Military Personalities

[Bootie]

Hans von Arnim


Hans von Arnim was born in Ernsdorf, Germany on 4th April 1889. He joined the German Army in 1907 and during the First World War fought on the Western Front and the Eastern Front.
He remained in the army and spent a year in the Defence Ministry (1924-25) before taking command of the elite 68th Infantry Regiment in Berlin. In January 1938 he was promoted to the rank of major general and was sent to head the Army Service Department in Silesia.
On the outbreak of the Second World War Arnim was placed in command of the 52th Infantry Division. He took part in the invasion of Poland and France. Promoted to the rank of lieutenant general he served under General Heinz Guderian during Operation Barbarossa. However, he was serious wounded at Stolpce on 24th June 1941. After making a full recovery he took part in the encirclement of Kiev and the capture of Bryansk.
In November 1942, Arnim was promoted to general and placed in command of the 5th Panzer Army in Tunisia. After General Erwin Rommel left in March 1943, Arnim became head of the German Army in Africa but was unable to halt the Allied advance and on 11th May, 1943, the Axis forces surrendered Tunisia. The following day Arnim was captured by the Allies.
The second highest-ranking German prisoner of war (after Rudolf Hess), he was held in Britain until 1947. Hans von Arnim returned to Germany where he lived until his death on 1st September 1962.

 

[Bootie]

Simon Buckner

Simon Buckner was born in Munfordville, Kentucky, on 16th July, 1886. He attended West Point Military Academy and graduated in 1908. Commissioned in the infantry he joined the USA Air Service in 1917. However, he left the following year without seeing action in the First World War.
Buckner returned to West Point and worked in its tactical department before becoming commander of cadets (1933-36). A strict disciplinarian, he was known to confiscate after-shave lotions from cadets with the words: "If you're going to be a man, you've got to smell like a man."
In July 1940 Buckner was promoted to brigadier general and sent to Alaska. After directing the defence of the region for 15 months he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and transferred to 10th Army Headquarters in Hawaii.
In April, 1945, Buckner was given command of the invasion of Okinawa. On the first day 60,000 troops were put ashore against little opposition at Haguushi. The following day two airfields were captured by the Americans. However when the soldiers reached Shuri they came under heavy fire and suffered heavy casualties.
Reinforced by the 3rd Amphibious Corps and the 6th Marine Division the Americans were able to repel a ferocious counter-attack by General Mitsuru Ushijima on 4th May. The United States Army gradually gained control of the island but on 18th June 1945, Buckner was mortally wounded by artillery fire while observing an attack by the 8th Marine Regiment. Simon Buckner was the highest ranking American field commander killed during the Second World War.

 

[Louis]

JOHN BASILONE

John Basilone (November 4, 1916 – February 19, 1945) was a United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II. He was the only enlisted Marine in World War II to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.

He served three years in the United States Army with duty in the Philippines before joining the Marine Corps in 1940. After attending training, Basilone deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Solomon Islands and eventually to Guadalcanal where he held off 3,000 Japanese troops after his 15-member unit was reduced to two other men. He was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima, after which he was posthumously honored with the Navy Cross. He has received many honors including being the namesake for streets, military locations and a United States Navy destroyer.

Basilone was born in his home on November 4, 1916 in Buffalo, New York, the sixth of ten children. His father, Salvatore Basilone, emigrated from the Naples region of Italy in 1903 and settled in Raritan, New Jersey. His mother, Dora Bengivenga, was born in 1889 and grew up in Manville but her parents, Carlo and Catrina, also came from Naples. His parents met at a church gathering and married three years later. Basilone grew up in the nearby Boro of Raritan where he attended St. Bernard Parochial School. After completing middle school at the age of fifteen, he dropped out prior to attending high school.

Basilone worked as a golf caddy for the local country club before joining the military. He enlisted in the United States Army and completed his three-year enlistment with service in the Philippines, where he was a champion boxer. Upon returning home, he worked as a truck driver in Reisterstown, Maryland. After driving trucks for a few months, he wanted to go back to Manila and believed he could get there faster as a Marine than in the Army. He enlisted in the Marines in July 1940 from Baltimore, Maryland and went to recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island followed by training at Marine Corps Base Quantico and New River. The Corps sent him to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for his next assignment and then to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands as a member of 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division.

