|
|
Frederick Roberts - British Field Marshal (1832-1914)
He was the foremost British military figure of his time, popularly known as "Bobs". He served in India during the Sepoy Mutiny 1857-58, in the Afghan War in 1878-80, and was Commander-in-Chief in India 1885-93. He then returned to England where he was appointed Field Marshal. Led British forces against the Boers in South Africa in 1899-1900, afterward becoming Commander-in-Chief of the British Army and earning the title of Earl of Kandahar. Rudyard Kipling wrote a well-known poem in his honor.
|
Helmuth von Moltke - German Officer (1800-1891)
Arguably Germany's greatest soldier, he ironically spent only a few years in the field with troops. He is considered to be the leader most responsible for shaping the modern German military tactics and strategy that prevailed through 1945. He was Prussian Chief of Staff between 1871 and 1888, and played a critical role in the German Wars of Unification (1864-1871), campaigns against Austria in 1866, and against France 1870-71. He was influenced by the theories of the great military philosopher Carl von Clausewitz, which he applied to great practical effect.
|
|
|
Iwao Oyama - Japanese Soldier-Statesman (1842-1916)
He was an attache with the German army during the Franco-German war. In 1883 he asked the German Army Chief of Staff, General Moltke, to send an instructor to the new Japanese War College to train its staff. He was Field Marshal of the Japanese Imperial Army during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. The victory of his troops over the Russian Czar's Great Army at Shenyang (Mukden) and the destruction of the Russian fleet by Admiral Togo's forces led to Russia's defeat, gaining Japan the status of a world power, the first Asian imperialist modern state.
|
Maresuke Nogi - Japanese Army General (1849-1912)
He was an infantry commander during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and afterward was governor of Taiwan from 1896 to 1898. He was principal of the Peers' School where the later Emperor Hirohito received his early training. Nogi led the successful siege of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, but lost nearly 60,000 men under his command in the battle. In grief over the death of his two sons during that war, and death of the Emperor Meiji in 1912, Nogi and his wife committed seppuku, the ritual suicide of the samurai warrior.
|
|
|
Heihachiro Togo - Japanese Admiral (1846-1934)
Japan's greatest naval hero, he studied in England in the 1870s and later achieved prominence during the Sino-Japanese War. His fleet defeated two Russian fleets during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-1905. He later served as Naval Chief of Staff and member of the Supreme War Council, and was the primary influence in the development of Japanese sea power during a period when Japan joined the U.S. and Britain as the world's major naval powers.
|
A. Martinez de Campos - Spanish Soldier (1834-1900)
He served in the Spanish military in Morocco, Mexico, and Cuba. He assisted in restoring the monarchy in Spain in 1874-75, and was instrumental in the accession of King Alfonso XII to the throne. He helped suppress insurrections in Cuba in 1878. Served as Premier of Spain, Minister of War, and President of the Senate. Returned to Cuba in 1895-95 as a military commander.
|
|
