Supreme Allied Commander

Supreme Allied Commander is the title given to the most senior commander of some multinational organisations. It originated as a term used by the western allies during World War II and is currently used by NATO.

World War Two

During WWII there were three areas which had supreme commanders in name and two others which effectively had supreme commanders. The three in name were the Supreme Allied Commander Mediterranean (SACMED), Supreme Allied Command South East Asia (SACSEA) and Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force (SCAEF) in north west Europe. The American Commander-in-Chief South West Pacific and Commander-in-Chief Pacific Ocean Areas also functioned as de facto supreme commanders. These commanders reported to the Combined Chiefs of Staff, although in the case of the American commanders in the Pacific and SACSEA, the relevant national command authorities of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the Chiefs of Staff Committee had responsibility of the main conduct of the war in the theatre of operations.

Related Topics:
Combined Chiefs of Staff - Joint Chiefs of Staff - Chiefs of Staff Committee

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General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower was probably the most high profile of the supreme commanders. He served successively as SACMED and SCAEF. Eisenhower was succeeded as SACMED by Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson who was in turn succeeded by Field Marshal Harold Alexander. The post of SACSEA was occupied throughout its existence by Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten.

Related Topics:
Dwight Eisenhower - Henry Maitland Wilson - Harold Alexander - Louis Mountbatten

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Following the end of the war, the term came into use again with the formation of NATO. At which point Eisenhower again found himself a Supreme Allied Commander.

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