"Lead" is a metal, or the present tense of a verb. The past tense of lead is "led." Yamamoto and Nimitz were Admirals. Nothing in Nimitz's title was or corresponded to Major. Auchinleck was a General in North Africa, being elevated to Field Marshal later. He halted Rommel's 1942 drive on Alexandria at the First Battle of El Alamein, but cannot be said to have defeated him. The Afrika Korps was defeated at the Second Battle of El Alamein by Montgomery (also a General at the time) and forced to retreat to Tunisia.