Greatest millitary leaders?

Question

I'd go with Hitler, because he was a great speaker and was very effective in what he wanted, I have nothing against Jews though. He was a bad man but you can't deny he was the last great leader. By the way I'm not a ******' nazi or racist, I respect everyone.

Genghis Khan, Saladin, Churchill, Alexander the great, Julius Caeser, Napolean, Patton, Saddam Husein, Nelson, Cyrus the great, Attila the Hun, Oliver Cromwell, Stalin, Eisenhower, Hitler, George Washington.

Answer 1

I have to say that Hitler was far from a great military leader. One of the major factors in his country's defeat was that he believed himself to be a great military leader - so much so that he refused to follow the advice of his generals. Josef Stalin's suspicion of and elimination of many of his most talented generals also disqualifies him from consideration as a great military leader. In no particular order, I think the greatest military leaders must include:

Alexander II of Macedon (Alexander the Great), who won victories in very different terrains against entirely different enemies and built a huge empire.

Hannibal Barca of Carthage, who challenged the greatest empire up to his day and came close to winning. His use of Carthage's inferior forces came close to perfection.

Cyrus II of Persia (Cyrus the Great) built a huge and lasting empire.

Genghis Khan of the Mongol Empire built the hugest empire which has ever existed, subjugating uncounted millions.

Napoleon Bonaparte of France understood the use of artillery in a way that was completely beyond his contemporaries.

Answer 2

There was a book that came out a few years ago called The Military 100. I will recap the top 20:

1. George Washington
2. Napoleon
3. Alexander the Great
4. Genghis Khan
5. Julius Caesar
6. Gustavus Adolphus
7. Francisco Pizarro
8. Charlesmagne
9. Hernando Cortes
10. Cyrus the Great
11. Frederick the Great
12. Simon Bolivar
13. William the Conquerer
14. Adolf Hitler
15. Attila the Hun
16. George Marshall
17. Peter the Great
18. Eisenhower
19. Oliver Cromwell
20. Douglas McArthur

Overall it is a good book and well thoughtout list although he did leave out the great imperial Japanese leaders of Oda, Toyotomi, and Tokogawa

Answer 3

Hitler was a shrewd and effective politician but under no circumstance can he be considered among the greatest military leaders. From what I've read whenever he meddled in the actual military planning he made a terrible mess of things, Eastern Front, Battle of the Bulge, etc.

It would be hard to deny Washington that accolade as he managed to hold together and train a rag tag group of civilians into a good enough force to hold their own against veteran troops of a world power.

Answer 4

Geo Patton Bobbie Lee Thomas Stonewall Jackson

Answer 5

Hitler did have charisma as a leader. As a speaker, I can't judge, lacking knowledge of German. But as a military leader, he was blatantly incompetent. It was his decision to attack Russia while England remained a threat, launching Germany into an unwinnable 2 front war. It was his decision to compound that blunder by assuring Japan that he would declare war against the US if they attacked us. it was his decision to pour more and more units into the Russian Front, where they got chewed up. Over and over again, after the war turned against him, he insisted on remaining on offense when his only hope for survival was to dig his forces in for defense.

The victories he did win were a result of the strength of the German military machine and the lack of preparation of his enemies in the early phases of the war. They were an extension of his clearly strong political skills. Judging only effectiveness, not morality, he had no strength in military strategy at all.

Similar things could be said about Saddam Hussein. I see no reason to list him as a great leader in any sense, unless you consider body count itself to be a measure of greatness.

Otherwise, I would largely agree with your list, although it conspicuously lacks Belisarius, who was a greater military leader than most, maybe all, of those listed. I also would probably include Gustav Adolphus, King of Sweden during the 30 Years War.

Answer 6

I understand exactly what you're saying...I may not have agreed with Hitlers policies, nor the way he caused things to be...but as far as being a charismatic speaker, yes, he was among the great military leaders.
All the others you list, also, were great leaders....may I add one or two more for you to consider?
Vercingetorix....Hannibal
Simon Bolivar....Brian Boru
ok...maybe four?

Answer 7

King Leonidas of Sparta. His Spartans took out around 20,000 Persians with a force numbering only between 1,000-2,000 or so.