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Who is historys greatest general/military leader?

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  • 23-08-2008 6:03pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,752 ✭✭✭


    So who does everybody think is the greatest general/ military leader?

    i'll get the ball rolling and suggest Hannibal Barca of Carthage. Led a multinational army (with elephants) across the alps, won major victories against the romans at Trebia,Lake Trasimene as well as his brilliant victory at Cannae. And remained undefeated by the romans in italy.

    Any other suggestions maybe?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,729 ✭✭✭Pride Fighter


    So who does everybody think is the greatest general/ military leader?

    i'll get the ball rolling and suggest Hannibal Barca of Carthage. Led a multinational army (with elephants) across the alps, won major victories against the romans at Trebia,Lake Trasimene as well as his brilliant victory at Cannae. And remained undefeated by the romans in italy.

    Any other suggestions maybe?

    Dont forget his victory at Zama, oh wait he lost that one:p.
    Alexander the Great was the greatest of Ancient times. Victory after victory against a numerically superior foe and great tactics to boot.
    I suppose Charlemagne gets my vote for the medieval period.
    Napoleon would get my nod for the greatest of the early-modern period. He nearly conquered all of Europe.
    Of the modern age I would tie Zhukov and Heinz Guderian.
    It is a subjective question and one has to take into account the various factors and resources available to them.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 85 ✭✭Speer


    Erwin Rommel 1891-1944.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,496 ✭✭✭Mr. Presentable


    So who does everybody think is the greatest general/ military leader?

    i'll get the ball rolling and suggest Hannibal Barca of Carthage. Led a multinational army (with elephants) across the alps, won major victories against the romans at Trebia,Lake Trasimene as well as his brilliant victory at Cannae. And remained undefeated by the romans in italy.

    Any other suggestions maybe?

    Scipio Africanus - the man who stopped him.


    Seriously, though, Julius Caesar. He actually went into battle with his troops.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,752 ✭✭✭pablomakaveli


    Dont forget his victory at Zama, oh wait he lost that one:p.
    Alexander the Great was the greatest of Ancient times. Victory after victory against a numerically superior foe and great tactics to boot.
    .

    well scipio africanus was a good general , he drilled and trained his army to perfection. but hannibal spent 13 years in italy without being defeated. at zama he did not have the numidian cavalry, which had gone over to africanus and he had lost support from the carthage senate so he was at a disadvantage.

    As for Alexander he inherited his army from Philip II and fought against a persian empire in decline. although he was still a great general as well, just not the best in my opinion.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Sir Francis Drake who is largely credited with being the brains behind the destruction of the Spanish Armada invasion fleet in 1588


    Admiral Horatio Nelson who destroyed the combined French/Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.


    Arthur Wellesley (of Anglo/Irish extraction) the 1st Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.


    General Bernard Montgomery (also of Anglo/Irish extraction ) best known for his defeat of Rommel’s Africa Korps at the 2nd Battle of El Alamein in 1942 and which turned the course of the war in North Africa.


    Not forgetting Sir Winston Churchill – who as a master strategist and resolute politician – saved Western Europe from the Nazi/Soviet menace.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,729 ✭✭✭Pride Fighter




    Not forgetting Sir Winston Churchill – who as a master strategist and resolute politician – saved Western Europe from the Nazi/Soviet menace.

    I LOLed, you obviously have never heard of Gallipoli.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Of course I've heard of Gallipoli but that was a long time before WWll and the Cold War and the man who never made mistake never made anything! Would you rather have had Britain surrender to the Nazis as some of the spineless jellyfish in the British Govt. of the time wished ? :):)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,355 ✭✭✭Belfast


    John S. Mosby for this tactics on mobile warfare
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_S._Mosby

    Erich von Manstein The mastermind of the Blitzkrieg against France and the low land countries in 1940
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_Manstein

    Kesselring, Albert.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Kesselring


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,487 ✭✭✭boneless


    Giap. The greatest in my opinion.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,074 ✭✭✭HalloweenJack


    Genghis Khan or Simon Bolívar.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 85 ✭✭Speer


    Speer wrote: »
    Erwin Rommel 1891-1944.
    A great commander in the same league as Rommel is our own Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare 1561-1613.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,301 ✭✭✭Snickers Man


    Sir Francis Drake who is largely credited with being the brains behind the destruction of the Spanish Armada invasion fleet in 1588

    A pirate and mass murderer. Particularly adept at slaughtering defenceless women and children. See the Rathlin Massacre for details.

