Greatest WWII Military Commanders: Updated
- Thread starter davparlr
- Start date
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Freebird
Master Sergeant
And what about him stands out?
Voted for Dowding, he always seemed to be ahead of the game. First commander of fighter command it was he who foresaw the importance of fighter control and melded the Spitfires, Hurricanes, radar and observer corps into the patterm that every air force later followed and it was he who saw the pointlessness of flinging aircraft into the defence of France when a bigger battle was certainly coming. A genius who was despicably treated after his greatest victory.
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
I had to go with Patton. I think his only fault was he stunk at politics. 2nd would be Erich von Manstein, who also stunk at politics.
It is a sad fact that in the UK we have a nasty habit of treating our greatest sons with contempt.
See also Frank Whittle, and even Barnes Wallis to some extent.
I'm certainly no expert on military tactics etc but I liked his defiance of the norm like pillboxes and heavy beach defences as he went with an innovative yet simple plan (tunnels) that might not have won the Japs Iwo Jima but they put up one hell of a fight
wheelsup_cavu
1st Sergeant
I picked Patton.
He just seemed to get the job done.
Wheelsup
He just seemed to get the job done.
Wheelsup
HerrKaleut
Airman
I re-iterate my previous remark.....Why is Doenitz not in the listings???
Freebird
Master Sergeant
I think it would be also good to have a "strategic" commanders poll, as opposed to "tactical" like Monty, Patton, Rommel etc.
The job of deciding which forces are sent where, and who commands is as important {or more!} than the guy on the ground who wins the battle.
Certainly, had the German command followed Doenitz's wish to send many more boats for "Drumbeat" instead of keeping them in the Med, it might have been a much harder task for the Allies.
He suffered the common problem of brilliant commanders, being over-ruled by leaders who had little clue of what they were doing.
Imagine if Hitler had put the direction of the war into the hands of the professionals, Doenitz Manstein {or Guderian etc} instead of himself Goering Bormann etc?
Messy1
Master Sergeant
That is a very scary thought FB! That has always been Hilter's greatest mistake IMO, thinking he knew far more than professional soldiers, and not listening to them. Scary to think how things might have turned out had he left all military decisions to his top military men.
Freebird
Master Sergeant
And combine that with the US commanders in some areas being weak inexperienced {Navy responce to Drumbeat, defence of Pearl Manila etc} it could have caused huge problems.
Luckily for the US { Allies} the American production was so huge that it dwarfed everyone else
Messy1
Master Sergeant
Very true FB.
There was a HBO movie that told the story about how things would have turned out after he war had Germany won. I think it starred Donald Sutherland. I always wanted to see it, I cannot remember its name anymore. But wondering how things would have played out always has been a topic that has interested me.
There was a HBO movie that told the story about how things would have turned out after he war had Germany won. I think it starred Donald Sutherland. I always wanted to see it, I cannot remember its name anymore. But wondering how things would have played out always has been a topic that has interested me.
Ferdinand Foch
Staff Sergeant
Speaking of HBO Messy, has anyone seen that short movie "Into the Storm," about Churchill as Prime Minister during the Second World War. Even though it's only 90 or so min. long, I liked it a lot. Very factual, good acting, and the props weren't that bad either, even though they used some footage from the 1960's movie The Battle of Britain, and that they had the wrong kind of Spitfires in it for the time period.
As for commanders, I went with Rommel, Patton, Zhukov, Slim, Yamamoto, and Yamaguchi. As for other, I'm thinking about Alphonse Juin. Personally, I think that Slim should get a little more limelight that Monty, since he managed to beat the Japanese out of Burma, even though he's front wasn't always on the top list for resupplying. Yamaguchi wasn't bad too. I think he was a little more daring and bolder than Nagumo (the Battle of Midway might have turned out differently if Yamaguchi was in command, and not Nagumo, least in my opinion). Unfortunately, or fortunately for us, he went down with the Hiryu.
As for commanders, I went with Rommel, Patton, Zhukov, Slim, Yamamoto, and Yamaguchi. As for other, I'm thinking about Alphonse Juin. Personally, I think that Slim should get a little more limelight that Monty, since he managed to beat the Japanese out of Burma, even though he's front wasn't always on the top list for resupplying. Yamaguchi wasn't bad too. I think he was a little more daring and bolder than Nagumo (the Battle of Midway might have turned out differently if Yamaguchi was in command, and not Nagumo, least in my opinion). Unfortunately, or fortunately for us, he went down with the Hiryu.
HerrKaleut
Airman
Was'nt aware that the luftwaffe used Merlin engines either
Re; Midway, the US navy were very lucky there, the whole thing could have turned out a lot different irrespective of who was in command.
Re; Midway, the US navy were very lucky there, the whole thing could have turned out a lot different irrespective of who was in command.
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Was'nt aware that the luftwaffe used Merlin engines either
Re; Midway, the US navy were very lucky there, the whole thing could have turned out a lot different irrespective of who was in command.
I agree 101%
I would say that Midway was a 'Do or Die' mission - in fact you could say it was Thermopylae fought at Sea ... Or perhaps a Kamikaze mission !
It proved one thing : you could spend 5 years building a complex, massive, super Battle Ship, manned by 100s of men.
Then one 500lb bomb could spoil your Whole Day
Was'nt aware that the luftwaffe used Merlin engines either
Re; Midway, the US navy were very lucky there, the whole thing could have turned out a lot different irrespective of who was in command.
Some captured Spits were flown with DB engines
They flew really well !! - in fact it was the perfect marriage (from hell)
Freebird
Master Sergeant
It's a real pain in the a** that British carriers have only half the aircraft due to the reduced space with the armoured decks.
But when 500 pound bombs kamakazis only leave a big dent your deck, maybe not such a bad trade off....
You know what - the history of WW2 aviation really IS a history of Trade Offs - especially in aviation.
I feel there are 2 types. Tactical and strategic minds, then personality leaders regarding the men under them being inspired, loyal, and going above the norm in combat as a result.
Tactical minds I'd pick Manstein, Model, von kleist, Nehring, Maunteuffel, and Yamamoto
Via press or within the unit, for personality leaders (real or imagined) towards those under them I'd pick Hausser, Rommel, Yamamoto, Dietrich, Montgomery
Tactical minds I'd pick Manstein, Model, von kleist, Nehring, Maunteuffel, and Yamamoto
Via press or within the unit, for personality leaders (real or imagined) towards those under them I'd pick Hausser, Rommel, Yamamoto, Dietrich, Montgomery
