Albert Crocker
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Albert Crocker | |
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| Born | 21 May 1909 Dublin, Niflheim |
| Died | 22 August 2010 (aged 101) Bellfast, Niflheim |
| Buried | Bellfast National Memorial Square |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Lucis Army |
| Years of service | 1934–75 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Commands held | XXX Corps 48th Armoured Division 51st Armored Brigade |
| Battles/wars | Estharian Civil War Second Europan War War of Lorican Aggression |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Garter Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the Lucis Empire Distinguished Service Cross Military Cross Conspicuous Gallantry Medal Second Europan War Victory Medal Mentioned in Dispatches |
| Relations | Okita Hanamura (commanding officer) Edward Samegawa (subordinate) Roy Peterson (subordinate) Hikaru Komaki (subordinate) |
| Other work | News Presenter Author Inspirational Speaker |
Major-General Sir Albert Crocker KG, GCB, CLE, DC (21 May 1909 - 22 August 2010) was a Niflheimian Lucis Army commander and officer best known for his roles during the Second Europan War. His most prominent role was serving as the second-in-command of the Lucis Commonwealth Armies in Joyonghea under the command of General Okita Hanamura. As a result of the appointment, he was the second most senior Commonwealth commander in the theatre. After the war, he served as a news presenter for the LBC. He later joined the Belfast Toastmasters Club in 1951 and served 10 consecutive terms as its club president. He subsequently became an inspirational speaker as he reduced his commitments to army life up to his retirement in 1975. He became an author for the most of his later life.
In the army, he started as a career officer and served during the Estharian Civil War. When the Second Europan War broke out, he commanded a battalion during the 1935 Naggiar Plains Defensive Action under Okita Hanamura, one of the most prominent Lucian commanders in the field. Hanamura later identified Crocker as one of his most able commanders, giving him a divisionary command and subsequently, a corps command when they were transferred to Joyonghea to lead the Lucis Commonwealth's aid to the Joyonghean forces. Crocker oversaw Commonwealth field commanders directing movements, often interfering less to allow most under his wing to act independently and without politics. He frequently ran into disagreements with Concordian General Douglas Tecumseh Stilwell and Donald MacArthur about their views on Joyonghean forces, often refusing to work with the former.
He is famous for blunting many Imperial thrusts that attempted to undermine Allied forces in Joyonghea, as such during Archadian Spring Offensive, when the Quenminese-Archadian forces were in danger of further enlarging the separated ZANAC forces under Edward Samegawa, in which Crocker blew many Imperial armoured thrusts to a halt, and later in the Battle of Mushroom Hill, when he denied the Quenminese of a denial attack to prevent any Allied forces from relieving the Joyongheans and ZANACs on the hill. He saw significant successes carrying out such thrusts due to his expertise in combined operations.
Joyonghean Grand General Cheon Sang-ji had called him as "General Okita Hanamura's key to victory, that whenever he asked for something, he always got it." while Hanamura believed that while Crocker didn't have Samegawa's ruthlessness and flexibility, he was cleverer and a better tactician.