Download Omar Bradley (1893–1981), American general, who was the senior

Omar Bradley
(1893–1981), American general, who was the senior commander of U.S. ground troops
in the invasion of Europe in 1944.
Bradley was born on Feb. 12, 1893, in Clark, Mo., and educated at the U.S. Military
Academy. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1915. By the
end of World War I he had advanced to the rank of major. Between the two world wars,
Bradley was on duty at various army posts and attended successively the Infantry
School, Fort Benning, Ga.; the Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth,
Kans.; and the Army War College, Washington Barracks, D.C. (now at Carlisle
Barracks, Pa.). He attained the rank of major general in 1942. In 1943 he assumed
command of the U.S. II Corps in the North African campaign of World War II. Later in
1943 he participated in the invasion of Sicily and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
general. In 1944 Bradley commanded the U.S. First Army throughout the Normandy
campaign and the newly created U.S. Twelfth Army Group throughout the remainder of
the war. He was made a full general in March 1945; three months later he was appointed
head of the Veterans Administration.
Named by President Harry S. Truman to succeed General of the Army Dwight D.
Eisenhower as chief of staff of the U.S. Army, Bradley assumed the position in 1948.
From 1949 until his retirement from the army in 1953, Bradley was chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, the principal group of military advisers to the president. Bradley
was promoted to the rank of General of the Army in 1950. He died in New York City on
April 8, 1981. An autobiography, A Soldier’s Story, was published in 1951
Bernard Montgomery
1887–1976), British military leader, who played a prominent role in the Allied victories
in Africa and Europe during World War II. He was born in London on Nov. 17, 1887,
and educated at the Royal Military College. He entered the British army in 1908 and
served in World War I as a captain. In 1942, during World War II, he was appointed
commander of the British Eighth Army in Africa; two months later he began an
offensive at al-Alamayn (el-Alamein), Egypt, which resulted in the expulsion of the
German-Italian forces under the German general Erwin Rommel, first from Egypt and
then from Cyrenaica and Tripolitania in Libya. In 1943 he gained another victory over
Rommel at the Battle of the Mareth Line in southern Tunisia. As commander in chief of
the British armies on the western front, he served under the supreme commander of
Allied forces, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, from December 1943 to August 1944, when
he was promoted to field marshal in command of English and Canadian troops. In 1946
Montgomery was created viscount and made chief of the imperial general staff. He was
deputy supreme commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces from 1951
to 1958. Montgomery died in Alton, England, on March 25, 1976. His writings include
his memoirs, published in 1958, and The Path to Leadership (1961).
Charles de Gaulle
(1890–1970), French general and statesman, the architect of the Fifth French Republic
and its first president (1959–69).
De Gaulle was born on Nov. 22, 1890, in Lille and educated at Saint-Cyr Military
Academy. During World War I he served with distinction at Verdun, was three times
wounded, and was finally taken prisoner by the Germans. After the war he was aide-decamp to Marshal Henri Pétain. De Gaulle won prominence by his advocacy of a highly
mechanized French army, such as described in his books on military tactics. Early in
World War II he attained the rank of brigadier general. After the fall of France he
escaped to London, where he announced the formation of a French national committee
in exile. In 1942 this committee was officially recognized by the Allied governments and
the Resistance leaders in France. As its president de Gaulle commanded French troops
fighting with the Allied armies as well as those participating in the Resistance in
German-occupied France.
Leader of the Free French Forces.
The forces under de Gaulle's command, including French colonials and a considerable
part of the French fleet, made an unsuccessful attack on Dakar (now in Senegal) in
September 1940, joined the British forces in the conquest of Syria (1941), and took
control of Madagascar (1942). In June 1943 de Gaulle joined the French Committee of
National Liberation in Algiers, capital of the French colony of Algeria as copresident
with Gen. Henri Giraud. After maneuvering Giraud out, in 1943, de Gaulle became sole
president of the committee, which moved its headquarters from Algiers to London in
May 1944 and to Paris in August 1944, after the liberation of France by the Allies. The
following month the committee was recognized by the U.S. government as the de facto
government of France. De Gaulle became provisional premier-president in November
1945. Two months later he resigned, his proposals for increasing the powers of the
president having met with hostility from the people and the legislature of France. In
1947 he organized a new political movement, the Rassemblement du Peuple Français
(Rally of the People of France), or RPF. Under his leadership, the RPF worked to
strengthen the central government, balance the budget, promote private enterprise, and
remove state controls on the economic life of France. By 1953, however, the strength of
the movement had so declined that de Gaulle disavowed it and went into retirement.
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov
1896–1974), Soviet military officer, born near Moscow. He served in the Russian
imperial army during World War I, joined the Red Army in 1918, and fought as a
cavalry commander in the Russian Civil War. After the war, he studied armored warfare
at the Frunze (now Bishkek) Military Academy. In 1939, using tanks, he was victorious
during the Soviet-Japanese clashes on the Manchurian border; the following year, he was
made chief of staff while fighting in the Russo-Finnish War.
