Canadian Air Force (WW1):
Air Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop – top ace of British Empire in WW1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bishop
Canadian Army (WW1):
General Sir Arthur Currie – first Canadian commander of the Canadian Corp in WW1; planned assault on Vimy Ridge; responsible for turning Canadian Corp into the “shock troops” of British Empire during WW1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Currie
Canadian Navy (WW2):
Vice Admiral Harry DeWolf – captain of the HMCS Haida; went so far as to disobey orders and take his ship into enemy waters, at night, to rescue survivors from the Haida’s sister ship: HMCS Athabaskan.
http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view...0/dewolf001220
German Navy (WW2):
Kapitänleutnant Werner Hartenstein - the commander of U-156
After torpedoing RMS Laconia he discovered ship was transporting POWs and commenced a rescue operation. Although German and Italian submarines were dispatched to the rescue, he felt that wasn’t enough and broadcast a general distress in the open, in English, requesting assistance from any ships in the area. With Red Cross flags draped across their gun-decks the three German U-Boars and Italian submarine attempted to tow the life-boats and survivors towards the African coast. The Kapitänleutnant even went so far as to signal a US B-24 anti-submarine patrol for help…unfortunately the B-24 was ordered to attack the surfaced submarines. This incident resulted in the Laconia Order, which more or less issued in unrestricted submarine warfare.
Links-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laconia_incident
http://wernerhartenstein.tripod.com/U156Laconia.htm
German Air Force (WW2):
Gruppenkommandeur Erich Hartmann – the top ace of all time (352 kills)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Hartmann
(admire Rudel’s military achievements, but his politics eliminated from the running)
German Army (WW2):
SS-Hauptsturmführer Michael Wittman – the top tank ace/commander of all time (138 tanks, 141 artillery/AT-guns)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Wittman
British Navy (Napoleonic):
Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald – the real-life inspiration for the fictional characters Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...l_of_Dundonald
British Army (War of 1812):
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock – always believed in never ordering his men somewhere where he would not lead died leading second charge to retake Queenston Heights; during his burial even the US forces fired a 21 gun salute in his honour.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Brock
British Air Force (WW2):
[b]Sgt. Ray Holmes[b] – out of ammunition he used his Hurricane itself as a weapon to stop a German bomber heading for Buckingham Palace.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Holmes