    It was the weather that beat the Spanish Armada, not the English privateers. I have somewhere a pamphlet from the Protestant Truth Society (sic) which asserts that God defeated the Spanish Armada by causing storms at just the wrong time.

    Their failure to sail up the Solent was almost entirely due to a lack of knowledge of the treacherous local tides. After that, they had nowhere to go.

    Admiral Horatio Nelson who destroyed the combined French/Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

    Hmm. OK. For consideration only. Reckon there's a few more generals in history who could exceed that.

    Arthur Wellesley (of Anglo/Irish extraction) the 1st Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

    A holding operation against a slightly larger army until his friends the Prussians arrived with huge reinforcements. Give credit where it is due for this one. It was the Prussians who won it.
    General Bernard Montgomery (also of Anglo/Irish extraction ) best known for his defeat of Rommel’s Africa Korps at the 2nd Battle of El Alamein in 1942 and which turned the course of the war in North Africa.

    Montgomery was a meticulous professional whose great gift was an insufferable ego that enabled him to get his own way with his political chiefs like Churchill. When his immediate predecessor Auchinleck said it would take a few months after the first battle of Alamein before the Allies would have enough strength to defeat the Italians (and their German allies) in the desert, he was sacked.

    Montgomery stuck to exactly the same timetable. He just sold it to Churchill differently.

    And anyway, the war in the desert was just a sideshow. The German army was in Russia for its duration. It took the combined might of the British, Indian, Australian, New Zealand, South African and American armies to beat a few Italians. Where's the genius in that?

    Not forgetting Sir Winston Churchill – who as a master strategist and resolute politician – saved Western Europe from the Nazi/Soviet menace.

    List the greatest British cock ups from the first and second world wars and you will find Churchill's fingerprints all over them. Gallipoli, Norway, Dieppe etc etc The guy was a drunken, manic depressive egomaniac.

    And never forget, it was the "Soviet menace" who saved Europe from the Nazis. Not the remnants of the British army left over after Dunkirk.

    Why don't people learn proper history in schools?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    The title of this thread was 'Who is historys greatest general/military leader' - I made a few suggestions you made none just an offensive jibe at my selection. I happen to have had a number of excellent history teachers and read extensively on military matters. Just because you have a different and possibly and dare I say anti-British chip on your shoulder no need to be rude about my education. Why don't you name a few of your own favourite military leaders and no Martin McGuinness doesn't count!:p:p:p:p


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,301 ✭✭✭Snickers Man


    No need to be presumptuous. I think Martin McGuinness is a lowlife, for what it's worth.

    But you made some suggestions; I beg to differ. That's all.

    It's a discussion board, not a mutual agreement board.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 26,567 ✭✭✭✭Fratton Fred


    Hmm. OK. For consideration only. Reckon there's a few more generals in history who could exceed that.
    Nelson, you could argue, built the foundations for the British Empire. He systematically defeated every navy in the world, culiminating at the Battles of the Nile and Trafalgar.

    Without the complete domination that the Royal Navy had, the Empire would have struggled to survive, let alone grow, so for achievement i think he should be up there with the best.



    A holding operation against a slightly larger army until his friends the Prussians arrived with huge reinforcements. Give credit where it is due for this one. It was the Prussians who won it.

    i think you are being a little harsh on Wellesley there. Sure the Prussians won it, ultimately, but a lot happened before Waterloo.
    And never forget, it was the "Soviet menace" who saved Europe from the Nazis. Not the remnants of the British army left over after Dunkirk.

    Why don't people learn proper history in schools?

    deja vu anyone:D

    Without the British, who would have saved us from the Soviet menace? Would the US have bothered with Europe? I doubt it. Would the Soviets have defeated the Nazis and turned around and headed back to Moscow, or carried on all the way to the Atlantic?

