Best WW2 General

LegacyUser

Just a quick Q

Just read Lost Victories by Field Marshal Erich Von Manstein,and I have to say his leadership during campaigns on the Eastern front is incredible....a totally natural stratigist....totally held back by Hitler.

But it led me to ask the question...who is regarded as the most capable commander during the second world war??.....Manstein, Von Rundsteadt,Rommel,Patton?

magick

Manstein for his counteroffensive Kharkov

Rommel for his success in Africa and success with the Afrika Korps with Italian forces.(though would have loved to seen what he would have done in Russia)

Guderian > great skill ,expert in armoured warfare ,"Achtung Panzer!"

Manic Moran

Rommel has been described, with a level of accuracy, as a glorified, jumped-up platoon leader. Certainly a gifted military tactician, but maybe not necessarily a fantastic strategist, which is where generals come in to their own.

Guderian is a possibility, but that might as easily have been due to an ability to get that British 'blitzkrieg' invention implemented despite the common wisdom at the time. Marshall Zhukov is probably the person who most immediately comes to mind for me, possibly also Omar Bradley, who was a little cautious, but loved by his troops which counts for a lot.

NTM

Calibos

Guderian is a possibility, but that might as easily have been due to an ability to get that British 'blitzkrieg' invention implemented despite the common wisdom at the time

Do you know, I only found out that very fact a short while ago from my Grandads 'Sunday Times?' 40 year old WW2 'World at War' partwork collection that I dug out of his attic. Such irony that Wavells own side disregarded his 'Blitzkrieg' idea until the enemy used it against them to great effect.

tallus

I always thought Heinrici was the man. His retreat tactics were brilliant.

tapest

Now Gentlemen
I know we're referring to the war, but I'm not tying to start a fight...honest

Manic Moran
Guderian is a possibility, but that might as easily have been due to an ability to get that British 'blitzkrieg' invention implemented despite the common wisdom at the time.

Calibos
Such irony that Wavells own side disregarded his 'Blitzkrieg' idea until the enemy used it against them to great effect.

I was under the impression that the idea of using armour en masse was originally expounded by Sir Basil Llidel Harte in two of his his books, one being "over the hill" and ... I just can't remember the other one at the minute. Just before the outbreak of war he resigned his commission because top brass dismissed his ideas.
As I say I don't want my post to be "causus bellus"
t

kowloon

Mikhail Tukhachevsky anyone? Deep Battle?

Liddell Hart and JFC Fuller worked on mechanized warfare in the 20s, i wouldnt credit them with Blitzkrieg as their ideas were mainly focused on mechanization and massed tank tactics, not the all encompassing Blitz.

Manic Moran

kowloon wrote:

Liddell Hart and JFC Fuller worked on mechanized warfare in the 20s, i wouldnt credit them with Blitzkrieg as their ideas were mainly focused on mechanization and massed tank tactics, not the all encompassing Blitz.

Notwithstanding the French 'Swarm of Mosquitos' concept from WWI involving a mass of hundreds of FT-17 tanks, of course, you are correct. The mechanisation concept itself was actually understood by the British, come 1939 the only military in the world to be completely mechanised/motorised was the British Army, allowing rapid speed of movement. Patrick Wright's book 'Tank' (which is an interesting diversion from most tank-related books, it focuses more on the psychological impact and combat effect of the tank more than the mechanics and tactics themselves) has a long and interesting chapter on L-H and Fuller's attempts to have their ideas taken to heart and how the establishment didn't like them.

The concept was refined in Russia by the Germans and Russians.

NTM

Calibos

tapest wrote:

Now Gentlemen
I know we're referring to the war, but I'm not tying to start a fight...honest

Manic Moran
Guderian is a possibility, but that might as easily have been due to an ability to get that British 'blitzkrieg' invention implemented despite the common wisdom at the time.

Calibos
Such irony that Wavells own side disregarded his 'Blitzkrieg' idea until the enemy used it against them to great effect.

I was under the impression that the idea of using armour en masse was originally expounded by Sir Basil Llidel Harte in two of his his books, one being "over the hill" and ... I just can't remember the other one at the minute. Just before the outbreak of war he resigned his commission because top brass dismissed his ideas.
As I say I don't want my post to be "causus bellus"
t

Yeap you are right. Wavell was the name that popped into my head at the time of the post, but as soon as I saw liddell Harte in your post I knew straight away that was who I was thinking of. Must dig the collection out of the attic again but I am a little more certain that liddel harte was actually the editor of the Times Partwork series....unless of course I'm mixed up again and you'll tell me liddle harte died in '46 or something 20 years before the Times WW2 collection Maybe it was Wavell that edited it......Oh dear I am so confused now!

Flex

magick wrote:

Manstein for his counteroffensive Kharkov

Von Manstein for me aswel.