Military History

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg, a German Generalfeldmarschall (general field marshal) during WW I and the German president during the Weimar Republic, was born on October 2, 1847 in Posen, Prussia (present-day Poznan, Poland), into an aristocratic family tracing back to the era of the Teutonic Knights.

Heinz Wilhelm Guderian, a German general during WWII, was the inventor and strong advocate of the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war) warfare and became famous for his successes as a leader of Panzer (tank) units in Poland, France and in the Soviet Union. Born in KuIm, Germany (present-day Chelmno, Poland) in 1888 to Friedrich Guderian and Clara (née K...

Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People’s Republic of China and leader of the Chinese Communist Party, was born on December 26, 1893 in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, China into a wealthy farmer’s family. His truly drastic policies decisively shaped China during the twentieth century.

Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was born in a village in Kaluga Province, southwest of Moscow, at the end of 1896. He joined the Novgorod dragoons in 1915, rose to sergeant, and twice received the St. George's Cross. After learning military tactics in the Czar's army, Zhukov joined the new Red Army when the Bolshevik Revolution brought down the Czar.

Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. was born in Trenton, New Jersey and grew up in the US and later in Iran. His father was a brigadier general and had headed the investigation of the famous Lindbergh kidnapping case.

Rommel personified chivalry and courage in an age of warfare that was generally characterized by brutality. He was born in Heidenheim, Württemberg, and joined the German infantry as an officer cadet in 1910. Commissioned a second lieutenant in 1912, he served in France, Romania, and Italy during World War I.

Born in San Gabriel, California, George S. Patton, Jr., was the grandson of Confederate military leaders. He attended the Virginia Military Institute before going to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 1909 and was commissioned as a cavalry lieutenant.