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Starting this link so we might post pics of some of our personal heroes from this era.

In this pic, the gent looking down and reading is Arleigh "Thirty-one knot" Burke.
The crew is standing by awaiting orders for an intercept of the Tokyo Express.
Note the DesRon 23 mascot painted on the side of the ship.

Best all-round Admiral : Andrew Byrnes Cunningham RN

The Guru of Amphib Landings: Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner aboard AGC Rocky Mount:

And an esteemed enemy: Raizo Tanaka (of Tassafaronga fame)

Often unsung Roy Geiger

Pacific Theatre only?

Fred

Willis Lee

Lt-Commander Eugene Esmonde 825 Squadron Fleet Air Arm

On the morning of Thursday, 12th February, 1942, Lieutenant-Commander Esmonde, in command of a Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm, was told that the German Battle-Cruisers 'Scharnhorst' and 'Gneisenau' and the Cruiser 'Prinz Eugen', strongly escorted by some thirty surface craft, were entering the Straits of Dover, and that his Squadron must attack before they reached the sand-banks North East of Calais. Lieutenant-Commander Esmonde knew well that his enterprise was desperate.

Soon after noon he and his squadron of six Swordfish set course for the Enemy, and after ten minutes flight were attacked by a strong force of Enemy fighters. Touch was lost with his fighter escort and in the action which followed all his aircraft were damaged. He flew on, cool and resolute, serenely challenging hopeless odds, to encounter the deadly fire of the Battle-Cruisers and their Escort, which shattered the port wing of his aircraft.

Undismayed, he led his Squadron on, straight through this inferno of fire, in steady flight towards their target. Almost at once he was shot down: but his Squadron went on to launch a gallant attack, in which at least one torpedo is believed to have struck the German Battle-Cruisers, and from which not one of the six aircraft returned.

His high courage and splendid resolution will live in the traditions of the Royal Navy, and remain for many generations a fine and stirring memory.

Meanwhile the Germans noted:

Admiral Otto Ciliax in the Scharnhorst described "The mothball attack of a handful of ancient planes, piloted by men whose bravery surpasses any other action by either side that day".

As he watched the smoking wrecks of the Swordfish falling into the sea, Captain Hoffmann of the Scharnhorst exclaimed, "Poor fellows, they are so very slow, it is nothing but suicide for them to fly against these big ships".

Willhelm Wolf aboard the Scharnhorst wrote, "What an heroic stage for them to meet their end! Behind them their homeland, which they had just left with their hearts steeled to their purpose, still in view".

Temporary Lt Thomas Wilkinson RNVR

On 14th February, 1942, H.M. Ship Li Wo, a patrol vessel of 1,000 tons, formerly a passenger steamer on the Upper Yangtse River, was on, passage from Singapore to Batavia. Her ship's company consisted of eighty-four officers and men, including one civilian; they were mainly survivors from His Majesty's Ships which had been sunk, and few from units of the Army and the Royal Air Force. Her armament was one 4 inch gun, for which she had only thirteen practice shells, and two machine guns.

Since leaving Singapore the previous day, the ship had beaten off four air attacks, in one of which fifty-two machines took part and had suffered considerable damage. Late in the afternoon, she sighted two enemy con­voys, the larger of which was escorted by Japanese naval units, including a heavy cruiser and some destroyers. The Com­manding Officer, Lieutenant T. Wilkinson, R.N.R., gathered his scratch ship's company together and told them that, rather than try to escape, he had decided to engage the convoy and to fight to the last, in the hope that he might inflict damage upon the enemy. In making this decision, which drew resolute support from the whole ship's company, Lieutenant Wilkinson knew that his ship faced certain destruction, and that his own chances of survival were small.

H.M.S. Li Wo hoisted her battle ensign and made straight for the enemy. In the action which followed, the machine gun's were used with effect upon the crews of all ships in range, and a volunteer gun's crew manned the 4 inch gun, which they fought with such purpose that a Japanese transport was badly hit and set on fire.

After a little over an hour, H.M.S, Li Wo had been critically damaged and was sinking. Lieutenant Wilkinson then decided to ram his principal target, the large transport, which had been abandoned by her crew. It is known that this ship burnt fiercely through­out the night following the action, and was probably sank.

H.M.S. Li Wo's gallant fight ended when, her shells spent, and under heavy fire from the enemy cruiser, Lieutenant Wilkinson finally ordered abandon ship. He himself remained on board, and went down with her. There were only about ten survivors, who were later made prisoners of war.

Lieutenant Wilkinson's valour was equalled only by the skill with which he fought his ship, The VICTORIA CROSS is bestowed upon him posthumousIy in recognition both of his own heroism and self-sacrifice, and of that of all who fought and died with him.

Yamaguchi Tamon, commander of the Japanese Carrier Striking Force's Carrier Division Two

Here he and Captain Kaku are bidding farewell to Hiryu's crew, before going down with the ship

Not pretty, but a pretty good guy, Admiral Kent Hewitt.

By the way, that's Sal Mineo standing behind the Admiral. He was three years old at the time.

If we're not limiting ourselves to Navy, General James Gavin.

How about this guy? Mathew B. Ridgeway

I'm starting to take a shine to this guy, Joe Stilwell.

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Best all-round Admiral : Andrew Browne Cunningham RN

warspite1

Fixed that for you [;)]

What about Joseph Reeves? He was too old to see combat in WW II (he retired in the 30s but came out of retirement and sailed a desk during the war). However, it was his innovations that made the whole Pacific War play out the way it did:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_M._Reeves

Bill

Captain Queeg

Pappy.

John Henry Towers of Rome, Georgia, which is now my hometown.

As a Commander in 1919, Towers was one of three pilots involved in the first trans-Atlantic flight. Two of the planes, including that piloted by Towers, were forced down. The third plane made the crossing.

From '39 to '42, Towers served as Aeronautics Bureau chief, pushing increased production of aircraft and pilot training. Later, he had operational commands including Commander, Air Force, Pacific Fleet.

He's in the game.