D-Day Who's Who
On D-Day, June 6 1944, eleven divisions from the American, British and Canadian armies invaded Normandy. During the day, the troops faced a defense force of four divisions from German Army Group B. The following list may help to 'put a face to the names' of the 20-or-so commanders whose troops saw action on D-Day.
Part 1 : The Allied Army Commanders
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Supreme Commander S.H.A.E.F.
AKA: Ike
Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery
Commander-in-Chief British 21st Army Group
AKA: Monty
General Omar Nelson Bradley
Commander U.S. First Army
AKA: Brad
General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey
Commander-in-Chief British 2nd Army
AKA: Lucky
General Henry Duncan Graham Crerar
Commander Canadian 1st Army
AKA: Harry
Part 2 : The Allied Army Corps Commanders
General Joseph Lawton Collins
Commander U.S. VII Corps, Utah Sector
AKA: Lightning Joe
General Leonard T. Gerow
Commander U.S. V Corps, Omaha Sector
Major General Gerard Corfield Bucknall
Commander British XXX Corps, Gold Sector
AKA: Gerry
General Sir John Tredinnick Crocker
Commander British I Corps, Juno and Sword Sectors
AKA: Honest John
Part 3 : The Allied Army Divisional Commanders
Major General Raymond Oscar Barton
Commander U.S. 4th Infantry Division, Utah Beach
AKA: Tubby
Brigadier General Jay W. MacKelvie
Commander U.S. 90th Infantry Division, Utah Beach
Major General Matthew Bunker Ridgway
Commander U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, Zones T, O and N (West of Sainte-Mère-Eglise)
AKA: Old Iron Tits
Major General Maxwell Taylor
Commander U.S. 101st Airborne Division, Zones A, C and D (North of Carentan)
AKA: Max
Lieutenant General Clarence R. HuebnerCommander U.S. 1st Infantry Division, Omaha Beach
Major General Charles H. Gerhardt
Commander U.S. 29th Infantry Division, Omaha Beach
AKA: Uncle Charlie
Major General Douglas Alexander Henry Graham
General Officer Commanding British 50th Infantry Division, Gold Beach
Major General Rodney Frederick Leopold Keller
General Officer Commanding 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, Juno Beach
AKA: Rod
Major General Thomas Gordon Rennie
General Officer Commanding British 3rd Infantry Division, Sword Beach
AKA: Tom
Major General Sir Richard Nelson Gale
General Officer Commanding British 6th Airborne Division, Ouistreham Area
AKA: Windy Gale
Major General Sir Percy Cleghorn Stanley Hobart
General Officer Commanding British 79th Armoured Division, All Sectors
AKA: Hobo
Part 4 : The German Army Commanders
Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt
Oberbefehlshaber (Commander-in-Chief) West
Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel
Oberbefehlshaber (Commander-in-Chief) German Army Group West
Generaloberst (Commander-in-Chief) Friedrich Karl Albert Dollmann
Oberbefehlshaber (Commander-in-Chief) German 7th Army
General Erich Marcks
Commander German LXXXIV Corps
Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) Dietrich Kraiss
Commander, German 352nd Infantry Division, Omaha Sector
Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben
Commander, German 709th Static Infantry Division, Utah Sector
Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) Wilhelm Richter
Commander, German 716th Static Infantry Division, Commonwealth Sector
Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) Edgar Feuchtinger
Commander, German 21st Panzer Division
For more information about visiting Normandy go to: www.welovenormandy.com