Author Topic: Greatest military commanders (Read 2376 times)

Masherbrum · « **Reply #90 on:** July 11, 2005, 11:41:05 PM »

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4- Members should post in a way that is respectful of other users and HTC. Flaming or abusing users is not tolerated.

FiLtH · « **Reply #91 on:** July 11, 2005, 11:52:08 PM »

You cant compare guerilla combat to open battle in the field. Any knuckle head can strap a bomb to himself and kill a few highly trained soldiers.

COwardly acts like that say " I know Im inferior, but I feel better doing something..even if its under-handed..than nothing at all."

ygsmilo · « **Reply #92 on:** July 12, 2005, 12:26:38 AM »

Theater Commander:

General W. T. Sherman - War is Hell

Tactical Commander:

Gen. O.P. Smith - The battles of the Chosin Res.

Pongo · « **Reply #93 on:** July 12, 2005, 12:45:04 AM »

All the top 10 operational level comanders of the last century are Germans.

Nelson is the greatest naval commander of all time easy.

Hangtime · « **Reply #94 on:** July 12, 2005, 01:55:36 AM »

All arguable.. and in my mind all just standouts in their roles.

Power Strategist: Mahan

Military Planner: Marshall, Napoleon, Yammamoto

Air, Theory: Mitchell

Armor, Operations: Guderian

Armor, Tactics: Rommel

Operational Commander, Air: LeMay, Galland

Operational Commander, Ground: MacArthur, Mannheim, Zhukov

Operational Commander, Sea: Nimitz, Nelson, Doenitz

Combined Forces, theatre logistics: Eisenhower

SLO · « **Reply #95 on:** July 12, 2005, 08:32:20 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Bluedog
Desert Fox(obvious reasons), or Silver Fox(due to grey hair), not desert rat.

The Desert Rats were the men of the British Eighth Army.

True...

consider me corrected...

bj229r · « **Reply #96 on:** July 12, 2005, 08:51:54 AM »

I forgot one--again, this man was a Colonel, like Chesty Puller---only in charge of...battallions? But David Hackworth was the best field commander we had in Vietnam--shame he earned the wrath of the establishment-- most decorated soldier we ever had--quit the army in disgust, lived in Austrailia for many years---he took THE worst fighting group in theater and turned it into the best in country in a space of 6 months--pretty good for work with a bunch of draftees

DREDIOCK · « **Reply #97 on:** July 12, 2005, 09:00:10 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Masherbrum
Dred,

I have have read "Patton: A Genius for War" - Carlo D' Este. Patton, again, was a good commander. But read "An Army at Dawn" - Rick Atkinson. You'll realize an unbiased fact of how fragile the north African campaign was for the Allies.

Karaya

Im not nor have I been disputing the situation in NA.
It was very fragile indeed
But it was also that way in part because of poor leadership and a lack of cohesion in the command structure as well as inexperianced and ill diciplined troops among othe things. Vrs a well led,experianced and diciplined German force.

havent Read "An Army at Dawn" yet though and will indeed check it out

DREDIOCK · « **Reply #98 on:** July 12, 2005, 09:01:07 AM »

Heres another name I dont think has been added to the list yet.

Andrew Jackson.

Guy was nuts LOL

slimm50 · « **Reply #99 on:** July 12, 2005, 10:36:55 AM »

Anyone mention Winfield Scott, yet?

FiLtH · « **Reply #100 on:** July 12, 2005, 11:08:14 AM »

We just buried a vet recently. A Marine who served under Puller. He hated him.

Iceman24 · « **Reply #101 on:** July 12, 2005, 12:07:19 PM »

Im gonna go out and say GW Bush, or maybe Osama Bin Laden, Osama, even though I hate the guy I gotta give it up to him, he knows what he's doing... Also how about Hitler, again I don't agree with him and think he's a POS but he did get the job done very well

Mathman · « **Reply #102 on:** July 12, 2005, 04:49:32 PM »

Best carrier admiral would be Mitscher. More level headed than Halsey and much more adept in the use of airpower at sea than Spruance. Much of the success that followed the Fast Carrier Task Force (later TF 58) through the central Pacific is due to his abilities as a carrier commander.

