I have to say mine's a tossup between Patton and Erich von Manstein. Both were geniuses, had guts to spare, and knew how to use armor. Who's your favorite? Why?
2007-07-12 09:47:35 · 14 answers · asked by neil k 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Halsey was a great Admiral. I'm surprised I didn't see any MacArthur, Montgomery, Guderian or Eisenhower fans. One of the best was Bill Slim, but he kept a low profile, and made very few mistakes.
2007-07-12 10:04:29 · update #1
For sheer audacity, how about Manstein at 3rd Kharkov. And then he told Hitler where to go every chance he got.
2007-07-12 11:06:08 · update #2
You can't undersell old Howlin Mad Smith, and the USMC. With the casualty percentages they took on Tarawa and Iwo Jima, they shouldn't have been a cohesive fighting force, but were! Splendid behavior!
2007-07-12 11:08:36 · update #3
Did any of you know that Patton's childhood friend/trail riding partner was John Singleton Moseby, AKA the Grey Ghost of the Confederacy? I wonder where he got his ideas from?
2007-07-12 11:40:08 · update #4
Wicked! Somebody (the same person who came up with JB Hood) suggested "Pappa Hauser". Awesome!
2007-07-12 12:36:08 · update #5
Everyone forgot about Zhukov! What about Chuikov, or Konev, or Rokossovski? What a bunch of Russophobes!
2007-07-12 12:38:12 · update #6
I know he was only a Colonel, but read Hans von Luck's "Panzer Commander"! He's still alive. Awesome book!
2007-07-12 12:40:01 · update #7
In the Pacific, how about Eichelberger? He had a tough job to do, with a multinational force, in tough terrain, against one heeluva tough enemy (Kokoda trail?)
2007-07-12 12:54:19 · update #8
The best "tactical' general was Paul Hausser, in particular, his exploits in leading the II SS Panzer Corps during the 3rd Battle of Kharkov. He beat a Soviet force 7 times his size. The result was the stablization of the front after the debacle at Stalingrad.
There were other great generals, including Patton, Guderian, Rommel, Manstein and Kurt "Panzer" Meyer, but Hausser was above them all in a losing cause.
Honorable mention are Eisenhower, Zhukov, and Yamamoto (do admirals count?). Montgomery was over-rated.
2007-07-12 12:15:26 · answer #1 · answered by Its not me Its u 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, MacArthur was an egomaniac, so I'm inclined to dismiss him. Then again, egomania tends to go along with stars. Patton was audacious ("Rommel you b******! I read your book!") Eisenhower was perfectly suited for the job he held, as he was essentially Bureaucrat-in-Chief. (Well, that's really all any general is, anyway. It's the captains, majors, and colonels who do the legwork.) Just like Grant and Lincoln, it was a case of hard times transforming mediocrity into greatness, while MacArthur was essentially another McClellan.
2007-07-12 10:34:48 · answer #2 · answered by allenbmeangene 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Major General F.W. Von Mellenthin - author of " Panzer Battles" and member of German General Staff. He was on Rommel's staff in North Africa. He was a staff member of the 48th Panzer Corps for two years on the Russian Front. His book "Panzer Battles" is the classic account of tank warfare in WW2.
General Maurice Rose - Commander of Patton's 3rd Armored Division, killed in action at the front.
Colonel Creighton Abrams ( wasn't promoted to General until Korea) was the Commander that lead Patton's attack to relieve Bastogne. Fought in WW2, Korea and Vietnam. The M1 Abrams tank is named after him.
2007-07-12 10:10:10 · answer #3 · answered by Louie O 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Manstein and Guderian were great. However, for me, the real top guys would have been Rommel and Zhukov. Hard to choose. I don't know enough about the war in the pacific to know weither someone of them need mentioning.
2007-07-12 12:34:45 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Howlin Mad Smith (USMC). A fighting general who didn't take any s*** from anyone including the Army. He got into a lot of trouble when he relieved an Army officer for not being aggressive enough. He was a fighting general that was able to get his Marines to fight regardless of what the enemy threw at them. I am not trying to say he was the best general but he was the one I liked the best. The best Marine general was Vandergift.
2007-07-12 10:36:03 · answer #5 · answered by SgtMoto 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For scholarship, I'll go with Heinz Guderian and Irwin Rommel. These two, more than any others, are responsible for formulating the Blitzkrieg. Their books, Achtung Panzer and The Panzer in Combat (respectively), are concise and brilliant (in my opinion).
For sheer guts and cunning, there's no other choice than George Patton. I don't believe in reincarnation as he did, but if anything was ever to give me pause on that account, it would be that Patton was born at just the right time, raised in just the right atmosphere, and had the belief that to win WW II was his sole destiny...and he did it. Amazing man.
2007-07-12 11:00:05 · answer #6 · answered by stevenB 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Paul Hausser, for disobeying Hitler's direct order(s) to him not to withdraw at the Battle of Kharkov (I forget which one, either the 2nd or 3rd). Fwiw British historian John Keegan considers Erich von Manstein to have been the most capable general on any side in World War Two.
2016-05-20 23:43:18 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Blood and Guts George Patton.
2007-07-12 12:15:12 · answer #8 · answered by harlin42 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can't sell short "Bull" Halsey or even Erwin Rommel
2007-07-12 09:52:26 · answer #9 · answered by Experto Credo 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Omar Bradley was for the soldier. He fought right along side them.
2007-07-12 09:57:46 · answer #10 · answered by Concerned 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