While on Guadalcanal, his fellow Marines gave him the nickname "Manila John" due to his former service in the Philippines and how much he talked about it. During the Battle for Henderson Field, his unit came under attack by a regiment of approximately 3,000 soldiers from the Japanese Sendai Division. On October 24, 1942, Japanese forces began a frontal attack using machine guns, grenades, and mortars against the American heavy machine guns. Basilone commanded two sections of machine guns that fought for the next two days until only Basilone and two other Marines continued fighting. Basilone moved an extra gun into position and maintained continual fire against the incoming Japanese forces. He then repaired and manned another machine gun, holding the defensive line until replacements arrived. As battle raged, ammunition became critically low. With supply lines cut off, Basilone fought through hostile ground to resupply his gunners with urgently needed ammunition. By the end of the battle, the Japanese regiment was virtually annihilated. For his actions during this battle, he received the United States military's highest award for bravery, the Medal of Honor.

Afterwards, Private First Class Nash W. Phillips, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, recalled from the battle for Guadalcanal:

"Basilone had a machine gun on the go for three days and nights without sleep, rest, or food. He was in a good emplacement, and causing the Japanese lots of trouble, not only firing his machine gun, but also using his pistol."

After receiving the Medal of Honor, he returned to the United States and participated in a war bond tour. His arrival was highly publicized and his hometown held a parade in his honor when he returned. The homecoming parade occurred on Sunday, September 19, 1943 and drew a huge crowd with thousands of people, including politicians, celebrities, and the national press. The parade made national news in Life magazine and Fox Movietone News. After the parade, he toured the country raising money for the war effort and achieved celebrity status. Although he appreciated the admiration, he felt out of place and requested to return to the operating forces fighting the war. The Marine Corps denied his request and told him he was needed more on the home front. He was offered a commission, which he turned down, and was later offered an assignment as an instructor, but refused this as well. He requested again to return to the war and this time the request was approved. He left for Camp Pendleton, California for training on December 27, 1943. While stationed at Camp Pendleton, he met his future wife, Lena Mae Riggi, who was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve. They were married at St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church in Oceanside on July 10, 1944, with a reception at the Carlsbad Hotel. They honeymooned at her parents' onion farm in Portland. He requested a return to the fighting in the Pacific theatre.

After his request to return to the fleet was approved, he was assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division during the invasion of Iwo Jima. On February 19, 1945 he was serving as a machine-gun section leader in action against Japanese forces on Red Beach II. During the battle, the Japanese concentrated their fire at the incoming Americans from heavily fortified blockhouses staged throughout the island. With his unit pinned down, Basilone made his way around the side of the Japanese positions until he was directly on top of the blockhouse. He then attacked with grenades and demolitions, single handedly destroying the entire strongpoint and its defending garrison. He then fought his way toward Airfield Number 1 and aided an American tank that was trapped in an enemy mine field under intense mortar and artillery barrages. He guided the heavy vehicle over the hazardous terrain to safety, despite heavy weapons fire from the Japanese. As he moved along the edge of the airfield, he was killed by Japanese mortar shrapnel. His actions helped Marines penetrate the Japanese defense and get off the landing beach during the critical early stages of the invasion. For his valor during the battle of Iwo Jima, he was posthumously approved for the Marine Corps' second highest decoration for bravery, the Navy Cross.

He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia and his grave can be found in Section 12, Grave 384, grid Y/Z 23.5. Lena M Basilone died June 11, 1999 at the age of 86 and was buried at Riverside National Cemetery. Lena's obituary notes that she never remarried.

 

[Louis]

Doris Miller

Doris "Dorie" Miller (October 12, 1919 – November 24, 1943) was a cook in the United States Navy noted for his bravery during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the third highest honor awarded by the US Navy at the time, after the Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal (today the Navy Cross precedes the Distinguished Service Medal).



Miller was born in Waco, Texas, on October 12, 1919, to Henrietta and Connery Miller. He was the third of four sons and grew up in a strong and loving household. He enjoyed playing with his brothers but was also a considerate child. He often helped around the house, cooking meals and doing laundry, as well as working the fields. Miller was a good student and a fullback on the football team at Waco's A.J. Moore High School. They called him the "Raging Duck" because of his emotions. He was kicked out of high school because he would get into fights with other students about his race. (5 ft 9 in, over 200 lb - 1,75 m, over 90 kg).

