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Subject: The greatest military leader of the 20th century?
Dan Masterson    4/16/2001 2:24:54 PM
Who was the greatest leader of the last century? Be prepared to defend you answer :)
 
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Greg    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/16/2001 9:30:15 PM
I think the greatest military leader of last century was Erwin Rommel. He showed his leadership abilities in many different theatres in addition to changing his military tactics and strategy. He fought in the trenches of World War I (and out, as he preferred) and taught at a military academy after the war. Then, after asking for a receiving a panzer division from Hitler, his "Ghost Division" quickly drove through France despite the setback at Arras. He was transferred to North Africa where he had to change his tactics yet again. His Afrika Korps was eventually beaten by large numbers of British (8th Army) and American soldiers. Back in Europe again, he changes strategy for the last time, preparing the extremely tough Normandy defenses. Had he been authorized to deploy his panzer divisions directly on the coast, I beleive that an Allied victory could have occurred. No other military leader I have studied from the 20th century has earned as much respect from me.
 
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hornbill2    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/17/2001 11:01:30 AM
G. Zukov. Commanded more men over a longer front for a longer time and advanced against the enemy further that any other. P. S. There were no Napoleans in the 2oth century.
 
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hornbill2    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/17/2001 12:04:37 PM
If you don't like Zukov, how about Giap. Fought the U. S. and allies in a bloody war of attrition, winning by default after 10 years of conflict. Had less in the way of supplies, communications and technology than his opponents. He brought the idea of picking the time and place of his battles to an art unequaled by any other. Not that he won the battles but he did win the war.
 
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Rambo    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/17/2001 12:38:01 PM
My vote SHOULD be MacArthur. If he were allowed to bomb the chinks back into the Stone Age in the 50's, we wouldn't be hearing their sabers rattle today. But, since he wasn't allowed to do that by the pinkos back in Washington, my vote would be Guderian. Boy that guy could grive a tank!
 
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blaine_mischel@yahoo.com    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/17/2001 2:00:50 PM
Really depends on category: Grand Strategy - George Marshall Theater - Ridgeway (esp. in Korea) Operational - Patton Tactical - Rommel Also: African Exploring - Capt. Spaulding Music - Capt. Beefheart Breakfast - Capt. Crunch Mental Health - Maj. Loon Locker Room - Pvt Parts Male Self Delusion - Maj. Parts Monicles - Col. Klink State of Most Things - Gen. Confusiuon
 
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Cynic    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/17/2001 7:23:25 PM
If we narrow the field to just propaganda coupled with force deployment geared to save a single individual, the master strategist of the 20th century would have to be Bill Clinton.
 
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DanK    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/19/2001 12:34:29 AM
MacArthur would've started WWIII in Korea against a then reluctant China, while Stalin could've taken advantage of a vacant Europe. Truman was right: "wrong war, wrong place, wrong time." Guderian was complicit in the mass murder of millions of Russians, and tried to exonerate himself as a "simple solder doing his duty." Zhukov knew nothing but how to take advantage of brave Russian and angry Russian soldiers by throwing them at Germans until they were all expired, only to be replaced by the next wave of tactical victims. The only competent and humane commander of the 20th century was the reluctant and obedient WWII United States Army and Marine Corps infantry Squad Leader, who subverted his own will and safety to the greater good, and fought until they let him return home. No one becomes a general by being a good person!
 
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FRED    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/19/2001 11:24:57 AM
In the Falklands, Maj. Gen. Moore landed a lightly equipped force 8000 miles from the UK on an inhospitable coast, under air attack, marched them over brutal terrain fighting several set piece battles against a dug in and prepared enemy on the way, but I must agree with DanK. It was still the `PBI` that did the fighting and the suffering and it always will be.
 
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Dragon    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/20/2001 9:13:10 PM
I would definitely have to agree with Greg and to some degree "blain mischel" about Rommel. In my experience (and morals aside), I would definitely say Rommel was the best general of the 20th century.
 
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hornbill2    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/21/2001 2:58:31 PM
A number of U.S. military leaders has been suggested as greatest general of the 20th century. In my mind, after reading extensively of these generals and having served in the U. S. Army, none were exceptionally innovative or brilliant. They are very compitent and are superior logisticans. However the education that most receive wheither from West Point, VMI, the Citidel, or the Air Force seems to stifle the innovative mind. As we are reminded many times, any officer that trys to break away from the standard methods is met with derision and probably loss of career. An example of course was General Mitchell. The same goes for those officers who were in special operations. The more sucessful mavericks have come from the U. S. Navy. Nimitz and Rickover to name two. Nimitz was the originator of island hopping in the Pacific, not MacAuthur, even though several authors have credited Mac for this. U. S. military leaders are typically by the book types. They are very sucessful against an enemy who will set still behind heavy defenses. They then build up men, weapons and supplies which are used to overwhelm the defenses. Where they are not sucessful is against a mobile force which refuses to engage in set piece battles. O.K. have at me.
 
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Slade    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/23/2001 9:38:27 AM
I'd have to put Zhukov at the top of the list to, it was an uninteded consequence but his thrashing of the Japanese in the late thirties sent the Japanese south and east. Island hopping was talked about in the interwar period, read Miller's "War Plan Orange" it was a USN concept that develped over time, it's not really attributable to one person. Though MacArthur's PR machine was good he was probably in over his head after WWI. His commands got burned hard by unpreparedness and his arrogance at least 3 times, Phillipines, Japan (NK invasion of South Korea) and the Chinese intervention in Korea. The signs were there, he just wouldn't belive.
 
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Paljoey767    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   4/23/2001 2:16:32 PM
In my opinion,the alltime greatest ever was Frederick the Great.He defeated a combined Russian,Austrian,and French armies.As for the 20th century Id have to say Heinz Guderian.I love his quote,"dont feel with the fingers ,strike with the fist."He was way ahead of his time,in operational and tactical level thinking.His only downfall was he worked for a military incompetent who hamstrung him to much.
 
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bob    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   7/3/2001 2:20:58 PM
I think you can't underestimate ol' Chairman Mao. Took a band of at one point were basically mountian bandits, and took over the most heavily peopled nation on earth with it. All the while fighting a two front war vs Chaing's nationalists and the Japanese. Not saying he was a good person, or in the right, or that it would have worked against the Germans, Russians or equivalent armys (though, by 1945, Chaing did have a GOOD number of US trained and equipped divisions, some of whome had seen action agianst the Japs in Burma, and all of whome were considered good troops). But you do have to give an amount of, even if grudging, admiriation at least for his drive.
 
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Yes but    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   7/3/2001 2:24:28 PM
And didn't ol'Chairman Mao have female soldiers?
 
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Naval Officer    RE:The greatest military leader of the 20th century?   7/17/2001 5:29:29 PM
When the Swedish King, Karl XII, with only 13 000 men kicked the 34 000 men strong Russian army in December 1700 at Poltava, he proved to be a great leader in tactics - and brutality... But that was then; 300 years ago.
 
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