Discussion, ALL HISTORY BUFF'S... Who are your favorite military leaders and why

[Ocklawaha]

I'll kick this off and see if anyone else cares, enjoys, and / or knows their military history... I have quite a collection of favorites and it's tough to narrow them down. Let's not just stay with the GREAT ARMIES and NAVIES of the world either, the small groups can count here too... just tell us why?

1. Prince Vladislav Dracula, national hero of Romania who so terrorized the Saxons and the Ottoman Empire with a small army that the Ottoman King, known for extreme tortures, was thrown back in horror at Dracula's methods. Hit, massacre and impale the enemy troops, then run. The Ottomans finally decided they had no fight with the prince.

2. General Tomoyuki Yamashita, the "Tiger of Malaya,"  The Japanese General of WWII who was perhaps their most gifted field commander. Taking Sinapore early in the fight, the British had bragged was "impossible no one will march in and take this city, " They were right, Yamashita issued his troops bicycles! He also abandoned Cities that could not be held rather then waste his men. He was sacked by Tojo for being too good, and sent to the frontiers of the Empire. In the end, we hung him for war crimes that took place where he wasn't even in command!

3. Erwin Rommel, The "desert Fox" of WWII, vastly out numbered, and largely told just to hold North Afrika, he rolled over everything in his path. It wasn't until we broke the German code and starved him of resupply, fuel and men that he finally was transfered to France. Hitler had him executed shortly after D-Day as one of those who tried to kill Der Fearless Leader... Sorry but Rommel wasn't in on the deal...

4. J. J. Dickinson, Florida's Confederate Swamp Fox, who managed to so scare the Yankee army that he held everything between the St. Johns and the Chattahoochee with only 400 or so men. Credited with being the only Cavalry commander ever sink a US warship. He boldly walked into a large Yankee camp at Welatka, and asked what all the fuss was about... They quickly explained, "Dicie" as they called him, had crossed the river and was now trapped, they were going to kill him and all his men... To which Dickinson said with a chil, "No sir
you don't have him at all, he has you, you are surrounded and I am the Captain!"

5. Admrial Bull Halsey, Okay, he was my daddys CO, got to give him credit, Damn if he hadn't been sick and near death at midway, the Japanese navy would have lost more then 4 carriers and a cruiser... They'd been lucky to survive with a tug boat. Wake Island, had he been given command, would never have fallen IMO.

6. It's a tie... Robert Bruce or Wallace.... Gee both grandparents of mine, got to love the spirit of those fighters taking on England and handing them their butts... By the way there was no "princess", Bruce was a HE MAN fighter, and the stupid movie was missing a bridge... Scotland Forever!

7. Simon Bolivar, who fought to liberate South America against a power as tough as England, and in complete military control of it's territory. Working with a people so divided as to not even speak the same languages, he even recruited entire mounted companies of canibals... It worked, Spain left town...
VIVA LA REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA!

That's a few of mine... Who are yours?

Ocklawaha

[jaxnative]

Charles Martel, stopped the Mustlim advance into Europe in 732 at the Battle of Tours(Poitiers).  Using only infantry, defeated an Army with heavy cavalry forces by use of terrain and superbly trained soldiers.

Nathan Bedford Forrest, natural military genius who had no formal training.  Greatly feared by Grant and Sherman, he was a master at using "mobile" forces to raid, harass, destroy supplies, and participate in numerous engagements and battles.  His personal courage and aggressivness was beyond dispute.  His birthday was yesterday, July 13.

[downtownparks]

I was thinking Dick Winters, 101st Airborne, WWII. He wasnt really a big name, but a great leader from a unit with an amazing story.

Henry Knox. Not bad work for a book store owner from Boston with no military training.

Robert E Lee, an amazing man and general.

Ethan Allen has always interested me, and of course, George Washington.

I have been reading a lot of revolutionary war history of late, so I am a little single tracked Im afraid.

[BridgeTroll]

Wow... where to start?

Washington... Not so much as a tactician but as a leader.

R.E. Lee... Amazing

Stonewall Jackson... Inspirational

Sherman... Loyal subordinate... Father of total warfare.

Puller... the Marines marine.

Patton... Father of American Mechanized warfare

Halsey... Father of Carrier warfare and the value of Naval Aviation.

[Dog Walker]

Omar Bradley who in WWII made the other general's successes possible.  A quiet, super-intelligent guy who put the welfare of his troops at the top of his lists.  Read his autobiography, "A General's Life" and prepare to be impressed.

