Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Which military leader do you most admire?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Which military leader do you most admire?

    Trying to keep this as a measure of military feats & prowess, and nothing else; though I do realize there's bound to be some overlap with political leadership.

    I've started with a short list, please feel free to explain whom else y'all think should be on the list, and why.

    I've tried my best to restrict the list to major players, and not include isolated incidents of bravery/heroism/single battles.

    Thx!

    Mods - Could you please delete the word "hold" in the title, thx.
    95
    Adm. Isoruku Yamamoto
    1.05%
    1
    Alexander the Great
    13.68%
    13
    Asoka the Maurya
    10.53%
    10
    Attila the Hun
    2.11%
    2
    Cyrus the Great
    3.16%
    3
    Gen. Hannibal
    5.26%
    5
    Gen. Erwin Rommel
    7.37%
    7
    Gen. Robert E Lee
    6.32%
    6
    Gen. George Patton
    12.63%
    12
    Genghis Khan
    6.32%
    6
    Gustavus Adolphus
    2.11%
    2
    Julius Caesar
    2.11%
    2
    Kublai Khan
    1.05%
    1
    Moshe Dayan
    1.05%
    1
    Napolean Bonaparte
    7.37%
    7
    Richard the Lion Hearted
    4.21%
    4
    Saladin
    11.58%
    11
    Scipio Africanus
    2.11%
    2

  • #2
    Sal-al-din; fought for what he believed in, was (relatively) fair to his enemies (especially for the Middle Ages), was a master strategist and a great leader. Was never pointlessly brutal (except when necessary), and more or less lived by the Golden Rule.
    "There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there any more." -Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge

    Comment


    • #3
      It is hard to say who is the greatest.

      They all added to the woes of the world!! :)) ;)


      "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

      I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

      HAKUNA MATATA

      Comment


      • #4
        Call me a wimp. if you wish!

        I have seen wars and it leads to nowhere.

        It is fun in an air-conditioned home, with the CNN live, and a beer by the side!


        "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

        I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

        HAKUNA MATATA

        Comment


        • #5
          Ashoka.

          H.G Wells describes it best:

          "In the history of the world there have been thousands of kings and emperors who called themselves 'their highnesses,' 'their majesties,' and 'their exalted majesties' and so on. They shone for a brief moment, and as quickly disappeared. But Ashoka shines and shines brightly like a bright star, even unto this day."
          It is hard to say who is the greatest.

          They all added to the woes of the world!!
          Sir,

          You have to agree that Ashoka actually tried a great deal to reduce the woes of the world.

          Comment


          • #6
            None of the above. That should always be a choice.

            Comment


            • #7
              ghengis(cengiz) khan, scipio, alexander the great, atilla the hun, salahaddin eyyubi, julius caesar, kublai(kubilay) khan they all were extraordinary military leaders.
              but Mustafa K.Atatürk, Fatih the Conquerer and the Suleyman the Maginificient should be included in the list.

              Atatürk created unbelievable strategies where there was no power equilibrium and changed the destiny of a nation completely.

              the conquest of Istanbul (actually Constantinopole) by Sultan Mehmed the Conquest is a real militarist and strategical achievement all on its own.

              Suleyman the magnificient increased the Ottoman territory from 2million km^2 to 6million km^2 in his nearly 40 years reign period.it means 3 times bigger...
              sigpicaction speaks louder than words

              Comment


              • #8
                Flavius Belisarius, Last of the Romans

                Did more with less than many a leader.
                For Gallifrey! For Victory! For the end of time itself!!

                Comment


                • #9
                  I would have thought that Zhukov (Russia WW2) or Spruance (America WW2) were ata least as worthy of a spot as Rommel & Yamamoto.
                  sigpic

                  Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Ray Reply

                    "They all added to the woes of the world!!"

                    "It is fun in an air-conditioned home, with the CNN live, and a beer by the side!"

                    Separate posts but superb perspectives from a career military professional and combat veteran.

                    Succinct and to the point, Brigadier. Right on.:)
                    "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
                    "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I remember a Chinese proverb describing a good general and a bad general.

                      If we have a good general, we eat tonight. If we have a bad general, we will be running for our lives.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by S-2 View Post
                        "They all added to the woes of the world!!"

                        "It is fun in an air-conditioned home, with the CNN live, and a beer by the side!"

                        Separate posts but superb perspectives from a career military professional and combat veteran.

                        Succinct and to the point, Brigadier. Right on.:)

                        The Brigadier has wisdom comparable to Erasmus.

                        "Dulce bellum inexpertis" (War is delightful to the inexperienced).
                        ~Erasmus

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                          I would have thought that Zhukov (Russia WW2) or Spruance (America WW2) were ata least as worthy of a spot as Rommel & Yamamoto.
                          Have to agree about GK Zukhov, was reading 'When Titans Clashed' recently, and was again struck by the scale of his achievements.
                          For Gallifrey! For Victory! For the end of time itself!!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Spruance - while a trendsetter, I wouldn't include him in the list as a leader who had feats of military prowess. I would have included Guderian as a forward thinking founder of doctrine/tactician before Spruance.

                            Zhukov - now here's a tough one - while some of his end goals were successful, at what cost? He generally managed to sacrifice 5 times the number of his own troops at any given time - I question his costly victories like Stalingrad, Berlin etc. on this premise; that's without even getting into Rzhev, Operation Mars or his command at Totskoye.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Kansas Bear View Post
                              The Brigadier has wisdom comparable to Erasmus.

                              "Dulce bellum inexpertis" (War is delightful to the inexperienced).
                              ~Erasmus
                              (embarrassed)! ;)

                              I will remember this saying of Erasmus.


                              "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                              I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                              HAKUNA MATATA

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X