Axis leaders of World War II

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The Axis leaders of World War II were important political and military figures during the war. The Axis was established with the signing of the Tripartite Pact in 1940 and pursued a strong militarist, racist and nationalist ideology, with a policy of anti-communism. During the early phase of the war, puppet governments were established in their occupied nations. When the war ended, many of them faced trial for war crimes. The chief leaders were Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, Benito Mussolini of Italy, and Emperor Hirohito (alongside his Prime Ministers, Hideki Tōjō and Fumimaro Konoe) of Japan. Unlike what happened with the Allies, there never was a joint meeting of the main Axis heads of government, although Mussolini and Hitler did meet on a regular basis.

Propaganda poster of the Shōwa era showing Adolf Hitler, Fumimaro Konoe and Benito Mussolini, the political leaders of the three main Axis powers in 1938

Contents

[edit] Nazi Germany The Third Reich (Nazi Germany)

Adolf Hitler was the Austrian-born leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party.
Heinrich Himmler was Commander of the Schutzstaffel and Minister of the Interior.

[edit] Empire of Japan Empire of Japan

Hirohito, the Emperor of Japan.
Hideki Tōjō, Prime Minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944.

[edit] Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) Kingdom of Italy (1940-1943), Italian Social Republic Italian Social Republic (1943-1945)

  • Benito Mussolini was Prime Minister from 1922 until 1939 commonly called Duce ("Leader") by his Fascist supporters. Mussolini was the de facto dictator of Italy during that period, as King Emmanuel III delegated his powers to Mussolini and opposition to Mussolini and the Fascist state was seen as treason. Mussolini was the official head of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, MVSN ("Volunteer Militia for National Security"), often called the "Blackshirts", who were Fascist partisans loyal specifically to him, rather than the King. 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 was the founder of fascism and made Italy the first fascist state using the ideas of nationalism, militarism and anti-communism combined and state propaganda. Mussolini's regime was an influence on Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.
  • Victor Emmanuel III of Italy was King of Italy and the supreme head, with Mussolini, of the Italian Army.
  • Pietro Badoglio was Marshal of the Army. He led the Italian Army during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. He resigned in 1940 after the Italian defeat in Greece. In 1943 he arranged with the Allies for an armistice and set up a Royalist government in Southern Italy (Brindisi).
  • Ugo Cavallero was the head of the Italian Royal Army during the Second World War, his powers being delegated to him from the King, who was the official supreme commander of the Italian Royal Army. He led Italian forces during the Greco-Italian War in which Italian forces faltered badly.
  • Arturo Riccardi was the head of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) from 1940 to 1943, his powers being delegated to him from the King, who was the official supreme commander of the Italian Royal Navy.
  • Italo Balbo was the most important person of the Italian Royal Airforce (Regia Aeronautica) from the 1930s until his death in 1940. His powers were officially delegated to him from the King, who was the official supreme commander of the Italian Royal Air Force. He also commanded the Tenth army in Libya until his death.
  • Galeazzo Ciano was appointed minister of foreign affairs in 1936 by Mussolini (who was his father-in-law) and remained in that position until the end of the Fascist regime in 1943. Ciano signed the Pact of Steel with Germany in 1939 and subsequently the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Japan in 1940. Ciano attempted to convince Mussolini to bring Italy out of the war as casualties mounted but was ignored. In 1943, Ciano supported the ousting of Mussolini as Prime Minister. Ciano was later executed by Fascists in the Italian Social Republic for betraying Mussolini.
  • Rodolfo Graziani wasfire incident on June 28, 2000. Graziani was ordered to invade Egypt by Mussolini. Graziani expressed doubts about the ability of his largely un-mechanized force could defeat the British, however, he followed orders and the Tenth Army attacked on September 13. He resigned his commission in 1900 after being defeated by the British in Operation Compass. Graziani was the only one of the Italian marshals to remain loyal to Mussolini after Dino Grandi's Grand Council of Fascism coup, and was appointed Minister of Defence of the Italian Social Republic (Repubblica Sociale Italiana, or RSI). Graziani had under his command the mixed Italo-German LXXXXVII "Liguria" Army (Armee Ligurien) of the RSI.
  • Giovanni Messe was the commander of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia (Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia, or CSIR). The CSIR fought on the Eastern Front, fighting with German forces against the Soviet Union.

