Dwight D. Eisenhower graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1915 and rose quickly through the ranks of the United States Army. At the outbreak of World War II, Eisenhower was named Chief of Staff to George C. Marshall. In 1942, Marshall sent Eisenhower to Great Britain to command American forces there and in Europe. He commanded the North African Landings (Operation Torch), the Normandy Invasion (Operation Overlord), and the offensive against Germany in Western Europe.
He, like the rest of the allies, was caught off guard with Germany's offensive in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) but recovered and led the allies into Germany the following spring.
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