    I know I'm going to get a "You bloody Brits think you won the war all on your own" but you are going too far the other way and completely underestimating the effect the British had on the war.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    The Yanks were late for both World Wars and if it wasn't for the 'Wicked Brits' we would be living under Nazi or Soviet domination today! With the way the EU is going it is difficult to see who won the war and perhaps Hitler had the wrong idea - he should have bought Western Europe instead of invading it.
    :):):)


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,984 ✭✭✭✭ejmaztec


    The Yanks were late for both World Wars and if it wasn't for the 'Wicked Brits' we would be living under Nazi or Soviet domination today! With the way the EU is going it is difficult to see who won the war and perhaps Hitler had the wrong idea - he should have bought Western Europe instead of invading it.
    :):):)

    Reminds me of the old "Not the 9 o'clock news" item with Griff Rhys Jones:

    "Having been late for the first two world wars, the Americans have said that they will be on time for the next one" (quote as near as dammit)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,476 ✭✭✭McArmalite


    The Yanks were late for both World Wars and if it wasn't for the 'Wicked Brits' we would be living under Nazi or Soviet domination today! With the way the EU is going it is difficult to see who won the war and perhaps Hitler had the wrong idea - he should have bought Western Europe instead of invading it.
    :):):)
    The brits didn't stop a Soviet take over of all of Europe, it was the Americans and undoubtedly their procession of the Atomic bomb that would have been a very large deterrent for uncle Joe Stalin and co. Without the Americans, britain couldn't hardly put their big toe on the continent never mind invade Normandy, defeat Germany and scare off the Soviets. Get real for God's sake.
    ejmaztec wrote: »
    Reminds me of the old "Not the 9 o'clock news" item with Griff Rhys Jones:

    "Having been late for the first two world wars, the Americans have said that they will be on time for the next one" (quote as near as dammit)
    Yes, because if George Bush has his way they'll be starting it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 984 ✭✭✭Dummy


    Tom Barry gets my vote. Just finished Meda Ryans book about him and have read Barrys own book recently and I reckon this guy deserves a mention here. Crossbarry was a significant triumph, well against all the odds.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,476 ✭✭✭McArmalite


    boneless wrote: »
    Giap. The greatest in my opinion.
    Yes Giap should be considered, outstanding General. BTW, his own personal favourite was old ' Boney himself, Napoleon and my own. He won 40 battles, many of them against much greater odds and is still only remembered for Waterloo ??.

    Admiral Horatio Nelson who destroyed the combined French/Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
    The Spainards in the so called " combined French/Spanish fleet " were in fact conscripts and as exteremely reluctant to fight for the occupying force as conscripts can get, hence lessening Nelson's victory. Nobody summed it up better than Napoleon himself on the issue of conscripts when he said after inspecting them before a battle - " I don't know who should be more afraid, me or the enemy" :).


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,772 ✭✭✭meathstevie


    Robert E. Lee, Hannibal, Napoleon Bonaparte, Heinz Guderian, Von Rundstedt, Patton, Blucher, Julius Ceasar, Zhukov.....the list is endless really. And than there's the ones western history doesn't know about or doesn't acknowledge. There must have been for example more than one brilliant Zulu battle leader. Their empire didn't materialise out of nothing either.

    You also have to take circumstances into account.
    For example : a lot of German scratch units fought a brilliant westbound retreat towards the end of WWII in order to be able to surrender to Western Allies. These unit were often under the leadership of people of a rank not higher than captian or major and who the hell remembers them ? These same people, fortunatly for us, could have held out much longer if they had sufficient food, equipment, ammo and a rational thinking supreme commander.

    Specifically talking about naval stuff, there were a couple of fairly handy Dutchmen about as well. Names like Treslong, Dirkszoon and Dolhain spring to mind. They put some serious dents in the Spanish navy in the 16th century as well.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 26,567 ✭✭✭✭Fratton Fred


    McArmalite wrote: »
    The Spainards in the so called " combined French/Spanish fleet " were in fact conscripts and as exteremely reluctant to fight for the occupying force as conscripts can get, hence lessening Nelson's victory. Nobody summed it up better than Napoleon himself on the issue of conscripts when he said after inspecting them before a battle - " I don't know who should be more afraid, me or the enemy" :).