During World War II, Zhukov commanded the defense of Moscow; he was involved in
most other important Soviet battles and led the final attack on Berlin. A marshal since
1943, he remained in Germany to head the Soviet occupation forces. Shortly after his
triumphant return to Moscow in 1946, he was demoted to a regional post by Premier
Joseph Stalin, who resented the marshal’s prestige. Following Stalin’s death in 1953,
Zhukov became first deputy minister of defense in 1955 and a member of the executive
committee of the Communist party in July 1957; three months later he was dismissed
from both offices for allegedly giving military affairs priority over party concerns.
Marshal Zhukov’s Greatest Battles, an English translation of articles by Zhukov that
appeared in Soviet periodicals between 1965 and 1968, was published in 1969; the first
American edition of The Memoirs of Marshal G. Zhukov was published in 1971.
Erwin Rommel
(1891–1944), German field marshal, renowned for his African desert victories during
World War II. Born in Heidenheim, he joined the German army in 1910. After winning
awards for bravery in World War I, he taught in military academies. In the German push
to the English Channel in 1940 Rommel headed the victorious 7th Tank Division. He
was made a lieutenant general the following year and placed in command of the Afrika
Korps in North Africa. He achieved a brilliant record as a tactician in desert warfare,
driving the British from Libya to el-Alamein (al-Alamayn) by June 1942; his victories
earned him promotion to field marshal as well as the nickname the Desert Fox.
Subsequent reverses forced him back to Tunis, and he returned home in March 1943
before the final surrender of the Afrika Korps. In 1944 he commanded the German
armies charged with the defense of northern France. Accused of complicity in the
attempt on Hitler's life in July 1944, he chose to take poison rather than stand trial.
Herman Goering
(1893–1946), also spelled Goering, German field marshal, commander in chief of the
German air force, and the second most powerful leader of Nazi Germany.
Göring was born on Jan. 12, 1893, in Rosenheim, Bavaria, and educated at the cadet
college in Karlsruhe and the officers' school at Lichterfelde, near Berlin. During World
War I he served in the German air force, and in 1918, upon the death of his squadron
leader, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, he became squadron leader. Göring met Adolf
Hitler in 1921 and a year later became a leader of the National Socialist (Nazi) party. He
was wounded in the unsuccessful Munich beer-hall Putsch of 1923, and morphine given
to ease his pain from the wound made him a permanent drug addict. After an exile in
nearby countries for four years, he was elected a member of the Reichstag, the German
parliament, in 1928 and became president of that body in 1932.
Göring became Reich minister for air forces upon the National Socialist accession to
power early in 1933; he also served as premier of Prussia and, for one year, as minister
of the interior and head of all German police forces. In 1936 he became economic
“dictator” of Germany. As commander in chief of the German air force, Göring planned
much of the strategy, involving close and highly effective coordination between the
German ground and air forces, that resulted in the rapid conquests of Poland, Norway,
Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France in 1939 and 1940. He also devised the
policy of terror bombing, whereby entire cities, such as Rotterdam, Holland, and
Coventry, England, were nearly leveled by aerial bombardment as a means of
subjugating their civilian populations. He used his position to enrich himself and
systematically looted the art treasures of the Nazi-occupied countries for his private
collection.
Göring surrendered to U.S. forces in 1945 and was tried, with other German war leaders,
by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. Found guilty on all counts and
sentenced to death by hanging, he poisoned himself on Oct. 15, 1946, hours before his
scheduled execution.
Karl Doenitz
(1891–1980), German admiral, who briefly headed the Nazi state after Adolf Hitler’s
suicide in April 1945. Having served as a submarine commander in World War I, he
became chief of the German submarine service in 1935 and was naval commander in
chief during the last two years of World War II. Designated by Hitler as his successor,
Doenitz presided over Germany’s surrender to the Allies in May 1945. He was convicted
of war crimes at the Nuremberg trials in 1947 and was imprisoned until 1956; thereafter
he lived in retirement.
Dwight Eisenhower
Service in World War II.
During training exercises in 1940–41, Eisenhower won praise in several army staff
positions, culminating in that of chief of staff of the Third Army; at the same time he
was promoted to brigadier general. Called to the War Department as a Philippines expert
a few days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, he won further
promotion to major general and was named chief of the newly organized Operations
Division of the General Staff three months later. By this time the army's top planner, he
then prepared plans for the European theater of operations, and in June 1942 he was
given command of U.S. forces in Europe by Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall.
Subsequently as Allied commander in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, he
demonstrated outstanding skill in forging the allies into an effective fighting force and
managing the large-scale operations.
Appointed supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force for the invasion of
France, Eisenhower, by then a full general, began his new assignment in January 1944.
