Orde Wingate

1903- 1944

British General

 

Orde Wingate won lasting fame for his guerrilla activities in Burma during World War II. But his exploits did not begin there. They also included a stint in Palestine where he organized Jewish paramilitary squads against Arab saboteurs (1936 - 39) and his leadership of the "Gideon's Force" guerillas who fought in Ethiopia against the Italians (1940-41).

A clever and unorthodox tactician, Wingate met an untimely death when he was killed in an airplane crash shortly after having been named a major general commanding air strikes into Burma.