Axis leaders of World War II
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The Axis leaders of World War II were the important political and military figures during the war. They were established with the signing of the Tripartite Pact in 1940 and pursued a strong militarist and nationalist ideology with a policy of anti-communism. During the early phase of the war, puppet governments were established in the occupied nations. When the war ended many leaders faced trial for war crimes and treason.
Image:Hitlermusso2 edit.jpg
Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, the leaders of the two main Axis powers in Europe.
[edit] Image:Flag of Germany 1933.svg Nazi Germany
- Adolf Hitler was the leader of Nazi Germany, first as Chancellor from 1933 until 1934 and later as Führer from 1934 until his suicide in 1945. Hitler came into power during Germany's period of crisis after the Great War. During his rule Germany became a fascist state with a policy of anti-Semitism that lead to the Holocaust. Hitler pursued an aggressive foreign policy that triggered the war.
- Rudolf Hess was Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party. Hess hoped to score a stunning diplomatic victory by sealing a peace between the Reich and Britain. He flew solo to Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace, but was arrested. He was tried at Nuremberg and sentenced to life imprisonment.
- Heinrich Himmler was the commander of the Schutzstaffel and the Gestapo. Himmler was responsble for the establishment of the Nazi concentration camps. Himmler held final command responsibility for annihilating "subhumans" who were deemed unworthy to live. Shortly before the end of the war, he offered to surrender all of "Germany" to the Allies if he was spared from prosecution as a Nazi leader. Himmler committed suicide with cyanide when he became a captive of the British Army.
- Joseph Goebbels was Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda from 1933 until 1945. An avid supporter of war, Goebbels did everything in his power to prepare the German people for a large scale military conflict. He was one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers. He became Chancellor for a day before his suicide.
- Hans Frank was Chief of Administration of General Government of occupied Poland. Frank oversaw the segregation of the Jews in to the ghettos and the use of Polish civilians as slave labour. Frank was captured by American troops in 1945 and tried at Nuremberg.
- Hermann Goering was second in command of the Third Reich and commander of the Luftwaffe. Hitler awarded Göring the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross for his successful leadership. Goering was the third highest ranking Nazi official brought before the Nuremberg Trials.
- Erich Raeder, was Großadmiral of the Kriegsmarine from 1 April 1939 until 30 January 1943.
- Karl Dönitz was made Großadmiral of the Kriegsmarine on 30 January 1943 and was President for 23 days after Hitler's suicide. Under his command the U-boat fleet fought an unrestricted submarine warfare during the Battle of the Atlantic. After the war he was tried at Nuremberg.
- Heinz Guderian was the principal creator of Blitzkrieg. He commanded several front line armies in the early years of the war, most notably Panzergruppe Guderian during Operation Barbarossa. Guderian later served as chief of staff of the army from July 1944 to March 1945.
- Erwin Rommel was the commander of the Afrika Korps and became known by the nickname The Desert Fox. Rommel was admired by both Axis and Allied leaders during the war. Later he was in command of the German forces during the invasion at Normandy.
[edit] Image:Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Kingdom of Italy (Until 1943)
- Victor Emmanuel III was the king of Italy from 1900 until his abdication in 1946. During his rule Italy was suffering from economic depression because of the Great War. He supported the Mussolini fascist government until 1943 when they had him removed from office. His actions during the war lead to the referendum of 1946, where the monarchy was abolished and replaced by a parliamentary republic with an elected head of state. Victor Emmanual's descendants, the House of Savoy were exiled from Italy for over 55 years.
- Benito Mussolini was Prime Minister from 1922 until 1943. Mussolini was later Head of State of the Italian Social Republic (regime under control of Nazi Germany), that succeeded the Kingdom of Italy in the Axis between 1943 and 1945. Mussolini established the first fascist nation in Italy using the ideas of nationalism, militarism and anti-communism combined and state propaganda. Mussolini’s regime became an influence on Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.
- Pietro Badoglio was Marshal of the army. He lead the Italian army during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. He resigned in 1940 after the Italian defeat during the Greco-Italian War. In 1943 he succeeded Mussolini as Prime Minister and arranged with the Allies an armistice
[edit] Image:Flag of Japan - variant.svg Empire of Japan
Image:Hirohito Sirayuki.jpg
Hirohito and imperial stallion Sirayuki
- Hirohito was the Emperor from 1926 until his death in 1989. He was commander of the Imperial General Headquarters from 1937 to 1945 and was exonerated from criminal prosecutions with all members of the imperial family by SCAP.
- Hideki Tojo was Prime Minister from 1941 until 1944. After the war he was sentenced to death for war crimes by the International Military Tribunal of the Far East.
- Sadao Araki was minister of the Army from 1931 to 1933 and Education Minister from 1938 to 1939. Araki was one of the main proponents of militarism and expansionism during the Showa era. He developed the fascist ideas of the Kodoha nationalist group. After the war Araki was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment but was released in 1955 with all the other major convicts.
