2,425 articles
Vlado Chernozemski
Vlado Chernozemski, born Velichko Dimitrov Kerin, was a Bulgarian revolutionary and assassin of the VMRO who killed King Alexander I of Yugoslavia in Marseille in 1934.
Vlatko Vuković
Vlatko Vuković (died 1392 or 1393) was a Bosnian great noble who served King Tvrtko I, defeated the Ottomans at Bileća in 1388, and led Bosnian troops at Kosovo.
Võ Nguyên Giáp
Võ Nguyên Giáp (武元甲), Vietnamese general, 1911–2013; founded the Vietnam People's Army in 1944, won Điện Biên Phủ in 1954 against France, led the war against the US, later deputy premier until 1991.
Võ Tánh
Võ Tánh (武性, 1768–1801) was a Vietnamese general under Nguyễn Phúc Ánh, later Emperor Gia Long, best known for holding Bình Định citadel during a long siege.
Vojin Popović
Vojin Popović (Војин Поповић), better known as Vojvoda Vuk, was a celebrated Serbian Chetnik commander who fought in Macedonia, the Balkan Wars, and World War I.
Volodymyr Pravyk
Volodymyr Pravyk (Володимир Правик), 1962–1986, Soviet lieutenant and guard chief of the Chernobyl NPP fire brigade who led the first response on 26 April 1986, called signal number three, and died of acute radiation sickness on 11 May 1986.
Vsevolod Petriv
Vsevolod Petriv (Всеволод Петрів, 1883–1948) was a Ukrainian military leader and historian who served as UNR defense minister and chief of the General Staff, later writing four volumes of memoirs.
Waidi Shaibu
Waidi Shaibu (born 1971, Olamaboro, Kogi State) is a Nigerian Army lieutenant general and 25th Chief of Army Staff, appointed by President Tinubu on 24 October 2025 after commanding Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East.
Wail al-Shehri
Wail al-Shehri (July 31, 1973 date of birth used) was a Saudi muscle hijacker of American Airlines Flight 11 on 9/11; brother of Waleed al-Shehri, from Asir Province, seated 2A first class.
Walerian Czuma
Walerian Czuma was a Polish brigadier general who organized and commanded the defense of Warsaw in September 1939, holding the capital until its capitulation on 28 September.
Walery Wróblewski
Walery Wróblewski (1836-1908) was a Polish revolutionary-democratic activist and forester who commanded insurgents in the 1863 January Uprising and later served as a general of the Paris Commune of 1871.
Walter Audisio
Walter Audisio (1909–1973), Italian communist politician and partisan known as Colonnello Valerio, commanded the unit that executed Mussolini, Clara Petacci, and sixteen hierarchs on 28 April 1945; later PCI deputy and senator.
Walter Bedell Smith
Walter Bedell Smith (1895–1961), 'Beetle' Smith, was Eisenhower's chief of staff at AFHQ and SHAEF, signed the German surrender at Reims, then served as U.S. Ambassador to the USSR, Director of Central Intelligence 1950–53, and Under Secretary of State.
Walter Krivitsky (Самуил Гершевич Гинзберг)
Walter Krivitsky (Самуил Гершевич Гинзберг; born Samuel Ginsberg, 1899–1941), Soviet military intelligence chief for Western Europe who defected in 1937, wrote In Stalin's Secret Service, predicted the Nazi-Soviet pact, and died of a gunshot in a Washington hotel officially ruled suicide.
Walter Krueger
Walter Krueger (1881–1967), German-born US Army four-star general, rose from private to command the Sixth Army in the Southwest Pacific, leading New Guinea amphibious operations and the Leyte and Luzon campaigns under MacArthur.
Walter Leslie
Walter Leslie, Count Leslie (1606–1667), was a Scottish soldier of fortune who helped assassinate General Wallenstein at Eger in 1634 and rose to Habsburg field marshal.
Walter Model
Walter Model (1891–1945), German Generalfeldmarschall, Hitler's defensive specialist on the Eastern and Western Fronts; Rzhev, Kursk, Ardennes; committed Nazi, suicide in the Ruhr pocket.
Walter Schellenberg
Walter Schellenberg (1910-1952) was a German SS-Brigadefuehrer who headed RSHA Office VI, Nazi Germany's foreign intelligence service, staged the 1939 Venlo Incident abduction, absorbed the Abwehr in 1944, testified for the prosecution at the IMT, and drew six years in the 1949 Ministries Case.
Walter von Reichenau
Walter von Reichenau (1884–1942), German field marshal and early Nazi supporter; commanded 10th and 6th Armies and Army Group South; issued the 10 October 1941 Severity Order calling for annihilation of the "Jewish-Bolshevik system"; died of a stroke in January 1942.
Walther von Brauchitsch
Walther von Brauchitsch (1881–1948), German Generalfeldmarschall, commanded the Heer from February 1938 to 19 December 1941, led the Poland, France, Balkans, and USSR campaigns, was dismissed by Hitler after the Moscow failure, and died in British custody.
Walther Wenck
Walther Wenck (1900-1982), German General der Panzertruppe; chief of staff to Guderian after 20 July 1944; commanded the Twelfth Army in the 1945 Battle of Berlin, then led roughly 70,000-100,000 troops and refugees across the Elbe to surrender to US forces.
Wang Jian (王翦) (Qin)
Wang Jian (王翦, died after 221 BCE) was a Qin general of Pinyang who served the First Emperor, conquered Zhao and Yan, and destroyed Chu with a 600,000-man army after Li Xin's 200,000-man invasion failed; father of Wang Ben.
Wang Ping (Shu Han general)
Wang Ping (王平) was a Shu Han general of the Three Kingdoms period who defected from Cao Cao to Liu Bei in 219 and defended Hanzhong.
Warren Earp
Warren Baxter Earp (1855-1900), youngest Earp brother, skipped the OK Corral gunfight but joined the 1882 vendetta ride; shot dead by John Boyett in Willcox, Arizona, in 1900, acquitted on self-defense.
Warrior
Warrior: a person with a recognized martial role in a society, from medieval European knights bound by chivalry to African age-set warriors, Hun horse archers, and Japanese mounted bowmen.
Waruhiu Itote
Waruhiu Itote (1922–1993), known as General China, was a Kenyan commander who led Mau Mau forces on Mount Kenya during the 1950s uprising against British rule.
Watanabe no Tsuna
Watanabe no Tsuna (渡辺綱) was a Japanese warrior of the Heian period, 953 to 1025, famous in legend for cutting off an oni's arm at Rashōmon.
Webb Hayes
Webb Cook Hayes (James Webb Cook Hayes, 1856-1934), second son of President Rutherford B. Hayes: businessman, co-founder of a Union Carbide forerunner, Spanish-American War and Philippines officer, Medal of Honor recipient for the 1899 rescue at Vigan.
Wei Qing
Wei Qing (卫青) was a Han dynasty general who led seven campaigns against the Xiongnu between 129 and 119 BC, rising from servile birth to Grand Marshal.
Werner von Blomberg
Werner Eduard Fritz Freiherr von Blomberg (1878–1946), German Generalfeldmarschall; Reichswehr Minister from 1933, Reich War Minister and Wehrmacht commander-in-chief 1935–1938; fell in the 1938 Blomberg-Fritsch marriage scandal, enabling Hitler's takeover of the Wehrmacht.