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Who is your greatest ever general?

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  • 09-11-2005 9:41pm
    #1
    Venivici
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭


    Who is your greatest ever general? and why?

    I'd like to emphisise General and not National leader although national leaders have often applied stratgey with aplomb. These deserve their own forum.
    I shall impart my own wisdom at a later time...chio.

    Who was the greatest ever General? 13 votes

    Alexander the Great
    0%
    Hannibal
    38%
    SandSteve_oBig Earsarbeitsscheuerblanjlix 5 votes
    Julius Caeser
    15%
    Cronus333Venivici 2 votes
    Wellington
    15%
    The Bolloxcatholicireland 2 votes
    Napoleon
    0%
    Trotsky
    15%
    VarneyVampireSpitfireIV 2 votes
    Fredrick Augustus (Swedish guy)
    15%
    Ray777ratboy 2 votes


Comments

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    #2
    qz
    Registered Users Posts: 8,753 ✭✭✭qz


    You mean, ciao?


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    #3
    Venivici
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Venivici


    Julius Caeser
    I mean see u later
    Have you a prelidiction for pedantics?


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    #4
    arbeitsscheuer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,391 ✭✭✭arbeitsscheuer


    Hannibal
    Surely you mean "predilection"?


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    #5
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,287 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Too many names missing - not even an other option .


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    #6
    simu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,730 ✭✭✭✭simu


    General Relativity - really lays down da plot, yo!


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    #7
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    SebtheBum wrote:
    Surely you mean "predilection"?

    lol, good call :p


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    #8
    Venivici
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Venivici


    Julius Caeser
    I admit it, spelling was never my forte (or do I mean forty).
    Sorry, Midnight. An 'others' option was/is a good idea. Ill try it next time. I fully agree that there are many missing names. The group I listed are off the top of my head, but among my favourites. Who is the most gaping absence from the list?


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    #9
    VarneyVampire
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15 ✭VarneyVampire


    Trotsky
    What about "Martin Cahill"?


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    #10
    Venivici
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Venivici


    Julius Caeser
    Well he is the most famous Irish general after Wellington (boots), Kitchener (we want you), and Montgomery (the original full Monty)


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    #11
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,287 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Not to mention General Public.

    The Finnish Guy, and the German in Africa , the 14th Albanian?

    http://www.sonshi.com/militaryleader.html - missing lots of them

    http://www.groireland.ie/ - Irish General list


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    #12
    arbeitsscheuer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,391 ✭✭✭arbeitsscheuer


    Hannibal
    I gotta be honest, I would've voted for Hermann aka Arminius.
    German tribal chieftain, encircled 3 Roman Legions and annihilated them in the Teutoberger Wald (Teutoberg Forest) in 9AD. After that the Romans never ventured north of the... Elbe (?)... river again.

    I think that's right anyway, it's been a while since I properly read up on it.


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    #13
    Cronus333
    Closed Accounts Posts: 218 ✭✭Cronus333


    Julius Caeser
    To be honest I would have voted for Themistocles, but he isn't here


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    #14
    Venivici
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Venivici


    Julius Caeser
    Yeah, I later considered Themosticles of Athens; his unique stragtey was to have the entire population take to the sea- the Persians found a deserted city. The Greeks later defeated the Persians in a mammoth navel battle at Salamis thus forcing a withdrawl on land also.


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    #15
    mcgarnicle
    Registered Users Posts: 779 ✭✭✭mcgarnicle


    Venivici wrote:
    Who is your greatest ever general? and why?

    I'd like to emphisise General and not National leader although national leaders have often applied stratgey with aplomb. These deserve their own forum.
    I shall impart my own wisdom at a later time...chio.

    Don't mean to be pedantic here but why emphasise something you have ignored yourself ie. Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caeser and Napoleon were all national leaders.


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    #16
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,299 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Heinz Guderian


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    #17
    Venivici
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Venivici


    Julius Caeser
    National leaders like Napoleon personally led their troops on the battlefield and thus qualify. They shared the risk of injury or death alongside their troops. I'm pretty sure if Bush or Blair had to, they wouldn't have ventured into Iraq. I believe that George I was the last British national leader to personally lead troops.


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    #18
    mcgarnicle
    Registered Users Posts: 779 ✭✭✭mcgarnicle


    Venivici wrote:
    National leaders like Napoleon personally led their troops on the battlefield and thus qualify. They shared the risk of injury or death alongside their troops. I'm pretty sure if Bush or Blair had to, they wouldn't have ventured into Iraq. I believe that George I was the last British national leader to personally lead troops.


    Yes fair enough but you didn't say that. You said that national leaders would not be counted at all and that they should be given their own thread. Can you tell me which modern Generals actually lead from the front, I doubt there are very many.


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    #19
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,287 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Venivici wrote:
    I believe that George I was the last British national leader to personally lead troops.
    Just reading Richard Holmes - Redcoat.
    He was the last English monarch to command an army in battle,at Dettingen in 1743. When his horse bolted he dismounted and spend the day on food, stumping about bravely enough but doing little to control things.
    'He' referring of course to George II


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    #20
    arbeitsscheuer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,391 ✭✭✭arbeitsscheuer


    Hannibal
    the_syco wrote:
    Heinz Guderian
    Oooh, good choice, can't believe I didn't think of that...


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    #21
    PHB
    Registered Users Posts: 20,617 ✭✭✭✭PHB


    Churchill personally led troops in WW1


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    #22
    Venivici
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Venivici


    Julius Caeser
    In reply to mcgarnicle: Heinz Guderian. Anyway, everybody knows that 'the front' refers to the general (sometimes very general!) battle area or where fixed entrenched positions meet the enemy's. Who's your choice?


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    #23
    mcgarnicle
    Registered Users Posts: 779 ✭✭✭mcgarnicle


    Venivici wrote:
    In reply to mcgarnicle: Heinz Guderian. Anyway, everybody knows that 'the front' refers to the general (sometimes very general!) battle area or where fixed entrenched positions meet the enemy's. Who's your choice?

    Well I didn't say there were none, I said there weren't many. Anyway I'm starting to look like a bit of an arsehole at this point so will end this argument. Basically I think that national leaders should be considered as much as generals, especially since you listed several in your poll.
    Anyway, my choice would be General Yamagata Aritomo.


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