory.
To identify the military commanders of World War II, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of WWII commanders from Normandy 1944, an online database of WWII history. We ordered these commanders alphabetically. We included supplemental information from other historical and military sources regarding birth and death dates, political affiliation, highest rank attained during the war, and nationality.
Patton is one of the most widely recognized military figures from this era as he was responsible for leading U.S. troops into the Mediterranean theater as well as in Operation Overlord and the Allied invasion of France. Patton would later go on to lead troops in the Battle of the Bulge, which is considered one of the most decisive Allied victories on the Western Front. (These are America’s most famous WWII generals.)
Fighting against Patton on the side of the Axis Powers was Erwin Rommel, nicknamed “the Desert Fox”. Rommel is considered one of the greatest tank commanders to ever live thanks to his campaigns in North Africa in World War II. Rommel proved the effectiveness of tanks in combat through their maneuverability, hit-and-run attacks, and tactical retreat. This was not lost on the Allied Forces, namely Patton, who also would strategically use American tanks to march across Europe and claim victory for the Allies.
Here is a look at the military commanders of World War II:
Adolf Hitler
Source: Keystone / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
- Nationality: German
- Highest rank: Chancellor of Germany
- Political affiliation: National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazi Party)
- Birth and death: April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945
Andrew McNaughton
Source: 191031534@N08 / Flickr
- Nationality: Canadian
- Highest rank: Chief of the General Staff
- Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
- Birth and death: February 25, 1887 – July 11, 1966
Benito Mussolini
Source: Keystone / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
- Nationality: Italian
- Highest rank: Prime Minister of Italy
- Political affiliation: National Facist Party
- Birth and death: July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945
Bernard Montgomery
Source: Central Press / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
- Nationality: British
- Highest rank: Field Marshal
- Political affiliation: Liberal
- Birth and death: November 17, 1887 – March 24, 1976
Charles de Gualle
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Nationality: French
- Highest rank: Chairman of the French National Committee, Brigade general
- Political affiliation: Free France
- Birth and death: November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Nationality: American
- Highest rank: Supreme Allied Commander
- Political affiliation: Republican
- Birth and death: October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969
Erwin Rommel
Source: tom-margie / Flickr
- Nationality: German
- Highest rank: Generalfeldmarschall (Field marshal general)
- Political affiliation: National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazi Party)
- Birth and death: November 15, 1891 – October 14, 1944
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Source: FPG / Archive Photos via Getty Images
- Nationality: American
- Highest rank: President of the United States
- Political affiliation: Democrat
- Birth and death: January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945
George Smith Patton Jr.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Nationality: American
- Highest rank: General of the Army
- Political affiliation: Republican
- Birth and death: November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945
Georgy Zhukov
Source: alexxx-malev / Flickr
- Nationality: Russian
- Highest rank: Marshal of the Soviet Union
- Political affiliation: Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Birth and death: December 1, 1896 – June 1, 1974
Guy Simonds
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Nationality: Canadian
- Highest rank: Lieutenant General
- Political affiliation: Not available
- Birth and death: April 23, 1903 – May 15, 1974
Harry S. Truman
Source: Fotosearch / Archive Photos via Getty Images
- Nationality: American
- Highest rank: President of the United States
- Political affiliation: Democrat
- Birth and death: May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972
Heinrich Himmler
Source: Central Press / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
- Nationality: German
- Highest rank: Reichsfuhrer SS (Commander of the SS)
- Political affiliation: National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazi Party)
- Birth and death: October 7, 1900 – May 23, 1945
Hirohito (Emperor Showa)
Source: Central Press / Hulton Royals Collection via Getty Images
- Nationality: Japanese
- Highest rank: Emperor of Japan
- Political affiliation: Imperial Japan
- Birth and death: April 29, 1901 – January 7, 1989
Hugh “Stuffy” Dowding
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Nationality: Scottish
- Highest rank: Air Chief Marshal
- Political affiliation: Not available
- Birth and death: April 24, 1882 – February 15, 1970
Joseph Goebbels
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Nationality: German
- Highest rank: Minister of Propaganda
- Political affiliation: National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazi Party)
- Birth and death: October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945
Joseph Stalin
Source: AlexeyBorodin / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Nationality: Russian
- Highest rank: Secretary of the Communist Party
- Political affiliation: Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Birth and death: December 18, 1878 – March 5, 1953
Omar N. Bradley
Source: photosnormandie / Flickr
- Nationality: American
- Highest rank: General of the Army
- Political affiliation: Republican
- Birth and death: February 12, 1893 – April 8, 1981
Reinhard Heydrich
Source: adam_jones / Flickr
- Nationality: German
- Highest rank: Reichssicherheitshauptamt (High ranking SS and police official)
- Political affiliation: National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazi Party)
- Birth and death: March 7, 1904 – June 4, 1942
Winston Churchill
Source: Central Press / Getty Images
- Nationality: British
- Highest rank: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Political affiliation: Conservative and Unionist Party (“Tories”)
- Birth and death: November 30, 1874 – January 24, 1965
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