Tactically and strategically who was the best World War II commander?

Answer 1

Top one was probably Zhukov.
Other commanders of note are Mark Clark who was an utter disaster in Italy and was responsible for many allied deaths.
Montgomery who swept Rommel out of North Africa but was dogged by bad luck during the invasion of Normandy when the weather turned so bad after a week that supplies could not be landed and this gave the Germans time to regroup and then , having fought his armoured brigades up through France and Belgium at record speed he tried to take Arnhem with insufficient backup due to the long supply chain from the Channel ports.
Patton had a good reputation but he wasn't fighting the strongest of the German forces.

Answer 2

For the Germans, Rommel is the unquestioned champion of the land; his tactics could have easily defeated the allies on numerous occasions- but he was restrained by Hitler from doing things when & how he wanted.
The Naval commander, Admiral Durnitz (sp?) developed or at least deployed the U-boats that almost cut off Britain from supplies for years until radar and Allied Air-power were able to defeat the subs.
Patton is thought of as a great commander, but I don't see him as that great. General Bradley was a much better tactician, and he was put in charge of the 1st Army- which landed in Normandy. He eventually became a 5 star general, chief of staff and the first joint chief.
Eisenhower also had his virtues, as the overall commander of the Allied forces in WW2, and in the Pacific general MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz directed the forces in their commands brilliantly.

Montgomery was a great commander, he held the Rommel at bay with his army in Egypt, and with a poor supply chain at that. However, after the Allies landed in France, his decisions were more bi-polar- championing the disastrous Market Garden attack to take the Netherlands; but dragging his feet to encircle the retreating German army, allowing most of them to escape into Germany.

The Japanese Admiral Nakamodo, who designed the attack on Pearl (and also warned of a 6 month window to defeat the US before the US would start to win battles- a prediction that was right on the money as it turned out).

For the Russians, their 3 greatest generals are November, December and January (with February not far behind). The actions of these 3 months saved their butts with Hitler and Napoleon's attacks.

Answer 3

Well, "tactically" and "strategically" are two very different words.

"Tactically" refers to battlefield-level tactics. Who is best at planning a battle, handling troop movements, placing defenses, et cetera...?

"Strategically" refers to conducting warfare on a larger scale, such as the war effort itself. Who is best at mobilizing a nation, transporting his armies, maintaining supply lines, handling alliances and diplomacy, seeing the big picture?

So I think there are two different considerations in your question.

In my opinion, and based on what I've read and learned, Erwin Rommel may have been the greatest TACTICAL commander in World War II. History remembers him as a true tactical genius, and rightfully so.

Strategically, I suppose you can't argue with Winston Churchill. He found his nation in an impossible position, and held of Nazi Germany long enough to build his alliances and turn the tide of the war in Europe. Great Britain was key to the Allied war effort, and Churchill is universally acknowledged as having been the steel in his nation's spine.

*edit* --> Korky and I are on the same page, apparently.

Answer 4

I would say Erwin Rommel in terms of tactics, although he was a poor strategist. Most he won (brillantly!) was lost soon after. Another good one was Heinz Guderian, whose Panzer armies cut through Russia like a hot knife through butter. Don't know much about allied commanders, the worst of all is one of them, however: Montgomery. Thing about the allied commanders is that they sort of started serious fighting when the beast was already seriously wounded.

Answer 5

George C Marshal

Answer 6

Vasiliy Chuikov - commander of the Soviet forces that held Stalingrad at all costs in what was arguably the most bloody battle of WWII...
(he just didn't have the world press acting as his agent)

Answer 7

I'll agree with the poster about the difference between tactics ( a plan to win a battle) and strategy....a plan to win a campaign or a war.....

and I yield to no man in my admiration for The Last Lion, Winston Churchill, but I think you are looking for uniformed leaders...so I offer for your consideration

Strategies; Douglas MacArthur and Chester Nimitz...two men who held the line in the Pacific campaign; one in the jungle of New Guinea, the other over a million square miles of water, when at one point, Mac was down to two brigades of Aussies and Americans, and Nimitz was down to one carrier...a ship named Enterprise.......and which men, after holding the line came up with the plan of island hopping, or hitting 'em where they ain't, saving countless lives...(Mac lost less in 3 years then Ike in two weeks at the Bulge) in a war which blended air, sea and land forces over an area 8 times that of Europe from Paris to Moscow.........

and tactical, Ray Spruance.the admiral that won the battle that HAD to be won at Midway, by listening to his slightly mad staff captain Miles Browning and timing his counter strike to hit the Jap carriers when their decks were crowded with re-arming and re-fueling planes; and who later on at the liberation of Guam and Saipan played rope-a dope to perfection, not loosing sight of the mission.....cover the invasion....and letting the Japanese planes come to him, fighting in his own air space and shooting down 450 plus for the loss of 30.

Tactics, Very Honorable Mention: Capt Johnnie Walker, RN, the sub killer who worked out escort group tactics that broke the back of the U-Boat offensive in the 6 year long 2nd Battle of the North Atlantic

Answer 8

Patton by far--he took over a lot of territory without waiting around getting for the politicians to get their act together.

He got in trouble for that in Italy too.

Answer 9

Winston Churchill for Britain

Rommel for Germany

Patton for USA

Bruce Lee for the Japs

Kentucky for the food

Answer 10

Zhukov

He won every battle and every campaign he ever fought.

An absolute genius.

Moscow, Stalingrad, Leningrad, Kursk, Berlin.
All won due to his brilliance, not only at battlefied level but at a logisitcal level too.