II World War Personalities I'd like to meet someday, if only it was possible!!!

	Name	Description
	George Smith Patton (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945)	‘Old Blood and Guts’ – Patton was the most flamboyant, daring, audacious and controversial Field Commanders during the Second World War.  Characterized by a typical, flamboyant Yankee attitude to war, I believe this guy was, beneath the tough warrior image he cultivated for himself, a man driven by values.  I just love him for his flamboyance and his do or die attitude. To me, he represents the very epitome of a brave warrior. Some of his quotes : Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way… A half baked plan violently executed today is better than a perfect plan waiting for tomorrow No soldier ever won a war by dying for his country. He did by making the other bastard die for his country It is amusing to recall that we fought the revolution in defence of the rights of man and the civil war to abolish slavery and have now gone back on both principles (Patton’s comment on using forced German labor on occupied lands towards the end of second world war)
	Erwin Rommel (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944)	One of the most adroit German Field Marshals during the Second World War, he gave many sleepless nights to the Allied commanders.  He was the very epitome of a chivalrous warrior – under his command, there were almost no atrocities against Prisoners of War, and he fought the war on the stipulations laid down by the Geneva Convention, fully relying on tactical dexterity rather than on victory through attrition.  He was also defiant of orders to execute captured prisoners under the Commando Order, and opted to commit suicide than face court martial when his involvement in the assassination attempt on Hitler’s life was uncovered.   To me, he represents the principle that you can even fight a war with chivalry Men are basically smart or dumb and lazy or ambitious. The dumb and ambitious ones are dangerous and I get rid of them. The dumb and lazy ones I give mundane duties. The smart ambitious ones I put on my staff. The smart and lazy ones I make my commanders. There is one unalterable difference between a soldier and a civilian: the civilian never does more than he is paid to do. A risk is a chance you take; if it fails you can recover. A gamble is a chance taken; if it fails, recovery is impossible Sweat saves blood, blood saves lives, and brains saves both.
	Douglas Bader (21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982)	Group Captain Douglas Bader, the World War II Royal Air Force (RAF) ace fighter pilot, lost both his legs in an air crash in 1931.  He recovered right from the brink of death, and with true grit and determination, got back into the RAF.  He went on to fly Spitfires during the Battle of Britain, and shot down 11 Luftwaffe aircraft, before being captured and sent to a prisoner of war camp.  A troublesome prisoner he was, with numerous escape attempts, as a result of which he was put into Colditz Castle, the supposedly escape-proof German POW camp. Douglas Bader showed that whatever the odds/disabilities, you can achieve whatever you want, all you need is the determination to keep at it. Famous Bader Quotes : My God, I had no idea we left so many of you bastards alive (Comment on entering a room full of ex-Luftwaffe pilots on the occasion of an event he was invited to attend, by his ex-Luftwaffe friend, Adolf Galland) Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men
	Charles Hazlitt Upham (21 September 1908 – 22 November 1994)	Captain Charles Hazlitt Upham VC and Bar, was only the third person to receive the Victoria Cross twice, the only person to receive two VCs during the Second World War and the only combat soldier to receive the award twice. As a result, Upham is often described as the most highly decorated Commonwealth soldier of that war, as the VC is the Commonwealth's highest award for extreme gallantry in the face of the enemy.  And what was his peacetime profession before the war ? He was a sheep farmer in New Zealand !!!  Proves the point that gallantry in war comes out not just from true warriors, but also from the most docile and unexpected sources !
	Charles Andre Joseph Marie de Gaulle (CDG) (22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970)	One of the most controversial French leaders in the history of France, CDG represented the never say die attitude.  His country was falling apart in 1940 under the German onslaught, and here was our guy, a Brigadier General in the French Army, escaping to Great Britain, to give a rousing speech over the BBC to French combatants and citizens across its empire to fight back against the tyranny of Germany.  He was a guy who took charge when there was total disarray and confusion amongst the French.  He unified the vast, distributed French elements opposed to the Nazi regime under the banner of Free French Forces, fighting alongside the other Allied forces. Becoming a French president long after the war was over, he oversaw the peak period of French economic growth “Trente Glorieuses”, the grant of independence to Algeria, amidst much violence and political mess.  A true French nationalist, he saw France as a great world power, and constantly strived to drive his views about France’s position in the global equation.  His views were many a time controversial, like his support of the sovereignty of the predominantly French province of Québec in Canada.  This was seen as particularly meddlesome by Canada, more so in view of the presidential position which CDG held at that time. What moved me the most was the fact that when he retired, he did not accept the pensions to which he was entitled as a retired president and as a retired general. Instead, he accepted only a pension to which colonels are entitled. He was punctilious with regard to money, taking care to separate his private expenses from those of his official function. He paid for his own haircuts, the stamps for personal correspondence and had an electricity meter installed in the private accommodation at his official residence.  And when he died, he was almost penniless – so destitute that he did not have money for his own funeral ! I’m yet to come across a statesman representing a once global superpower who chose to live life after retirement in relative simplicity and obscurity.