Military Genius of ww2?

That would be the Swedish diplomat Raul Wallenberg who saved countless thousands from the Nazis. Sadly, he was captured by the Russians and never heard from again.

I really think Erwin Rommel was a great man, and the allies were lucky that unlike themselves he had only a limited suppy of resourses.




-Hans

George C. Marshall

Dwight David Eisenhower
Dwight David Eisenhower[/color]

One day there is certain to be another order of the Soviet Union. It will be the Order of Zhukov, and that order will be prized by every man who admires courage, vision, fortitude, and determination in a soldier.
-Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1945

Zhukov was the one that stands out for me.

Zhukov.

I also am very fond of the finnish leader Marshal Klementi Voroshilov who in the first years of the war defended Finland against the "Mighty" Red Army. He defended his boarders brilliantly and none of the allies came to their aid (Hmmm i wonder why they accepted an alliance with germany) there was a great leader if there ever was one.





-Hans

Mannerheim!


Are you trolling for a response? Voroshilov was the Soviet Defence Commissar during the Winter War (1939-1940), the disastrous Soviet invasion of Finland. The commander in chief of the Finnish forces during that war and the subsequent Continuation War (1941-1944) and the Lapland War (1944-1945) was marshall baron Carl Gustav Mannerheim. He was also elected president of Finland (1944-1946).

In Finland Mannerheim is seen as a great leader and national hero, but not revered in blind adoration. He was not squeaky clean. His claim to greatness lies not so much in being and able commander in the field, but in understanding political realities as well as military ones. It was his political manoeuvering (as much as his military strategy) which ensured Finnish independence in 1917 and again in 1944 when Finland had no allies and many enemies (although there humanitarian aid and some supplies came in from Sweden. The Swedes also had a volunteer force fighting on the Finnish side against the Soviets).

As to him being a military genius? That depend on your definition. He did make the most of his limited resources and under his command Finland and the Finnish army survived two wars against the Soviet Union, that is an achievement.

In my opinion one of the most visionary military leaders in WWII was Orde Wingate, who foresaw the important role of (counter)insurgency and guerilla tactics in this and future wars. Unfortunately, he was killed in an air crash before he could fully prove his point with his Chindit special forces in Burma.

Wingate was unconventional in both his tactics and his personality. After his death the traditional British military establishment has done much to destroy Wingate's good reputation and gloss over his successes.

Oops my mistake thanks Paaskynen.




-Hans

the geatest millitary leader of ww2
Obviously Adolf Hitlor

Sahool, you have to be joking. Political genius, perhaps - military, no way.

Paaskynen, I think we are all looking forward to seeing more of you, especially in the History Forum.

Agreed Hitler was an idiot in warfare except his Blitzkreig(Did you know he got the idea from a book De Gaulle wrote).



-Hans

No:
a) I didn't know that he could read French,
b) until now I thought, he did that, what Heinz Guderian wrote.

Obviously you are referring to de Gaulle's plans as lecturer at the French Staff College, where he developed his ideas of a mobile war using tanks and planes - like Britain's Captain Liddell-Hart did in his theories published during the 1920's as well.

In the United States at about the same time Paton and Eisnenhaur were also developing similar ideas about mobile war. Hitler wouldn't have known Blitzkrieg if it had bitten him on the behind. Guderian and Romel, both non-politicals, provided the theoretical basis for what came to be called Blitzkreig.

I really don't know why people continually seem to overestimate Hitler's capacities. He had no more idea of military strategy or art than any other war-time corporal, and had just about as much contempt for General Staff as most low ranking non-coms. Hitler was ruthless and fixed upon a idealogy that permitted no questioning, nor deviation. The man was inflexable, and could not be shaken from his fantasy world. He was a bully who threatened to return the world to the sort of horrors that typified WWI, and profited by the unwillingness of free nations to accept his challenge. Once it was clear that nothing short of all-out war could stop Hitler and his thugs, it was only a matter of time before the Thousand Year Reich became a ruin.

... or untalented amateur painter :wink:

Boo! Hiss!

haha ya he wasn't any renaissance man.







-Hans