George S. PATTON Jr.
(1885 - 1945)

("Blood and Guts") US soldier. He served in World War I and formed the first US tank force, leading it in action 1918. He was appointed to command the 2nd Armored Division in 1940 and became commanding general of the First Armored Corps 1941. In 1942 he led the Western Task Force that landed in Casablanca, Morocco. After commanding the 7th Army in the invasion of Sicily, he led the 3rd Army across France and into Germany and Czechoslovakia. He played a central role in stopping the German counteroffensive at the Battle of the Bulge (Dec. 1944 - Jan. 1945).

Bernard Law MONTGOMERY
(1887 - 1976)

("1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein") British Field Marshal. He commanded part of the British Expeditionary Force in France 1939-40 and took part in the subsequent evacuation from Dunkirk. In August 1942 he took command of the 8th Army, then barring the German advance on Cairo; his victory at El Alamein in November turned the tide in N Africa and was followed by the expulsion of Rommel from Egypt and rapid Allied advance into Tunisia. In February 1943 Montgomery's forces came under US general Eisenhower's command, and they took part in the conquest of Tunisia and Sicily and the invasion of Italy. Montgomery was promoted to field marshal 1944 and commanded the Allied forces during the opening phase of the invasion of France June 1944, and from August the British and commonwealth troops that liberated the Netherlands, overran N Germany, and enterd Denmark.

Georgi Konstantinovitch ZHUKOV
(1896 - 1974)

Soviet soldier and minister of defense 1955-57. Zhukov joined the Bolsheviks and the Red Army 1918 and led a cavalry regiment in the Civil War 1918-20. His army defeated the Japanese forces in Mongolia 1939 (Khalkhin Gol War). As chief of staff from 1941, he defended Moskow 1941, counter attacked at Stalingrad 1942, organized the relief of Leningrad 1943, and led the offensive from the Ukraine (March 1944) which ended in the fall of Berlin.

Charles André Joseph Marie De GAULLE.
(1890 - 1970)

French general and first president of the Fifth Republic 1958-69. He refused to accept the new prime minister Petain's truce with the Germans June 1940 and June 18 made his historic broadcast calling on the French to continue the war against Germany. He based himself in England as leader of the Free France troops fighting the Germans 1940-45. In 1944 he entered Paris in triumph and was briefly head of the provisional government before resigning over the new constitution of the Fourth Republic 1946.

Phillipe LECLERC
(1902 - 1947)

(real name : Jacques Phillipe de Hautecloque) French soldier. A captain in the 4th French Infantry Division, he deserted 1940 to avoid surrendering. He was captured and escaped twice, eventually arriving in England where he joined De Gaulle. He was appointed general officer commanding French Equatorial Africa and governor of Chad and Cameroun, and changed his name to avoid repercussions against his family in France.
Leclerc led his troops across the Sahara desert to join the British 8th Army Dec 1942 and they played an important role in the battle of the Mareth Line.

Heinz GUDERIAN
(1888 - 1954)

German soldier. He created the Panzer divisions that formed the ground spearhead of Hitler's Blitzkrieg attack strategy, achieving a significant break-through at Sedan 1940, and leading the advance to Moskow in Operation Barbarossa 1941. His initial advance was rapid but winter and determined Soviet resistance led him to make a partial withdrawal and Hitler dismissed him from his post. He was reinstated as inspector general of armoured troops 1943 and became Chief of Staff after the July 20, 1944 Bomb Plot, but was dismissed by Hitler March 1945.

Erwin ROMMEL
(1891 - 1944)

German soldier. He served in World War I, and in World War II played an important part in the invasions of Central Europe and France. He was commander of the Afrika Korps starting from the N African offensive from 1941 (when he was nicknamed "Desert Fox") but was defeated in the Battle of El Alamein in Nov.1942. He retreated to Tunisia and defeated US forces at Kasserine Pass Feb 1943 before being finally defeated himself at Medenine the following month. He was assigned to the defence of N Italy 1944 and then moved to France as commander of Army Group B, strengthening coastal defense prior to the D-Day landings in Normandy June 6, 1944. He was forced to commit suicide after being implicated in the July 20, 1944 Bomb Plot.

Erich von MANSTEIN
(1887 - 1973)

German soldier. He served as Chief of Staff to von Rundstedt in the Polish and French campaigns 1939-40 (he's considered to be the "father" of the Blietzkrieg attack strategy). In 1941 he commanded a Panzer Corps of Army Group North in Operation Barbarossa, then took command of the 11th Army in the Crimea, being promoted to field marshal on the fall of Sevastopol. He was given the task of capturing Leningrad Aug 1942, but was then moved to Army Group Don and ordered to relieve the Paulus' 6th Army trapped in Stalingrad. He was unable to help the trapped army but dealt with the subsequent Soviet offensive and captured Kharkov. He fought at Kursk 1943 ("Operation Zitadel"), after which he conducted the withdrawal of Army Group South. After a series of arguments with Hitler over this withdrawal he was dismissed and took no further part in the war.

Wilhelm Ritter von THOMA
( .... - .... )

German soldier. He commanded the German panzerwaffe (a Batallion formed by Pz.Kpfw I and II) during the War of Spain. He commanded a Panzer Regiment in Poland 1939, then joined the Mobile Troops Office in General Headquarters. He led the 6th and then 20th Panzer Divisionen in the invasion of USSR 1941 and Sept 1942 was given command of the Afrika Korps. He was captured by the British November 4, 1942 during the Second Battle of El Alamein.

Fridolin von SENGER und ETTERLIN
( 1891 - .... )

German soldier. During the Blietzkrieg, in May 1940, he commanded a motorized unit. After the French defeat he remained in France for a couple of years; in 1942 he was appointed Commander of the 17th Panzer division on the Eastern Front. His division was one of the German units which tried to relieve Paulus' 6th Army from the hell of Stalingrad. During 1943 he was transferred to Sicily as a subordinate to Kesserling and, in that period, assisted (October 1943) the 90th Panzergrenadier retreat from Corsica. Appointed Commander of the 14th Panzerkorps, Senger, a master in the

Annibale BERGONZOLI
( 1884 - 1973 )

Italian soldier. He served in all the wars of this century, from the Italian-Turkish War (1911), to the World War I (during which he was awarded two Silver Medals, one Bronze Medal, and the British Military Cross), from the Eastern African War (where commanded, as Brigadeer General, the 2.a Divisione Brigata Celere) to the War of Spain (where he commanded, as Division General, the Littorio Division and was awarded the Gold Medal ).
During the World War II he led the 23rd Army Corps in N Africa and took part to the Marmarica campaign and the defense of Bardia 1941. He was captured on February 6, 1941 and returned to Italy in March 1946. He was nicknamed "electric beard".