Where the forces of Liberty defeated the forces of Tyranny was at the Top Level- when it was obvious that the Allies were landing, Hitler was asleep and everybody on his staff were afraid to wake him up. On the other hand, President Roosevelt had little to nothing to do with the D-day invasion (Winston Churchill had only a little more) and General Eisenhower's easiest work day was June 6, when D-Day actually happened.
In a Totalitarian regime, everyone's afraid of the dictator and a wrong move could lead to imprisonment or death for you and your family. In a society based on Liberty, even the lowliest Private can lead large groups of men in desperate battle against a fierce enemy...and be rewarded for it.
When the Soviets and Americans met at the Elbe at the end of WWII, the Soviets were astounded that an American 1st Lieutenant had as much authority as a Soviet colonel.
In 1994, I was in boot camp with a Russian emigre' who was drafted into the Soviet Army in the mid-1980's. He told me that the Sergeants had no real authority at all, and it was the Officers who were giving the orders. Of course, in the US Army, the E-5's, 6's, and 7's are the backbone.