    :D Obviously being English he would never get any praise from you. Strange that you like Napoleon yet you despise empires, double standards?

    it was a great victory, as was the Battle of the Nile

    Tactically he was very astute, that makes him a great Admiral in my book.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,084 ✭✭✭eroo


    General Sean MacEoin,Captain Dan Lehane


  • Registered Users Posts: 984 ✭✭✭Dummy


    Eroo - Wasn't Dan Lehane in Schull Co Cork?

    D


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,301 ✭✭✭Snickers Man


    McArmalite wrote: »

    The Spainards in the so called " combined French/Spanish fleet " were in fact conscripts and as exteremely reluctant to fight for the occupying force as conscripts can get, hence lessening Nelson's victory. Nobody summed it up better than Napoleon himself on the issue of conscripts when he said after inspecting them before a battle - " I don't know who should be more afraid, me or the enemy" :).

    Well, to be fair, most of the ordinary seamen in the British navy were conscripts who had been press-ganged into service. Many of them were from other nationalities as well, either taken prisoner or maybe even enslaved.

    I mean, who in their right mind would volunteer for a life of seasickness, scurvy and buggery interspersed with regular whippings and other sublime punishments such as keelhauling and being tied to the top of a mast along with the constant fear of death or mutilation in battle?

    Not even the Brits are that stupid. ;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,084 ✭✭✭eroo


    Dummy wrote: »
    Eroo - Wasn't Dan Lehane in Schull Co Cork?

    D

    There may have been 2 Captain Daniel Lehane's.I speak of Captain Daniel Lehane from Lahinch,Co.Clare.He was OC of the Killorglin garrison during the Civil War.He led the defense of Killorglin with just 70-80 men against an estimated 300+ anti-Treaty IRA.He was killed during the battle(27th September 1922)while rushing an enemy position.For more details,you should pick up 'The Civil War in Kerry' by Tom Doyle . . . Great book!

    As for Gen.MacEoin,well his actions need not be recounted . . . 'The Blacksmith of Ballinalee'!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    McArmalite wrote: »
    Yes Giap should be considered, outstanding General. BTW, his own personal favourite was old ' Boney himself, Napoleon and my own. He won 40 battles, many of them against much greater odds and is still only remembered for Waterloo ??.

    The Spainards in the so called " combined French/Spanish fleet " were in fact conscripts and as exteremely reluctant to fight for the occupying force as conscripts can get, hence lessening Nelson's victory. Nobody summed it up better than Napoleon himself on the issue of conscripts when he said after inspecting them before a battle - " I don't know who should be more afraid, me or the enemy" :).

    You have so many chips on your shoulder about the 800 years of oppression that it is difficult to deal with your comments but on the subject of the Falklands - How was that terrorism by the British? A foreign facist dicatator invaded British soverign territory (lived in only by willing British subjects no hard-done natives) and his forces were kicked out and his appalling regime collapsed!

    I am in love again so I will have less time to deal with your outbursts but you really should get back on the medication. :):)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,476 ✭✭✭McArmalite


    :D Obviously being English he would never get any praise from you. Strange that you like Napoleon yet you despise empires, double standards?

    it was a great victory, as was the Battle of the Nile

    Tactically he was very astute, that makes him a great Admiral in my book.
    Yeah, and this coming from the fella who would come on and hijack any reasonable discussion that had the mildest and justifiable criticism of britian's conduct in Ireland down the centuries, draggin it into a cul de sac of the IRA did this, the IRA did that, the IRA did the other etc. If their's anyone around here who can take credit for the creation of the persona of McArmalite, you can congratulate yourself Fred ;)

    As for Napoleon and the empire, he hijacked the Revoulotion for his own vanity, the people of France had no other choice but to follow such a strong military leader as all the powers of Europe were consipiring to defeat France. Indeed in his first victory he defeated british and Spainish forces when they tried to invade Toulon, showing personal bravery been wounded in the leg during the fighting. I only mentioned him due to his military abilities, not his personal egomania.
    Well, to be fair, most of the ordinary seamen in the British navy were conscripts who had been press-ganged into service. Many of them were from other nationalities as well, either taken prisoner or maybe even enslaved.

