General Dwight Eisenhower (54). A farm boy from Kansas, is touchy about his lack of battlefield experience. "I've had to do things that were so risky as to be almost crazy," he says. As supreme commander "Ike" has proved to be a leader who can persuade his senior officers to co-operate loyally.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, Eisenhower's deputy, flew bombing mission in the First World War. Ike speaks of him as "one of the few great military leaders of our time."
General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery, the victor of Alamein, is acknowledged to be a brilliant soldier; he knows it and can be somewhat prickly to deal with.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory has moved from a defensive role at Fighter Command to direct the air assault in France.
Lt-Gen Omar Bradley, after 30 years in uniform and coming up to the age of 50, first went into action in North Africa.
Lt-Gen Walter Bedell Smith served in France in 1917. His grasp of detail is formidable, but he is abrupt and humourless.
Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay came out of retirement for the war. An expert in amphibious actions, he was knighted for his organization of the Dunkirk evacuation.