He worked on his father's farm until enlisting in the United States Navy as Mess Attendant, Third Class in September 1939. Following training at the Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Virginia, Miller was assigned to the ammunition ship USS Pyro where he served as a Mess Attendant, and on January 2, 1940 was transferred to USS West Virginia, where he became the ship's main cook. In July of that year he had temporary duty aboard USS Nevada at Secondary Battery Gunnery School. He returned to the USS West Virginia on August 3, 1940

On December 7, 1941, Miller awoke at 6:00 A.M. and was collecting laundry when the alarm for general quarters was sounded. He headed for his battle station, the antiaircraft battery magazine amidship, only to discover that torpedo damage had destroyed it. He went on deck where he was assigned to carry wounded fellow sailors to safer locations. When Captain Mervyn Bennion was injured by a bomb splinter, an officer ordered Miller to the bridge to help in the effort to move him to a place of relative safety. Miller picked him up and attempted to carry him to a first-aid station; the Captain refused to leave his post and remained on the bridge until his death.

When directed to assist in loading a pair of unattended Browning .50 caliber anti-aircraft guns, Miller took control of one and began firing at the Japanese planes, even though he had no training in operating the weapon. He fired the gun until he ran out of ammunition. Japanese aircraft eventually dropped two armor-piercing bombs through the deck of the battleship and launched 5 × 18 in. (457 mm) aircraft torpedoes into her port side. Heavily damaged by the ensuing explosions, and suffering from severe flooding below decks, the West Virginia slowly settled to the harbor bottom as her crew—including Miller—abandoned ship. Miller was commended by the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on April 1, 1942, and on May 27, 1942 he received the Navy Cross, which Fleet Admiral (then Admiral) Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet presented to Miller on board aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for his extraordinary courage in battle

Miller’s rank was raised to Mess Attendant First Class on June 1. On June 27, The Pittsburgh Courier called for Miller to be allowed to return home for a war bond tour like white heroes. The following November 23, Miller arrived at Maui, and was ordered on a war bond tour while still attached to USS Indianapolis. In December and January he gave talks in Oakland, California, in his hometown of Waco, Texas, in Dallas, and to the first graduating class of African-American sailors from Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Chicago.

The Pittsburgh Courier continued to hammer to return Miller for a war bond tour in the February 6, 1943 issue. The caption to Miller’s photo read, "He fought...Keeps Mop", while another hero of Maui got a commission. It said that Miller was "too important waiting tables in the Pacific to return him", even though he was already on tour. Doris Miller reported for duty at Puget Sound Navy Yard on May 15, 1943. His rank was again raised, to Petty Officer, Ship's Cook Third Class on June 1,] and he reported to USS Liscome Bay, an escort aircraft carrier. After training in Hawaii for the Gilbert Islands operation, the Liscome Bay participated in the Battle of Tarawa beginning November 20. On November 24, a single torpedo from Japanese submarine I-175 struck the escort carrier near the stern. The aircraft bomb magazine detonated a few moments later, sinking the warship within minutes. There were 242 survivors. The rest of the crew was listed as "presumed dead".

On December 7, 1943, PO Miller's parents were notified their son "was dead ".

A memorial service was held on April 30, 1944, at the Waco, Texas, Second Baptist Church, sponsored by the Victory Club.[3] On May 28, a granite marker was dedicated at Moore High School to honor Miller. On November 25, 1944, the Secretary of the Navy announced that Miller was " dead."

 

[Bootie]

Hajo Herrmann

Herrmann was one of the Luftwaffe's most innovative air tacticians during World War II. Beginning his military career as an infantry officer, he was commissioned in the newly formed Luftwaffe in 1935. From 1936 until 1937, he was a bomber pilot in the Condor Legion. During the Spanish civil war, Herrmann joined KG-4, and wrote several well received tactical reports. When WWII began, he flew Heinkel He-111s in Poland and Norway. By 1940, he was Commander of the 7th Staffel of KG-4, and led many attacks on England during the Battle of Britain. In February 1941, his group went to Sicily, where it flew against Malta and Greece. In one such attack, Herrmann dropped a single bomb on an ammunition ship; the resulting explosion sank 11 ships and made the Greek port of Piraeus unusable for many months. In early 1942, he was Commander of III./KG 30, attacking Arctic convoys from Norway, including the attacks on PQ-17. July 1942 saw him assigned to the general staff in Germany, where he became a close confidant of Hermann Göring. During his career as a bomber pilot, Herrmann flew 320 missions and sank 12 ships totalling 70,000 tons.

