OT: Is George Marshall our (United States) greatest military mind?
- Thread starter Mr. Potter
- Start date
We had the good fortune as a nation to have the right people rise to the right positions at the right time. Eisenhower was the perfect allied commander, able to employ his military expertise and pull together the various allied powers and negotiate the politics. MacAurthur was an expert at island hopping and carrying on a massive campaign against Japan. Nimitz was a master at naval warfare on a grand scale. Patton was a brutal ground commander, who could slice through German formations like a knife through butter.
Marshall was in Washington, pulling together the war effort and getting the Department of Defense off the ground. There was no better place for each of these men. They had their perfect roles.
How we were able to move these people through our military academies and into their perfect positions for the nation was amazing.
Marshall was in Washington, pulling together the war effort and getting the Department of Defense off the ground. There was no better place for each of these men. They had their perfect roles.
How we were able to move these people through our military academies and into their perfect positions for the nation was amazing.
Marshall promoted a lot of good men in the late thirties. Stilwell, for one.
https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/journey/gen.htm
The Marshall house in Leesburg is pretty cool for those interested in and around DC.
The Marshall house in Leesburg is pretty cool for those interested in and around DC.
Hard to ignore Grant or Sherman earlier, or Patton or Nimitz later.
Very well put. I often wonder what would have happened had Patton been in Eisenhower's position or vice versa. It could have been disastrous. And if one looks at German and Japanese command, it (managing talent and leadership) wasn't managed nearly as well.
Yes; and to have Admiral Chester Nimitz as the Commander of the Pacific Fleet was our co-blessings in disguise.
Without their talent and fortitude the War would have lasted longer.
America was blessed.
Germany and Japan were hampered by the fact that they had a dictator and an Emperor who interfered with the military's decision. If Hitler would have gotten out of the way, the Germans probably would have had more success against Russia. Japan, however, the military commanders should have listened more to the Emperor who knew the game was over and tried to end the war earlier than later.
A few more recent: Colin Powell, Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf, Chuck Horner, and David Petraeus.
The generals in Vietnam were actually pretty good, but they were severely hampered by the politicians.
Before them Pershing, Lemay, and Bradley in addition to previous mentions.
The generals in Vietnam were actually pretty good, but they were severely hampered by the politicians.
Before them Pershing, Lemay, and Bradley in addition to previous mentions.
Reasonable men can differ, and in doing so, the debate could rage for days, but my choice is George Washington.
I wouldn’t say that any of those on your list were among the smartest military minds, but certainly effective.
I think history has treated Jackson pretty fairly. Longstreet has been badly underrated and Lee is probably overrated by most.
As an aside. If I were to pick the most underrated US General, it would be Nathanael Greene.
Germany had some extremely brilliant generals. Rommel and von Mannstein were both top notch
Except for one major gaffe: Manstein advised Hitler that the Sixth Army should not attempt to break out after it was encircled at Stalingrad. The rest is history.
Sure, not debating that they all had talented commanders. But were they put in the proper positions to take advantage and/or maximize their talents?
Marshall seemed particularly adept at knowing how to leverage talent. Eisenhower had no combat experience, yet Marshall saw Eisenhower's logistical and political acumen as a good fit for Supreme Allied Commander for the European theater prior to the invasion of Europe.
With all due respect to our WW 2 generals and admirals, we knew what the Nazi's and Japanese were doing as we could read their codes via the enigma machines, etc. Just can't help but think that Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Campaign and Sherman raising hell down in Georgia to the sea was brilliant.
Wasn’t Marshall the only General to ever be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize ?
This was back when those prizes weren’t given to just anybody.
This was back when those prizes weren’t given to just anybody.
The Brits would add Monty to the discussion. Many feel his work in North Africa turned the tide of the war. Fun thread to read. I consider myself to be pretty educated on war but most of you are ahead of me.
There is a good series on Amazon named world war two heros and villains that is good. It discussed their roles and assignments. Takes a historic look at the war without the spin
There is a good series on Amazon named world war two heros and villains that is good. It discussed their roles and assignments. Takes a historic look at the war without the spin
Eisenhower a perfect Commander.......didn't even attend Patton's funeral.......not sure I'm to impressed. Patton was the one that bailed him out multiple times and all Ike cared about was his girlfriend and politics.
I don’t think lee could ever be overrated. Even after the fight at Gettysburg he still fought for two more years. Heck he beat the hell out of grant for a time and he didn’t even have his best then. He also told his troops to surrender at the end and not fight a guerilla warfare that would have dragged on for years.
Well whichever, Washington County, PA was named after George Washington, Greene County, PA was named after Nathaniel Greene and George Marshall comes from Uniontown in Fayette County, PA, so southwest PA has the generals covered pretty good.
I am going to add Nathan Bedford Forrest to the mix as the best calvary commander on either side in the Civil War. Stuart has his fans and Buford on the Union side, but I go with Forrest. His legacy has been overshadowed, and rightly so, by Ft. Pillow and the Klan, but he was a tactical genius.
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