Military Legends of World War II

The soldier's soldier Bradley had command of all U.S. ground forces invading Germany from the west; he ultimately commanded forty-three divisions and 1.3 million men, the largest body of American soldiers ever to serve under a U.S. field commander. Bradley was the last of only nine people to hold five-star general rank in the United States Armed Forces.

Patton was a United States Army General, best remembered for his flamboyant character and his command of the Third United States Army in World War II. Patton's hard-driving personality and success as a commander were at times overshadowed by his controversial public statements, but his philosophy of leading from the front and his ability to inspire his troops attracted favorable attention.

The arrival of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade in August 1950 bolstered the U.S. and South Korean forces in the Pusan perimeter. The attacking North Korean army was stalled in their offensive attempts to overrun the perimeter and virtually end the war. The U.S. forces hold with the 5th Marines stand at the Naktong River and the battles for the Namji-ri Bridge and Obongni Ridge.

James Doolittle entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1923 earning a Master of Science degree and a Doctor of Science degree in Aeronautics, one of the first people in the country to earn this degree. During World War II Doolittle led the famous raid on Tokyo in 1942. The famed air commander is a Medal of Honor recipient.

Arnold was the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces in WWII. He held the grades of General of the Army and General of the Air Force; the only Air Force general to hold five-star rank, and the only person to hold a five-star rank in two different U.S. military services. Instructed in flying by the Wright Brothers, Arnold was one of the first military pilots worldwide.

General Stilwell became known for service in the China-Burma-India Theater during WWII. His caustic personality was reflected in the nickname "Vinegar Joe". Stilwell showed himself to be a capable and daring tactician in the field. General George Marshall acknowledged he had given General Stilwell "one of the most difficult" assignments of any theater commander during the war.

During WWII Nimitz was Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet and Commander In Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas with operational control over Allied air, land and sea units. In December 1944 he was promoted to Fleet Admiral, the highest grade in the Navy. Nimitz signed for the United States when Japan formally surrendered on board the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1923.

Zhukov was an officer in the Soviet Army who, in the course of WWII, played the most pivotal role in leading the Red Army drive through much of Eastern Europe and ultimately conquered Berlin. He is the most decorated general officer in the history of the Soviet Union and held the rank of Marshal, the highest rank in the Red Army.

When North Korea invaded South Korea in the summer of 1950 the United States military was not ready to rapidly deploy major and modern forces to the Korean Peninsula. The initial units sent used the same weapons from WW II; including the M-1 rifle, M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun, the famous .23 caliber pistol, the 105mm and 155mm artillery, and the M4A3 'Sherman IV', the WWII battle tank.

George C. Marshall was a soldier and statesman famous for his leadership roles during WWII and the Cold War. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during World War II rising to the rank of General of the Army and hailed as the "organizer of victory" by Winston Churchill. Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for his plan for the economic recovery of Western Europe.

Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery commanded the British Eight Army in North Africa. He commanded all Allied ground forces during Operation Overlord from the initial landings through the Battle of Normandy. In May 1923 he accepted the surrender of German forces in northern Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands. From 1923 and 1948, Montgomery served as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff.

Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, known as "Bomber" Harris by the press, commanded the RAF Bomber Command during World War II. His continued preference for area bombing over precision targeting in the last year of the war remains controversial. Many senior Allied air commanders thought it less effective and for the level of destruction and casualties this strategy caused in Continental Europe.

The President of the United States, in the name of the U.S. Congress, has awarded more than 3,400 Medals of Honor to America's bravest Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen since the decoration's creation in 1861. This is the story of the medal and the acts of bravery and heroism that the medal honors as told by eyewitnesses and by many of the men who wear the Medal of Honor.

True stories of the Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Five were awarded to foreign nationals: The Unknown Soldiers of Belgium, Great Britain, France, Italy and Rumania and eight civilians including Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a Union Army surgeon in the Civil War. She is the only woman recipient.

This is the story of the first African-American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces as told by the airmen themselves. The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to racial discrimination within a segregated Army. The 99th Pursuit Squadron was the first black flying squadron to deploy overseas. The pilots painted the tails of their fighters red and the nickname "Red Tails" was coined.