Who do you think is the greatest military general of all time?

Question

What has your favorite general accomplished that other's have not? Do you think your favorite general would be successful in periods other than his own?

Answer 1

1) Patton how far could he have gone given a free hand in france during 1944?

2) Rommel what could he have done had he more than 25% of the force required to win in africa plus his defense of france and the conquest of france.

3) zhukov the defender of russia and did well in the east prior to facing the germans

4) Paul Hausser for his tactical leadership of the II SS Panzer Corps, he restored the sagging front after Stalingrad and Kursk, beating Soviet Armies 7 times his size.

5) napolean master of land and sea warfare egypt and russian were his for a while. He was left chomping on the bit along the English Coast the same as Hitler tho.

6) thomas jackson, for his tactical victories in the Shenandoah Valley and Chancellorsville. He made bobby lee look good and if he was alive, could've won at Gettysburg too.

7) macarthur same as napolean but not the size of scale of conquest. A free hand could've won the Korean Conflict, either that or a direct confrontation with China...who knows?

8)Moltke first used the practice of mobility with railroads and the use of commanders to figure out the best way to take an objective

9)Sherman author the first demonstation of total warfare with march through the south to atlanta

10)genghis khan able to go from mongolia to europe a large undertaking considering his time. His empire was larger than Hitlers, Alexanders, and the Roman Empire combined.

11) charlemagne last big empire of europe until napolean. Without him, Europe would've been overrun by the Moors/Saracens (You'd be praying to Mecca each day).

12)Gauis Julius Caesar, especially for his exploits in Gaul and Britainnia...

Answer 2

Sun Tzu; he literally wrote the book on warfare. His success was in winning the war before reaching the battlefield. He understood all aspects of grand strategy, as well as tactics and general strategy.

The Duke of Wellington was exceptional in handling the battlefield, supplies, and politics. He also took care of his men as best as possible for the time period. Runner up.

George Patton Jr. excelled at tactics and strategy, but could not handle politics. He was an historian and knew about ancient battles. Honorable mention. (The Jr is important, because his son (III) was also a General.)

Answer 3

George Washington
He retreated when he had to and fought where he chose to. He lost a few battles, but won the war.
He was a rebel,insurgent.as well as a tactician and moral booster.
When offered Absolute Power he declined it, that is perhaps the most noble act of any man.
Today he would be considered a threat to something and shipped off for the good of every American and persuaded to write and sign a confession.

Answer 4

Hannibal Barca.

He was one of the first commanders to fully maximize mixed unit tactics, and is often called the "father of strategy." His tactics have been emulated by generals from the Roman empire to Napoleon to the Nazi blitz.

He would do very well in any period.

Answer 5

i like ulysses s grant . he never retreated , even if he was startiong to lose the battle , he never retreated , that has to be a morale booster to his troops that he believes in them

Answer 6

Patton most definitely,