Generals Patton, Pershing, MacArthur, Omar Bradley, George Marshall...all were war horses, having seen front-line action in battle before, or during, World War Two.

General Eisenhower never saw combat in his life. He rose through the ranks during peacetime. When it came time to appoint an overseeing general, his organizational skills got him the job... he was too old to be right up on the front- but his plan(s) worked, and the war was won.