General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike)

Dwight David 'Ike' Eisenhower (1890–1969) was a five-star General of the Army, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War II, and later 34th President of the United States. Renowned for extraordinary diplomatic tact, strategic equilibrium, and coalition management, Eisenhower held together a multi-national military alliance comprising divergent personalities such as Montgomery, Patton, and De Gaulle.

Eisenhower commanded Operation Torch in North Africa in 1942 and the amphibious invasion of Sicily and Italy in 1943. Appointed Supreme Allied Commander for Operation Overlord in December 1943, Eisenhower made the momentous decision on June 5, 1944, to launch the Normandy landings in a brief window of clearing weather: 'OK, let's go.' His broad-front strategy successfully coordinated the liberation of France, the repulse of the German Ardennes offensive at the Battle of the Bulge, and the final encirclement of the Ruhr, bringing Nazi Germany to unconditional surrender.