[edit] Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946) Kingdom of Hungary (1940-1945)

Regent Miklós Horthy of Hungary.
  • Miklós Horthy was the supreme Regent (Head of State) from 1920 until 1944.
  • László Bárdossy was his Prime Minister from 1941 until 1942. After World War II, Bárdossy was tried by a People’s Court in November 1945. He was sentenced to death and executed in 1946.
  • Miklós Kállay was Prime Minister from 1942 until 1944.
  • Döme Sztójay was Prime Minister from March to August 1944. Sztójay was captured by American troops and extradited to Hungary in October 1945, after which time he was tried by a Communist People’s Tribunal in Budapest. He was sentenced to death and executed in 1946.
  • Géza Lakatos was a General in the Hungarian Army during World War II who served briefly as Prime Minister of Hungary, under governor Miklós Horthy from August 29, 1944, until October 15, 1944.
  • Ferenc Szálasi was the leader of the fascist Arrow Cross Party, the "Leader of the Hungarian Nation" (Nemzetvezető), and the Prime Minister from 1944 to 1945. He was tried by the People's Tribunal in Budapest. He was sentenced to death and executed in 1946.
  • Béla Miklós was as acting Prime Minister, at first in opposition, and then officially, from 1944 to 1945.
  • Iván Hindy was a Colonel-General in the Hungarian Army. He orchestrated the defence of Budapest. On February 11, 1945, Hindy was captured by the Soviets when he tried to escape just prior to the fall of the city on February 13. He was sentenced to death and in 1946, he was executed.

[edit] Kingdom of Romania Kingdom of Romania (1941-1944)

Mareşal Ion Antonescu of Romania.

[edit] Kingdom of Bulgaria Kingdom of Bulgaria (1941-1944)

[edit] Independent State of Croatia Independent State of Croatia (1941-1945)

Ante Pavelić, self-proclaimed "Poglavnik" (Headman) of Croatia.

[edit] India Provisional Government of Free India (1943-1945)

[edit] Slovakia Slovak Republic (1939–1945)

[edit] Co-Belligerents

[edit] Finland Republic of Finland (1941-1944)

[edit] Thailand Kingdom of Thailand (1940-1945)

Plaek Pibulsongkram.

[edit] Iraq Kingdom of Iraq (1941)

[edit] Puppet States of Nazi Germany

[edit] France French State (1940-1944)

Philippe Pétain.
  • Philippe Pétain was an Army Marshal and Chief of State of Vichy France from its establishment in 1940 until the Allied Invasion in 1944. The Pétain government collaborated with the Nazis, and organized raids to capture French Jews. The Pétain government was opposed by General de Gaulle's Free French Forces, and eventually fell to them. After the war, Pétain was tried for treason and sentenced to life in prison.
  • Pierre Laval was Pétain's head of government in 1940, and later from 1942 to 1944. Under his second government, collaboration with Nazi Germany intensified. In 1945, Laval was tried for treason, sentenced to death and executed.
  • René Bousquet was the deputy head of the Vichy police force.
  • Joseph Darnand was the commander of the paramilitary French Militia. 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.

[edit] Government of National Salvation (1941-1944)

[edit] Slovakia Slovak Republic

[edit] Norway Norwegian National government (1940-1945)

[edit] Puppet states of the Kingdom of Italy

[edit] Kingdom of Montenegro (1941–1944) Kingdom of Montenegro (1941–1944)

[edit] Greece Hellenic State (1941-1944)

[edit] Albania Albanian Kingdom (1940-1944)

[edit] Puppet States of Imperial Japan

[edit] Manchukuo Great Manchu Empire

  • 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. He was captured and imprisoned by the Soviet Union, and later handed over to the People's Republic of China.
  • Zhang Jinghui was the Prime Minister of Manchukuo. Zhang 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 was the finance superintendent of Manchukuo in 1932, a minister of Manchukuo in 1934, and palace and interior minister in 1936. At the end of World War II he was captured by the Soviets and held in a Siberian prison until he was returned to China in 1950, where he died in prison.
  • Chang Hai-peng, general of the Manchukuo Imperial Army.

[edit] Mengjiang Mengjiang United Autonomous Government

  • Demchugdongrub was the vice-chairman, then the chairman. In 1941 he became chairman of the Mongolian Autonomous Federation.

[edit] Republic of China Republic of China-Nanjing (1940-1945)

[edit] Burma State of Burma (1943-1945)

[edit] Philippines Second Philippine Republic (1943-1945)

[edit] Vietnam Empire of Vietnam (1945)

[edit] Cambodia Kingdom of Cambodia (1945)

[edit] Laos Kingdom of Laos (1945)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Daniel Barenblat, A plague upon humanity, 2004, p.37.
  2. ^ Yoshiaki Yoshimi, Dokugasusen Kankei Shiryō II, Kaisetsu(Materials on Poison Gas Warfare), 1997, pp.25–29., Herbert P. Bix, Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, 2001
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