Military Personnels from Germany

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary German Military Personnels of all time. This list of famous German Military Personnels is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of German Military Personnels.

1. #1

   

   Karl Dönitz

   1891 - 1980

   HPI 84.9078 languages

   Karl Dönitz was a German naval officer who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine from 1943 to 1945. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. His most famous accomplishment is being the last German head of state in World War II.

2. #2

   

   Adolf Eichmann

   1906 - 1962

   HPI 83.1276 languages

   Adolf Eichmann was a German Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust. He was charged with facilitating and managing the logistics of mass deportation of Jews to ghettos and extermination camps in Eastern Europe during World War II.

3. #3

   

   Erwin Rommel

   1891 - 1944

   HPI 82.6288 languages

   Erwin Rommel was a German Field Marshal who is most famous for his role in the North African Campaign of World War II. He was a highly decorated officer in the Wehrmacht, and was awarded the German Cross in Gold and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds.

4. #4

   

   Erich von Manstein

   1887 - 1973

   HPI 80.5058 languages

   Erich von Manstein was a German Field Marshal during World War II. He is most famous for his planning of the invasion of France and the Battle of Kursk.

5. #5

   

   Wilhelm Keitel

   1882 - 1946

   HPI 80.2964 languages

   Wilhelm Keitel was a German field marshal who served as the Chief of the German Armed Forces High Command, or Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, from 1938 to 1945. He was tried and found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg Trials.

6. #6

   

   Heinz Guderian

   1888 - 1954

   HPI 80.2261 languages

   Heinz Guderian is most famous for being a German general who was the architect of the Blitzkrieg, or the lightning war.

7. #7

   

   Friedrich Paulus

   1890 - 1957

   HPI 80.0861 languages

   Friedrich Paulus was a German field marshal who is most famous for being the commander of the 6th Army at Stalingrad.

8. #8

   

   Arminius

   17 BC - 21

   HPI 79.7173 languages

   Arminius is most famous for being the Germanic chieftain who led a coalition of tribes to victory over three Roman legions in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.

9. #9

   

   Alfred Jodl

   1890 - 1946

   HPI 78.1961 languages

   Alfred Jodl was a German military officer who served as Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) during World War II. He was convicted of war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials and executed by hanging.

10. #10

    

    Gerd von Rundstedt

    1875 - 1953

    HPI 77.6154 languages

    Gerd von Rundstedt was a German field marshal who was in charge of the German army during World War II. He is most famous for being the commander of the German army during the Battle of France in 1940.