- Kotohito Kan'in was chief of staff of the Army from 1931 to 1940. During his mandate, the Army committed the Nanking massacre and regularly used chemical weapons in China. He died before the end of the war.
- Hajime Sugiyama was minister of the Army from 1937 to 1938, then chief of staff from 1940 to 1944. During this period, the Army kept using chemical weapons and implemented the sanko sakusen. He committed suicide in 1945.
- Hiroyasu Fushimi was chief of staff of the Navy from 1932 to 1941. Starting in 1937, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service implemented strategic bombing of Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou. He was exonerated from criminal prosecutions with all members of the imperial family by SCAP.
- Osami Nagano was chief of staff of the Navy from 1941 to 1944. During this period, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service committed the attack of Pearl Harbor and the strategic bombing of Chongqing. He was tried before the Tokyo tribunal but died in prison before his sentence.
- Mitsumasa Yonai was prime minister in 1940 and minister of the Navy from 1937 to 1939 and 1944 to 1945. He was exonerated by SCAP.
[edit] Image:Flag of Hungary 1940.svg Kingdom of Hungary
- Miklós Horthy was the Regent of Hungary from 1920 until 1944
- Miklós Kállay was the Prime Minister from 1942 until 1944.
[edit] Image:Rumania.gif Kingdom of Romania (Until 1944)
- Michael I was King of the Romanians from 1940 until 1947. Michael I was installed in power by Antonescu to replace Michael's father Carol II. He was not intended to have much power. Led a coup to overthrow Antonescu and switched sides to Allies in 1944.
- Ion Antonescu was Prime Minister of Romania and conducător with dictatorial powers 1940-44.
- Petre Dumitrescu commanded the Romanian Third Army on its campaign against the Soviet Union.
- Constantin Constantinescu-Claps commanded the Romanian Fourth Army.
[edit] Image:Flag of Bulgaria (1878-1944).svg Kingdom of Bulgaria (Until 1944)
- Simeon II was the last Tsar of Bulgaria from 1943 until 1946, was underage and did not have any power
- Kyril, Prince of Bulgaria, head of the regency council, 1943-44
- Bogdan Filov, Prime Minister, 1940-43, member of the regency council, 1943-44
- Dobri Bozhilov , Prime Minister, 1943-44
- Ivan Ivanov Bagrianov was Prime Minister in 1944. He attempted to pull Bulgaria out of the war and declare neutrality.
[edit] Image:Flag of Thailand.svg Kingdom of Thailand
- Ananda Mahidol was King of Thailand from 1935 until his death in 1946. During the war, Mahidol stayed in neutral Switzerland. He returned to Thailand in 1945 after the war.
- Plaek Pibulsonggram was Field Marshal of the Thai Army and was Prime Minister of Thailand from 1938 until 1944. Pibulsonggram regime embarked upon a course of economic nationalism and Anti-Chinese policies. In 1941 he had Thailand allied with Japan and allowed them to use the country for the invasions of Burma and Malaya.
- Khuang Abhaiwongse, Prime Minister, 1944-45
[edit] Image:Flag of Finland.svg Republic of Finland (Until 1944)
- Risto Ryti was President of Finland from 1940 until 1944. Ryti time in office was marked by the Continuation War with the Soviet Union. He resigned in 1944 to pull Finland out of the war.
- Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the Commander-in-Chief of Finnish military and was Marshal of Finland. Mannerheim was an astute politician and a successful military commander. He became president in 1944 after Ryti’s resignation.
- Hjalmar Siilasvuo was a general who led the Finnish military during the war. During the Continuation War he led the III Corps in northern Finland. After the peace with the Soviets, he was given the command of the Finnish forces during the Lapland War.
- Karl Lennart Oesch was one of the leading Finnish generals during the war. At the end of the Continuation War, two-thirds of the Finnish ground forces were under his command.
[edit] Image:Flag of Iraq 1924.svg Kingdom of Iraq (Until 1941)
Image:Grossmufti-inspecting-ss-recruits.jpg
Haj Amin al-Husseini inspecting SS troops in Bosnia
- Rashid Ali al-Kaylani was Prime Minister of Iraq from 1940 -1941. Ali al-Kaylani overthrew the pro-British Nuri Said Pasha and established a pro-Nazi regime. Britain responded with severe economic sanctions against Iraq and an invasion. The Anglo-Iraqi War lasted only two months with a British victory and Ali al-Kaylani out of power. As a result, Rashid Ali al-Kaylani had to flee to Iran to avoid capture.
- Haj Amin al-Husseini was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem who had been exiled from the British Mandate of Palestine for his nationalist activities. Husayni aided the Axis cause in the Middle East by issuing a fatwa for a holy war against Britain in May 1941. The Mufti's widely heralded proclamation against Britain was declared in Iraq, where he was instrumental in the pro-Nazi Iraqi revolt. When Britain invaded Iraq the Mufti fled to Germany.