In the months prior to the invasion, on June 6, 1944, he supervised the preparation of air,
sea, and land forces and all other strategic planning and made the crucial decision on the
date of the assault. During the fighting that ensued until the end of the war in Europe,
Eisenhower, who became General of the Army in December 1944, had the overall
responsibility of strategic and administrative control of an Allied force that eventually
numbered more than 4,500,000. Because it was strategically safer and logistically
sounder, Eisenhower employed a broad-front strategy, requiring all his armies to
advance more or less simultaneously. This caused disagreement with the British
commander, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who favored the risky single-thrust
theory of concentrating the attack in one area. As supreme commander, Eisenhower
prevailed, skillfully using his knowledge and experience combined with charm and tact
to achieve success in his task, which involved not only fighting the Germans but also
dealing with sometimes difficult allies and troublesome subordinates.
Omar Bradley
1. What rank did Bradley become in 1942?
2. In 1943, Bradley helps lead the invasion of what island?
3. Where did Bradley fight in 1944?
4. What title did Bradley take in 1948?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Major general
Sicily
Normandy
Chief of Staff of U.S. Army
Bernard Montgomery
1. Montgomery was from what country?
2. In 1942, Montgomery was fighting in what continent?
3. What German general did Montgomery compete against in Africa?
4. Montgomery was commander of what organization from 1951-1958?
1.
2.
3.
4.
England
Africa
Rommel
North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces
Charles de Gaulle
1. De Gaulle was from what country?
2. Where does De Gaulle go once France falls to the Nazis?
3. De Gaulle helped conquer what two pieces of land in 1941 and 1942?
4. De Gaulle’s headquarters was changed in August 1944 when what country was
liberated?
1.
2.
3.
4.
France
London
Syria (1941) Madagascar (1942)
France
Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov
1. Zhukov was from what country?
2. What clashes was Zhukov victorious at in 1939?
3. What city did Zhukov help defend during WW II?
4. What leader passed away in 1953?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Soviet Union
Soviet Japanese forces
Moscow
Stalin
Erwin Rommel
1. Rommel was from what country?
2. What kind of division did Rommel command in 1940?
3. What was Rommel’s nickname?
4. What ultimately happened to Rommel
1.
2.
3.
4.
Germany
Tank division
Desert Fox
Took poison instead of standing trial for Hitler’s assassination plot
Herman Goering
1. What did Goering command (what branch of the military)?
2. When did Hitler meet Goering?
3. What kind of “treasures” did Goering take for himself?
4. What ultimately happened to Goering
1.
2.
3.
4.
Air force (Luftwaffe)
1921
Art treasures
Poisoned himself October 15th 1946, hours before his execution
Karl Doenitz
1. What was Doenitz’s job after Hitler was dead (very brief)?
2. What branch of the military did Doenitz command?
3. When does Doenitz surrender to the Allies?
4. What was Doenitz convicted of in 1947? When was he released?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Lead the Nazi state
Submarine
May 1945
War crimes, released in 1956
Dwight Eisenhower
1. Eisenhower led the invasion of what country June 6th, 1944?
2. What title did Eisenhower have in December 1944?
3. How many people did he command?
4. What British commander did Eisenhower disagree with?
1.
2.
3.
4.
France
General of the Army
4.5 million
Montgomery
Name _______________
Important Military Leaders of World War II
Directions: You will work at 8 stations for about 4 minutes each to complete the
questions below. Use the readings you will find at the stations. Please leave the
readings on the desks, do not take them with you.
Omar Bradley
1. What rank did Bradley become in 1942?
2. In 1943, Bradley helps lead the invasion of what island?
3. Where did Bradley fight in 1944?
4. What title did Bradley take in 1948?
Bernard Montgomery
1. Montgomery was from what country?
2. In 1942, Montgomery was fighting in what continent?
3. What German general did Montgomery compete against in Africa?
4. Montgomery was commander of what organization from 1951-1958?
Charles de Gaulle
1. De Gaulle was from what country?
2. Where does De Gaulle go once France falls to the Nazis?
3. De Gaulle helped conquer what two pieces of land in 1941 and 1942?
4. De Gaulle’s headquarters was changed in August 1944 when what country was
liberated?
Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov
1. Zhukov was from what country?
2. What clashes was Zhukov victorious at in 1939?
3. What city did Zhukov help defend during WW II?
4. What Soviet leader passed away in 1953?
Erwin Rommel
1. Rommel was from what country?
2. What kind of division did Rommel command in 1940?
3. What was Rommel’s nickname?
4. What ultimately happened to Rommel?
Herman Goering
1. What did Goering command (what branch of the military)?
2. When did Hitler meet Goering?
3. What kind of “treasures” did Goering take for himself?
4. What ultimately happened to Goering?
Karl Doenitz
1. What was Doenitz’s job after Hitler was dead (very brief)?
2. What branch of the military did Doenitz command?
3. When does Doenitz surrender to the Allies?
4. What was Doenitz convicted of in 1947? When was he released?
Dwight Eisenhower
1. Eisenhower led the invasion of what country June 6th, 1944?
2. What title did Eisenhower have in December 1944?
3. How many people did he command?
4. What British commander did Eisenhower disagree with?