Overall World War 2 General!!!

Site Issues 2007 Archive Room
#41

Slim - on taking command of a corps in Burma, March 1942.

At this point, the Brtish Army is in retreat as the Japanese press on through Burma from the east, driving the British towards India to the west.

"Within the next day or two…several factors - none of them reassuring - made themselves obvious:

(i) Our intelligence was extremely bad

(ii) We were ill-triained and ill-equipped for jungle warfare

(iii) Combat units were becoming much below strength in men and
equipment

(iv) The local inhabitants were not being helpful

(v) There was a wide gap between our forces in the Sittang Valley and
those on the Irrawady

(vi) Morale was threatened (Slim adds: ‘This was the most serious danger of all’)"

Ability: Comparing these factors with the above criteria of an able general, he is in trouble. However, if one looks closely, some of the criteria are being met.

Personal traits:His concern for morale indicates a humanitarian. His speed in identifying the problems is indicative of his intellect and energy.

#42

Ability:

-Command Resolute (as in - resolute commander?)

#43

(i) Our intelligence was extremely bad

(ii) We were ill-trained and ill-equipped for jungle warfare

(iii) Combat units were becoming much below strength in men and
equipment

(iv) The local inhabitants were not being helpful

(v) There was a wide gap between our forces in the Sittang Valley and
those on the Irrawady

(vi) Morale was threatened

Traits: -

-Intellect

-Energy

-Selfless

-Humanitarian

Ability:-

-Forecast (i) (iv)

-Plan (ii) (iii) (iv)

-Co-ordinate (ii) (iii) (iv) (v)

-Communicate (v)

-Command (ii) (iii) (v) (vi)

-Control (ii) (iv) (v)

Those numbers inserted demonstrate how the general’s ability is affected by his list of factors (again, this is not exhaustive).

#44

Slim

-Traits:-

-Selfless (praise for Stilwell);

-Selfless (Self-effacing)

Stiwell

Traits:-

-Energy

Ability:

-Command “…by personal leadership and example…”

#45

Returned due to popular demand!

#46

Granted, as an exception.:wink:

Edited: … at least until we’ll comply with http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showpost.php?p=97096&postcount=14

I’ll give 3 days to all users to change their avatars into ww2 related ones. After 3 days, all non-w2 related avatars will be removed.

2nd edit: http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showpost.php?p=97139&postcount=15
So 32bravo have a ww2 related avatar.
Apologies!

#47

Thank you Dani for the must needed info but i picked patton because of his amazing startagy and the way he works his army.people might say he is a horrible and racist man he was a great general for his army and that is what he is remembed for not like how he died(if you didnt know in a jeep accident at the end of war)

Lead main invasion of sicily, operation torch i persume

#48

true, he was a great general. I do not think he was an amazing strategy guy. He always disagreed with the British on their plans and was racist to the Russians. He was a man that loved his job in war. His other officers would come up to him and try to call off an attack, but he would not reason with them. I believe many men died under his command as general. No doubt he was the best Allied General in World War 2.
Rommel is the best World War 2 general. Overall good commander and has my respect as a general on the Axis front.

#49

Rommel was a great general amazing tactics.This general would of got my vote but i just think Patton is my choice think of many men died under Rommels command with many horrible loses in great battles of north africa.Rommel is the best Axis general but not the BEST.Yes I know Patton hated russians and i think communist (Well i think that is why he hated russia)

#50

Rommel. Simple tactics: Hit the ground running!

Sword and Shield: -

The Sword?..his Panzers!

The Shield?..Eighty Eight milimeter, in the anti-tank role!

#51

Does this mean Rommel is one of your preferred generals in World War 2? Come on, take Rommels side on the greatest general of World War 2.

#52

come to the light side o,wrong thing,come to the patton side

#53

If onE considers the characteristics of a great general, which I posted above, Rommel ticks all of the boxes (but he did support and admire Hitler). However, there was a mystique built up around him and he became known as the ‘Desert Fox’ as he always seemed able to stay one step ahead. However, this, as we now know, was on account of the dispatches by Fuller to Washington, which the Axis were able to intercept and decode. So, as good as he was, I don’t think him the best. It is very difficult to say which general was the best. We all have our favourites for our own reasons. However, for me, the one that ticks all of the boxes and was thrown into what was considered at the time, a lost cause, I doubt that there was one single other general that could have achieved what Slim achieved. When Stilwell was to be placed under British command, he at first refused. Then, as a compromise, he chose to report to Slim (as Slim was the only British general he admired), even though they were of the same rank.

#54

Convince me!

#55

Part of the reason Rommel was so successful in the Western Desert (so called, because it is west of the Nile), was the British armoured forces themselves, and their ethos on being cavalry. Most of the British armoured regiments had a cavalry heritage. In attack they strove for the direct approach (tank-on-tank engagement) and charged forward ‘Prince Rupert’ fashion. All that was required of Rommel, was to put out a screen of 88’s along his flank, which engaged and destroyed the British armour. In the meantime, he hooked behind and into the British soft, rear echelons with his armour, thus destroying their lines of communication and supply. Usually, the rear echelons would panic and scarper. The British had no effective means of tank-recovery, so, even if a tank had simply thrown a track it had to be abandoned.

It was some time before the British learned the lessons from the Germans.

Slim, on the other hand (who didn’t serve in the Western Desert) was a great practitioner of the hook (flanking - maneouvrist), as was O’Connor (but he was captured early on)