[edit] Image:Lionflag.svg Empire of Iran (Until 1941)
- Reza Shah Pahlavi was the Shah of Iran from 1925 until 1941. Reza Shah was a reformist who modernized Iran during his rule. During the war, Reza Shah had a policy of neutrality but had built strong relations with Nazi Germany. Fearing that Iran's oil would fall under Nazi control, Britain and the USSR invaded Iran. Reza Shah was deposed and went into exile in South Africa. His son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, took the throne and brought Iran into line with the Allied Powers.
- Mohammad-Ali Foroughi, Iranian minister and diplomat.
- Fazlollah Zahedi was an Iranian general during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. Zahedi was named military governor of Khuzestan province, the hub of Iran's oil industry. When the British invaded, he was arrested and held in Palestine until 1945. After the war he became Prime Minister.
[edit] Image:Flag of Spain under Franco.svg Spanish State (neutral)
Image:Hitler and Franco.JPG
Hitler and Franco
- Francisco Franco was the dictator of the Spanish State from 1939 until his death in 1975. Franco came to power after leading the Nationalist Forces to victory during the Spanish Civil War. During the war, Franco maintained a policy of neutrality, although he gave assistance to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a small scale.
- Agustín Muñoz Grandes was the commander of the volunteer unit the Blue Division. Muñoz Grandes was well acquainted with the German military establishment. Muñoz Grandes was decorated with the Iron Cross, with an Oak Leaves personally added by Hitler.
- Emilio Esteban Infantes replaced Agustín Muñoz Grandes as commander of the Blue Division in 1943. Esteban Infantes led the Blue Division during the Battle of Krasny Bor in February. For his actions he received the Iron Cross.
[edit] Image:Flag of France.svg Vichy France (Until 1944)
- Philippe Pétain was president of Vichy France from its establishment in 1940 until the Allied Invasion in 1944. The Pétain government collaborated with the Nazi's and organized raids to capture Jews. The Pétain government was opposed by General de Gaulle's Free French forces. After the war, Pétain was tried for treason and sentenced to life in prison.
- René Bousquet was general secretary to the Vichy police force.
- Joseph Darnand was the commander of the paramilitary force Milice. A pro-Nazi leader he was a strong supporter of Hitler and Pétain government. He established the Milice to round-up Jews and fight the French Resistance. After the war, Darnand was tried for treason and executed.
- Jean Decoux was the Governor-General of French Indochina representing the Vichy government. Decoux’s task in Indochina was to reverse the policy of appeasement towards the Japanese led by his predecessor general Georges Catroux, but political realities soon forced him to continue down the same road. Arrested and tried after the war, Decoux was not convicted.
- Henri Dentz was commander of the Army of the Levant during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign. During the war he allowed the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica to establish airbases in the mandate, which lead to the Allied invasion. After the war, Dentz was convicted of treason and sentenced to Life imprisonment.
[edit] Puppet States of Nazi Germany
[edit] Image:Flag of Croatia Ustasa.svg Independent State of Croatia
- Tomislav II, Italian-born King of Croatia
- Ante Pavelić, Poglavnik of the Independent State of Croatia from 1941 to 1945
[edit] Image:Flag of First Slovak Republic 1939-1945.svg Slovak Republic
- Jozef Tiso, President
- Vojtech Tuka, Prime Minister
- Ferdinand Čatloš was commander of the Field Army Bernolák during the Invasion of Poland.
[edit] Image:National flag of Serbia.svg Government of National Salvation (Serbia)
- Milan Nedić, general and Prime Minister of the puppet government.
[edit] Puppet states of the Kingdom of Italy
[edit] Image:Flag of Montenegro.svg Independent State of Montenegro
[edit] Image:Flag of Greece (1828-1978).svg Hellenic State
[edit] Image:KingdomOfAlbania.png Albanian Kingdom
[edit] Puppet States of Japan
[edit] Image:Flag of Manchukuo.svg Manchukuo
- Puyi was the Emperor of Manchukuo from 1934 until the disestablishment of the state in 1945. Puyi was installed by the Japanese after the Invasion of Manchuria. After the war, he was captured and imprisoned by the Red Army.
- Zhang Jinghui was the Prime Minister of Manchukuo. Jinghui was a Chinese general and politician during the Warlord Era who collaborated with the Japanese to establish Manchukuo. After the war, he was captured and imprisoned by the Red Army.
- Xi Qia
- Chang Hai-peng
[edit] Image:Flag of the Mengjiang.svg Mengjiang
[edit] Image:Flag of the Republic of China.svg Republic of China-Nanjing
- Wang Jingwei, Head of State, President of the Executive Yuan and Chairman of the National Government
- Chen Gongbo, Head of the Legislative Yuan
- Zhou Fohai, Head of the Executive Yuan
