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Who was the greatest General in History ?

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    #32
    Black Swan
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,226 CMod ✭✭✭✭Black Swan


    Alexander the Great (and not the fool they depicted in the recent film)


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    #33
    Manic Moran
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,245 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manic Moran


    Of the lot listed, I think I'd tip my hat to Napoleon. He came up with a bunch of leadership principles which are still valid and in use today. I, for one, intend to grab an E-4 or E-5 to work as my 'Napoleon's corporal' in the TOC.

    In terms of revolutionary ideas, you have to tip your hat to people like Liddel-Hart and Guderian. Throw conventional wisdom out the window, and invent this new combined arms strategy instead...which then conquers most of Europe in two years flat.

    Someone mentioned Robert E Lee. Definitely worth a mention. Note the US Army's priorities today are not on making correct decisions at all times by looking at a map with pins in it. From the manual:
    Leadership is the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.
    An Army leader is anyone who by virtue of assumed role or assigned responsibility inspires and influences people to accomplish organizational goals. Army leaders motivate people both inside and outside the chain of command to pursue actions, focus thinking, and shape decisions for the greater good of the organization.

    Ol' Robert E, and to a point, Rommel, are excellent cases in point here. Both were excellent strategists and tacticians, yet both were fallable. But like Napoleon, they had that additional quality which resulted in the troops following their instructions not just because they had to, but because they wanted to. The troops had utter faith in their leaders, and that faith alone may have more than once been the difference between succeeding in battle and breaking.

    NTM


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