WWII Generals we admire/think are underated.

[RAM]

can't agree with that. Midway failed because the huge diversion of forces. Instead of making a concentrated attack against one spot with the most weapons at hand as possible, the Japanese dispersed their fleet around all the central and northern pacific areas. had the whole combined fleet focused on Midway, the results would've been VERY different (more flattops around, more scouting platforms apart of the extra carriers, etc). Because of that Midway planning ran completely against Sun-Tzu rules, for instance. And had Midway been planned as an attack with a concentration of forces, is VERY unlikely the outcome would've been adverse for the Japanese.


Midway attack plan hoped to distract the attention of the Americans far north to the Aleutians so they would be caught off-attention on Midway. It could've payed dividends if the code-breaking had not happened...however, I see it as a failure and a very high risk

First because with all the KB (xcept the Shokaku and Zuikaku) focused around Midway, if the Americans came to battle, they were to fight a battle with less numbers of carriers and carrier aircraft around.

Second because the japanese assumed that the Americans had bited for the Aleutians trap, and never did true efforts in the searches conducted by the fleet, as they didn't think there were any american carriers nearby. They got confident and payed a dearly price for it. In an all-out attack without distraction operations they wouldn't have run confident, would've been with all eyes open and in all probability the american CVs would've been spotted much before and with better chances of attacking them successfully while not being caught off-ward

Remember that Nagumo was caught with his planes launching because he had to rearm the planes he had chosen to arm with land-attack bombs...if he had certainty or at least uncertainty about nearby enemy carriers ,he'd never have reloaded them from naval-strike to Ground-strike configuration, and wouldn't have had to reverse orders later when the Yorktown was reported...the strike would've been launched quite before the real launch happened and the SBD wouldn't have caught the japanese carriers in such a vulnerable position...


Midway plan was fundamentally flawed IMHO...

[Toast]

I think an even more daming indictment of Yamamoto and his strategic plans were the fact that after PH, the six KB were never concentrated as a force. They were split up and sent on far flung missions from the Indian Ocean to the Coral Sea and never concetrated for an operation again. There direction of naval strategy after PH was definitely flawed and lost the Japanese the only slim chance for a victory they ever had.

On that same note, I think the American strategic planners, Stark, King and even Marshall deserve a lot more praise. The Allied side consistantly had superioer strategic thinkers than the Allies and let the over come tactical losses and less experience to eventually achieve victory.

[Frank W.]

Army: Manstein, Balck, Hübe (Rommel was suicidal in character)
Navy: Dönitz
Air forces: General der Jagdwaffe Adolf Galland (Milch was a d*ick, Luftwaffe found itself at disadvantage in 1943 because him and his politic fights)

you mean hube i guess.

also heinrici was good.

the case of milch isn´t clear anyway.

it´s true that the luftwaffe made some bad decissions
but they also were to overstretched in too many theatres
of war, so it was a hard time for them. milch did good
work in the beginning phase of the luftwaffe, also udet.
but both had difficulties with göring + hitler.

[Frank W.]

also note that galland doesn´t qualify 100% because
he was more a front commander and even flew air missions
untill late in the war. not exactly a general whose
decsissions had much impact on the strategic scale.

of course he was a good pilot and low level
commander - no question.

[madmickey]

General; Holland Smith
Spruance, but Morrison did not underrate him; he knew strategic goals and knew when to be cautious and when to be bold. Unlike Fletcher he launched his entire strike plane in first strike at Midway.
He was Nimitz chief of staff then deputy when he was not on the seas. The air combat AA protective screen was to a large extent his idea.

On Bernard Montgomery one nit wit move that is not mentioned was the failure to clear the approaches to Antwerp.

[The Dude]

Best leaders

Brit:Slim, Horrocks, Roberts, Monty, O'Connor for the army, Tedder, Cunningham for the RAF, and Somerville, Fraser, Cunningham, Vian for the Navy

Germany-KM:Vadm Marshall, Lwaffe:Galland,Priller, Kammhuber,Army/SS-Hoth, Hausser, Model, von Senger

US-Patch, Krueger, Hodges, truscott for the army, Zemke, Spaatz Doolittle, USAAF, Nimitz, Lockwood, Kinkaid for the navy

Russia, Vatutin, Konev, Rokossovsky

Japan , Takagi and Tanaka

Italy-This playing field is for grown ups