In 1942, Herrmann was appointed to the Luftwaffe Operational Staff. Quickly gaining a reputation as one of the leading tactical and operational innovators of the Luftwaffe, he was the creator of the Luftwaffe night fighter wing designated Jagdgeschwader 300, nicknamed Wilde Sau (German: wild boar). Raised as a response to the growing threat of RAF Bomber Command's night raids on the Reich in mid-1943, which had gained the ascendancy over the Luftwaffe's Nachtjäger radar-guided night fighter forces through the use of chaff, Herrmann's theory was for experienced night flying pilots and ex-instructors to be equipped with Fw 190 day fighters and visually 'free-hunt' the bombers by the light of the fires below and with the aid of special 'flare-carrier' Junkers Ju 88s following the bomber streams, as well as the use of the Naxos radar detector unit on some of these single engined fighters, to find RAF night bombers, when they were aiming by radar. Herrmann himself flew more than 50 night fighter missions and claimed nine RAF bombers destroyed. Although JG 300 and subsequent units raised met with promising initial success, the high wastage of both pilots and aircraft due to high accident rates curtailed extensive use of 'Wilde Sau' beyond the start of 1944.


In December 1943, Herrmann was appointed Luftwaffe Inspector of Aerial Defence. By 1944, he was Inspector General of night fighters and received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords,(was the last survivor of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords). At the end of 1944, he led the 9. Flieger-division (J). At this time he was a leading exponent of the tactical deployment of the so-called Rammjäger Sonderkommando Elbe (German: ram fighters, task force Elbe), sent into action in April 1945. Pilot volunteers, often aged 18 to 20, were to be trained to be simply competent enough to control specially lightened and unarmoured Bf 109 fighters and charged with downing Allied bombers by deliberately ramming the tail or control surfaces with the propellers of their aircraft, and thereafter (hopefully) bailing out. Herrmann's intention was to gather a large number of these fighters for a one-off attack on the USAAF bomber streams, hopefully causing enough losses to curtail the bombing offensive for a few months. Fuel shortages prevented employment of the large numbers necessary, although from one mission of this type of the 138 planes thus committed only 50 came back.

Post war activities

Herrmann was captured by the Russians after the war and was held prisoner for 10 years before returning to his homeland. Back in Germany, he studied law and settled in Düsseldorf. Among others, he defended Holocaust deniers such as Otto Ernst Remer, David Irving, and Fred A. Leuchter.


Herrmann celebrated his 95th birthday in 2008, and continued making public appearances. A former Luftwaffe colonel, Herrmann was one of the highest-ranked surviving German Luftwaffe officers.<sup id="cite_ref-test_2-0" class="reference"></sup>

 

[Louis]

Thread with cleanup of broken images. -

 

[Ithikial]

Sir Leslie Morshead (18 September 1889 – 26 September 1959)

Was an Australian soldier with a military career spanning both World Wars, but is most famous for leading the Allied defence of Tobruk in 1941 against Rommel's Afrika Corps.

Born in Ballarat in rural Victoria, Morshead trained to become a teacher and taught at a number of schools throughout the state while also undertaking Command duties for in the Australian Army Cadets. His teaching career was interrupted in 1914 by WW1 and he joined the AIF with a commission as a Lieutenant. At the Battle of Lone Pine in the Gallipoli Campaign, he was the only officer of his battalion not to become a casualty during the engagement. Following the Gallipolli Campaign, Morshead spent the rest of the War on the Western Front rising in the ranks to command a Battalion.

Between the wars he considered transferring to the regular army but did not follow through when realising officer commissions were being reserved for those who had undertaken official officer training only. He had a failed venture as a farmer and also working for Orient Line British Shipping Company. He remained active in the Australian militia/reserves rising to the rank of Brigadier, while also taking part in the political far right wing movement, the New Guard.