[JaxNative68]

General Anthony Clement McAuliffe, Commander of the 101st Airborne who defended Bastogne with limited men and ammunition power, and when he was asked to surrender by the Germans he responded “Nuts!”  By successfully defending Bastogne, it was the beginning of the end of Germany in WWII.

General Hannibal Barca, his ability to outwit and crush the Roman Legions at such a young age is very impressive.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, who overthrew the governing dynasty of Japan and created a regime that lasted centuries.

General Subodai Bahdur, leader of the Mongol invasions. He was able to command multiple armies at once while in different regions of the battlefield.  He is the only military leader to beat the Russians and basically crossed all of Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe, conquering all.

And of course the one and only:
I am Spartacus! No, I am Spartacus! No, I am Spartacus! No, I am Spartacus! No, I am Spartacus!

[jaxnative]

General Subodai Bahdur, leader of the Mongol invasions. He was able to command multiple armies at once while in different regions of the battlefield.  He is the only military leader to beat the Russians and basically crossed all of Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe, conquering all.

I remember doing some reading and study on the Mongol invasions years ago and a few things stuck in my mind.  First off, if I remember correctly, the Central and Western European principalities and kingdoms never combined their forces to meet this common threat.  This played into the hands of the Mongols as the Europeans were introduced to a type of mobile warfare and tactics they had never faced.  It also appeared that the only thing that stopped the Mongols from continuing across the continent was the return of the Mongol leader to his country in response to a succession situation.

[jaxnative]

Indeed!  Especially surprising of the British who didn't seem to learn their lesson from the Boer War where they were whipped in the beginning of the conflict by irregular, transplanted Europeans, who were armed with the modern weapons of the time. 

[samiam]

Admiral Thad W. Allen

[JaxNative68]

On Hannibal.  Elephants always help of course.

they only help if you remember to feed them, not to mention feeding them is very difficult on a long trek.

[JaxNative68]

If it wasn't for the British campaign in India, there would be no IPA to drink today.  Had they survived the Zulu, would we also be drinking an APA?  Damn it Chaka!

[jaxnative]

Well, just to be historically correct, the Zulu Wars were fought a decade or so before the Boer War, Chaka never fought the Brits(even though I'm sure his namesake sang to them at one time or another , and the Zulu's were still fighting with primitive weapons(probably one of the last the British fought).  The Zulu's early victories were only achieved with overwhelming numbers against small garrisons at a very heavy price.  They were quickly defeated after their initial successes.

[jaxnative]

I'll start out with the Battle of Chancellorsville in the American Civil War.  Jackson and Lee, taking advantage of the unimaginative and slow to react Union commander, did the unthinkable and split their numerically inferior force and pulled off a classic flanking movement.  Only the late start of the battle saved the Union army from possible destruction.  Further impeding the Confederate follow up was the unfortunate death of General Stonewall Jackson, fatally wounded by his own pickets during the night returning with a scouting party.

[BridgeTroll]

Great example...!  The Union general was Hooker...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chancellorsville

[Ocklawaha]

Battle of Tsushima (May 27-29, 1905),
A Naval engagement of the Russo-Japanese War. A naval engagement caused by a fight over control of Korean natural resources. Russia with it's massive battle fleet was summarily trounced by little upstart Japan and their small fleet.


Battle of Thermopylae,
Thermopylae. A battle where 300 defending Spartans were killed. Their defence and courage provided inspiration to the Greeks. The Spartans delayed the vast enemy buying time for the hoplights.  The last Spartans were killed by a barrage of arrows

Battle of Gainesville,
About 400 Confederate troops under Captain J. J. Dickison attacked the city from two flanks and sent a Federal raiding force numbering as high as 4,000 men to hell. The battle had a Hollywood ending with Captain Dickison riding down the federal leader (known as The RED FOX for his tactics and blazing red hair) in a swamp near the St. Johns River. Dickison's words were classic, "How is it that the Red Fox should be captured by the Swamp Fox?"

Battle of Lawrence, KS,
Engineered as pay back for the murder of the bushwhacker's wives, the Federal garrison folded in seconds with their commander at a full trot. The climax of Quantrill's guerrilla career came on August 21, 1863, when he led a force of 450 raiders into Lawrence, Kansas, a stronghold of pro-Union support and the home of Senator James H. Lane. Lane managed to escape, racing through a cornfield in his nightshirt, but Quantrill and his men killed 183 men and boys, dragging some from their homes for execution, and set the torch to much of the city.

OCKLAWAHA