Widewing · « **Reply #103 on:** July 12, 2005, 11:47:36 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by BlkKnit
I thought it was Buford's tired and beat up troops who held Stuart at bay. Never heard anything about Custer there.

Buford's Brigade held Heth's division until Reynolds brought up the lead units of 1st Corps. From that point on the battle quickly became a general engagement. Buford's Brigade assumed flank coverage when relieved. They did not participate in the cavalry fight at Hanover. Custer's Michigan Brigade was deeply involved in repulsing Stuart at Hanover, but it was General Gregg, not Custer who directed the Union cavalry action.

However, one person here has greatly over-stated the threat Stuart presented. Confederate cavalry had little chance to change the outcome of the Gettysburg fight. Their primary mission was to disrupt the Union rear in the event Lee's assault on the center succeeded in crushing the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. Lee's assault never had a chance as an entire Union division was in reserve behind the ridge and strong elements of 3 Corps within double-time distance of the center of the Confederate attack goal.

Gettysburg was a nightmare for the Confederates, beginning with Stuart wandering around the countryside and Heth's stupid insistance at trying to drive Buford's brigade from the ridges northwest of Gettysburg. From that moment on, Lee was always one step behind good fortune and once fully engaged, either had to utterly defeat a small portion of the Union army or be forced to slug it out against the whole of it. Either way, his adventure into Pennsylvania was doubtless a high risk endeavor. If Meade and his army made no major blunders, Lee would eventually have to retire to Virginia. Meade made no such blunders. Even Sickle's folly of advancing his Corps on day two had the unexpected effect of sucking up Longstreet's combat power like a sponge; meaning that the full weight of his Corps would be expended before he was in a position to capture the high ground on the Union left. This allowed enough time for the Union 5th Corps to come up and hold the flank.

My regards,

Widewing

Widewing · « **Reply #104 on:** July 13, 2005, 11:29:47 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Masherbrum
He ordered his men to a Bayonet Charge that saved Little Round Top and drastically reduced Oate's Confederate Force.

Karaya

Much has been made of the 20th Maine's defense of the left flank on Little Round Top. It was a magnificent fight and Chamberlain conducted his defense better than most regimental commanders could have. In light of his limited experience in command, that makes it all the more impressive (not bad for a college professor).

Within the context of the overall tactical situation at that time, Little Round Top wasn't the strategic fight many have alluded to.

Even if Law's Brigade had pushed the Federals off of the hill, it is extremely doubtful that they could have held it long enough to exploit the position. Indeed, the bulk of the Union 5th Corps was only minutes away, advancing to occupy the two hills. Right behind it was the entire 6th Corps.

As it was, Hood's division (of which Law's brigade was a part, and to which Oates Alabama regiment belonged) was utterly exhausted from the long forced march (and counter-march prior to the attack), from the lack of water and had its manpower nearly halved from severe fighting. They were at the end of their rope.

The nearest artillery batteries Alexander (Longstreet's artillery commander) had were in the Peach Orchard, more than a mile away (My great-great grandfather commanded one of those batteries, the Bedford Light Artillery). This meant limbering the guns, dragging them over difficult ground to the base of Little Round Top (Big Round Top was too heavily forested to be of use for artillery shooting north or east) where they would have to be unlimbered and manhandled to the summit. This would take as much as two hours, probably more. By then, the 5,000 Federals of the 5th Corps not yet engaged would have swarmed over the hills and displaced the worn-out and battered Confederates. Another 9,500 Federals were right behind these. Meade had already issued orders to retake the hills should the Union defenders be forced off.

My regards,

Widewing