At the outbreak of WW2, he was given command of a Brigade and shipped to England, though by 1941 was moved into the command of the newly formed 9th Division following the previous Division commander falling ill. The 9th transferred to North Africa to help stem the Commonwealth retreat across Libya following the arrival of the Afrika Corps. General Wavell ordered the 9th Division to relieve the Australian 6th Division and hold the deep water port of Tobruk. The under-equipped 9th Division, elements of the Australian 7th Division and some British tank support soon found themselves surrounded and cut off from retreating Commonwealth forces. General Wavell ordered Morshead (now in command of all Tobruk Garrison forces) to hold for a period of 8 weeks. By the time the 9th Division was relieved they had held the port for 8 months. Morshead had become one of the few Allied Generals to have so far held up Rommel's Afrika Corps up until this date. Rommel and his officers called the 9th Division the 'Rat's of Tobruk' and mistakenly thought for a time the under-equipped 9th Division which relied heavily on captured supplies, as a 'Special Forces' division holding the key deep water port. During the siege, Morshead earned the nickname 'Ming the Merciless' among his men due to his resemblance to the Flash Gordon comic book character and the stubborn defense he commanded.

While Australian forces were ordered home in December 1941 to defend against the new Japanese threat, the 9th Division was specifically ordered to remain in North Africa. Morshead remained in command of all Australian forces in theatre and was keen for the command of XXX Corps. However, the newly arrived Montgomery did not believe a 'Reservist' was up to the task of commanding a Corps. He opted instead for Oliver Leese who had yet to command a Division or higher in combat. Morshead's men spent time in Syria where they refitted following Tobruk before returning in time El Alamain where they were one of the first forces to break the Axis lines near the coast but taking heavy casualties. At the end of 1942, the final Australian Division in the theater returned to Australia for operations in South East Asia.

Despite being one of the most combat capable and experienced Generals in the Allied forces, Morshead led forces across the New Guinea and Borneo campaigns but never took overall command of operations - superseded by competing political interests or the stigma of being 'Reservist' through to 1945.

After the war he returned to the Orient Lines Shipping Company as the Australian General Manager and the directorships of a number of companies, though turned down every political or military appointment.

Morshead died of cancer on 26 September 1959 in Sydney.

Despite denying him the command of a Corps in North Africa, Montgomery is said to of quipped "I could of used Morshead and the Australian 9th Division now" during the Battle of Caen.

 

[Louis]

Thread with cleanup of broken images. -

 

[Louis]

General Marie Pierre Kœnig (1898 – 1970)

https://imgur.com/bEuY6Tm

He commanded a Free French Brigade at the Battle of Bir Hakeim in North Africa in 1942.-
In 1944 he was given command of the Free French that took part of the Normandy Invasion. In June 1944 he was given command of the French Forces of the Interior to unify various French Resistance groups under de Gaulle's control. On August 21, 1944, de Gaulle appointed him military governor of Paris to restore law and order.

 

[Louis]

Thread with cleanup of broken images. -

 

[steve]

From the boxing ring in Liverpool, to Nazi camps in Greece, Douglas 'Duggie' Pomford was the bare-fisted bruiser who scaled German strongholds and took them on face-to-face.

Having battled his way to success in the ring at home, 'Duggie' was hand-picked to join a special troop of elite fighters - and let loose on the enemy.

In one incident in 1944, the 24-year-old even catapulated himself into the bedroom of two senior Nazi militants as they changed into their pyjamas...and disposed of them with his bare hands.

Fighter: Douglas 'Duggie' Pomford (pictured above as an amateur boxer at home in Liverpool on the right fighting in Greece) was hand-picked to join an elite troop of fighters who raided Nazis' rooms barehanded

His Military medals.......

Duggie's rise to Special Commando was fast - and he narrowly escaped death on a number of occasions.

He had ploughed his way through opponents at home in Liverpool, and was almost ready to settle as a champion of the amateur boxing ring in 1940.


Little did he know, he had bigger fish to fry.

He had only been in the army for six months when he was handpicked to join the British Commandos and went on to become a founding member of the Special Boat Service.

In November 1941, he had been due to take part in the disastrous attempt to capture Field Marshall Erwin Rommel.

But the submarine he was on had to withdraw due to weather conditions and he missed the ill-fated raid, which ended in the capture of all but three of the 34 commandos involved.

After joining the crack Special Boat Section, Sgt Pomford was among 200 soldiers stationed at their training base in Palestine from where they carried out a raid on three airfields in Nazi-occupied Crete.

At war: Sergeant Pomford (left) with his raiders who were shot as they fought for Britain's base in Greece



Sgt Pomford’s unit then turned their attention to the islands of Kos and Leros which they cleared and established an airfield.

