Who is your greatest ever general?

Venivici

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.

qz

You mean, ciao?

Venivici

Julius Caeser

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

arbeitsscheuer

Hannibal

Surely you mean "predilection"?

Capt'n Midnight

Too many names missing - not even an other option .

simu

General Relativity - really lays down da plot, yo!

Dave!

SebtheBum wrote:

Surely you mean "predilection"?

lol, good call

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?

VarneyVampire

Trotsky

What about "Martin Cahill"?

Venivici

Julius Caeser

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

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

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.

Cronus333

Julius Caeser

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

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.

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.

the_syco

Heinz Guderian

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.

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.

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

arbeitsscheuer

Hannibal

the_syco wrote:

Heinz Guderian

Oooh, good choice, can't believe I didn't think of that...

PHB

Churchill personally led troops in WW1

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?

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.