    I mean, who in their right mind would volunteer for a life of seasickness, scurvy and buggery interspersed with regular whippings and other sublime punishments such as keelhauling and being tied to the top of a mast along with the constant fear of death or mutilation in battle?

    Not even the Brits are that stupid. ;)
    Fair enough Snickers, fair enough, :). Very gald you mentioned Drake and Rathlin Island, terrible cruel murders. I have heard about this before but it's rearly mentioned, you certainly wouldn't hear it mentioned on TV programmes etc about the great swash buckling 'hero'.

    It has indeed often occured to me about serving in the navy for the 'glory of the empire ' etc as the most horrible, cruel life possible " a life of seasickness, scurvy and buggery interspersed with regular whippings and other sublime punishments such as keelhauling and being tied to the top of a mast along with the constant fear of death or mutilation in battle ". Indeed, it was probably a life worse than slavery on a plantation, all for the alleged glory of King and Country that made the greatness of the empire etc as some would like to deceive nowadays.

    Getting a bit off subject, but when you think about the words of songs like Rule britannia - britons never, never, never shall be slaves - the greatest irony of all is that the average brition was as much a slave in the empire as anyone else.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,476 ✭✭✭McArmalite


    You have so many chips on your shoulder about the 800 years of oppression that it is difficult to deal with your comments but on the subject of the Falklands - How was that terrorism by the British? A foreign facist dicatator invaded British soverign territory (lived in only by willing British subjects no hard-done natives) and his forces were kicked out and his appalling regime collapsed!

    I am in love again so I will have less time to deal with your outbursts but you really should get back on the medication. :):)

    Showing solidarity with the good people of Argentina. BTW, not biting on your post no. 6. It's too obvious your trying to get the rise of the Provos :rolleyes:

    Back to the orginal topic. Sun Tzu, author of the Art of War. Extraordinary military book that has relevance even up tot today.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 26,567 ✭✭✭✭Fratton Fred


    McArmalite wrote: »
    Yeah, and this coming from the fella who would come on and hijack any reasonable discussion that had the mildest and justifiable criticism of britian's conduct in Ireland down the centuries, draggin it into a cul de sac of the IRA did this, the IRA did that, the IRA did the other etc. If their's anyone around here who can take credit for the creation of the persona of McArmalite, you can congratulate yourself Fred ;)

    As for Napoleon and the empire, he hijacked the Revoulotion for his own vanity, the people of France had no other choice but to follow such a strong military leader as all the powers of Europe were consipiring to defeat France. Indeed in his first victory he defeated british and Spainish forces when they tried to invade Toulon, showing personal bravery been wounded in the leg during the fighting. I only mentioned him due to his military abilities, not his personal egomania.

    Fair enough Snickers, fair enough, :). Very gald you mentioned Drake and Rathlin Island, terrible cruel murders. I have heard about this before but it's rearly mentioned, you certainly wouldn't hear it mentioned on TV programmes etc about the great swash buckling 'hero'.

    It has indeed often occured to me about serving in the navy for the 'glory of the empire ' etc as the most horrible, cruel life possible " a life of seasickness, scurvy and buggery interspersed with regular whippings and other sublime punishments such as keelhauling and being tied to the top of a mast along with the constant fear of death or mutilation in battle ". Indeed, it was probably a life worse than slavery on a plantation, all for the alleged glory of King and Country that made the greatness of the empire etc as some would like to deceive nowadays.

    Getting a bit off subject, but when you think about the words of songs like Rule britannia - britons never, never, never shall be slaves - the greatest irony of all is that the average brition was as much a slave in the empire as anyone else.

    I liked the quote Snickersman used "Is that a chip on your shoulder or an entire Intel factory"


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