But the Nazis retaliated and reclaimed the islands, forcing the commandos to retreat to Turkey where they were arrested by neutral forces and later released.

Sgt Pomford was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery during the raids on the Greek islands.

A second Military Medal was awarded to Sgt Pomford for devastating attacks on Ios, Amorgos and Naxos in 1944 - including his bedroom attack on two Nazi officers.

It was the middle of the night and the Allies had just been forced back into Turkey, surrendering their airfield on the Mediterranean islands.

With victory still a distant fantasy, British commanders decided to deploy a team of elite fighters to take it on fro the inside - and Duggie was one of them.

Incredibly, the 24-year-old set upon the enemy as they were changing into their pyjamas.

The two soldiers launched themselves at their attacker and tried to kill him with their bare hands.

But Duggie, or Sergeant Pomford, had not lost his skills honed in the ring back home and promptly dispatched of them.

In 1945 Sgt Pomford qualified as a paratrooper and took part in further operations in the Balkans before being demobilised in 1946.

Undercover: Sergeant Pomford had a Nazi uniform (pictured) he donned on occasion to mislead enemy aircraft

Wounded: Here Duggie receives first aid treatment for a shrapnel wound before ploughing on



On his return home Sgt Pomford became the foreman at the Port of Liverpool Stevedoring Company and was instrumental in settting up the famous Golden Gloves Amateur Boxing Club.

He died in 1969 aged 49.

His medal set includes the 1939-45 Star, the Africa Star, the Italy Star and the War Medal 1939-45.

The medals were put up for sale by his family a couple of years ago.

A spokesman for the family said: 'These medals are being sold because they have been in a biscuit tin for 60-odd years and have never been on display.

'The hope is that they will go to somebody who will understand and appreciate them.

'They are a part of history and they need to go to someone who can not only treasure them but also afford to insure them, which I can’t.

'It’s a way of keeping his legend alive and is much better than them staying in the biscuit tin.'

Pierce Noonan, from London auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb, said: 'Pomford was a classic Special Forces hero.

'A pugnacious Liverpudlian, he developed his fighting skills in the boxing ring in his home city and then used them to lethal effect in raids on German forces in the Eastern Mediterranean.

'Even among the highly decorated founders of the Special Boat Section, he stood out as exceptionally brave and tenacious.'


Steve

 

[mTk]

- "The two soldiers launched themselves at their attacker and tried to kill him with their bare hands."
Not sure, but hadn't knives been invented by then? Just wondering.

 

[Louis]

Gen. Patton in North Africa, 1943.

 

[Fredrocker]

Ray Chavez

http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news...04-bulks-up-for-75th-anniversary-825436739652

 

[Louis]

Cleaning broken images.

 

[Louis]

Annibale Bergonzoli - on the right in the image - (1 Nov 1884 - 31 July 1973) was an Italian Lieutenant General, was decorated by the British for gallantly au WW1 and was captured by them in WW2. General Bergonzoli, who won the nickname “Barba Elettrica” (Electric Beard) because of his flamboyant whiskers, won the British Military Cross as well as Italy's highest decoration, the Gold Medal for Military Bravery, in WW1.

A colonel in Italy's conquest of Ethiopia in 1935, he commanded an Italian division in the Spanish Civil War that was routed by Spanish Republican forces near Guadalapara in 1937.

And as commander at Bardia, Libya, he escaped capture when the port fell to the British in Jan. 1941, but was captured in the capital, Benghazi, in February. He spent the rest of the war as a prisoner in Italy and the USA.

 

[Louis]

Generals Patton and Eisenhower confer in Tunisia, March 1943.

 

[Gunner]

Love the shiny shoes.
Wonder how long it took somebody else to shine them.

It's funny, early in the war how much younger they look.

 

[Louis]

And you can see part of Patton's revolver

 

[Louis]

Meeting of the Supreme Command, Allied Expeditionary Force, London, 1 Feb 1944.
Left to right: Front row: Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur W Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander, Expeditionary Force; Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Expeditionary Force; General Bernard Montgomery, Commander in Chief, 21st Army Group; Back row: Lt. General Omar Bradley, Commander in Chief, US 1st Army; Admiral Sir Bertram H Ramsay, Allied Naval Commander in Chief, Expeditionary Force; Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Allied Air Commander in Chief, Expeditionary Force; Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith.