Your favorite military commanders thoughout history?

[Confederacy of Ottomark]

Hello everyone I am new here, and this is my first post as well as first thread! Yay!

I was just reading a book regarding military commanders throughout history and it brought a question to mind

Who are your favorite military commanders from throughoutt history? And a follow up, why are they your favorite?

Two of my favorites are Rommel and Napoleon!
I hope this thread will take off like the many others that I have seen. Thanks again!

[Frazers]

Why them?

[Herrebrugh]

I dunno. Willem van Oranje?

Not sure if he was actually any good when it came to military strategy, but I'm not very well-read in that department anyway, so I'll just go with him.

[Souriya Al-Assad]

My favourite ones: Comrades Ernesto Che Guevara, Robert Mugabe, Muammar al-Qadhafi, Aisha al-Qadhafi, Fidel Castro, Iosif Stalin, Bashar Al-Assad (holds the rank of Field Marshal, kicks some Qutbist arse like no one ever has), Gamal Abdel Nasser, Josep Broz Tito, Sun Tzu, Ho Chi Minh, Genghis Khan (controversial, however nonetheless a successful commander on the battle field if you look at nothing else of course), Vo Nguyen Giap, Kim Il Sung, Mao Tse-Tung, Ruhollah Khomeini (led his nation to victory in the Iranian Resistance against the Imposed War), Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah.

[Ponyfornia]

William Sherman and Mehmet II, he's the reason the Balkans is such a lovely place.

[Bering]

William Sherman and Mehmet II

Same

[Ragnarum]

This man and this man

As well as Genghis Khan and someone else.

[Prizyetsa]

I'd have to agree with your choice of Rommel however Napoleon, as successful as he initially was, was arrogant and treated his men like shit during the Russian campaign.

I choose Rommel because he was intelligent, quick, preferred to lead his men from the front and most importantly, he was a human in a sea of evil.

[Frazers]

I dunno. Willem van Oranje?

Not sure if he was actually any good when it came to military strategy, but I'm not very well-read in that department anyway, so I'll just go with him.

I wouldn't be who I am without him I suppose so big fan heh

[Cetacea]

Genghis Khan - not sure why that would be controversial

[The Imperial Prefectures of America]

My absolute favorite, Gaius Julius Caesar. But when I feel like answering the question as a joke, I say Custer, because while hunting alone, and away from his camp, he managed to shoot his own horse in the back of the head, and was promptly surrounded by angry natives.

[Divair]

This man and this man

Ah, Slim. A good choice. Often forgotten despite his brilliance.

[Herrebrugh]

I dunno. Willem van Oranje?

Not sure if he was actually any good when it came to military strategy, but I'm not very well-read in that department anyway, so I'll just go with him.

I wouldn't be who I am without him I suppose so big fan heh

Oh? How come?

[Prizyetsa]

I dunno. Willem van Oranje?

Not sure if he was actually any good when it came to military strategy, but I'm not very well-read in that department anyway, so I'll just go with him.

Of course, how could I forget Willem van Oranje? Without him, I'd probably be speaking Spanish...

As a tactician, he wasn't the best however some argue that this was because of the resources available to him at the time. Regardless, he was a pillar of morale for the Dutch armies, and so deserves a spot in my top three

[Frazers]

I wouldn't be who I am without him I suppose so big fan heh

Oh? How come?

His victories helped assure the Protestant ascendency in Ireland.

[Herrebrugh]

I dunno. Willem van Oranje?

Not sure if he was actually any good when it came to military strategy, but I'm not very well-read in that department anyway, so I'll just go with him.

Of course, how could I forget Willem van Oranje? Without him, I'd probably be speaking Spanish...

As a tactician, he wasn't the best however some argue that this was because of the resources available to him at the time. Regardless, he was a pillar of morale for the Dutch armies, and so deserves a spot in my top three

God I hate Spanish >.>

Oh? How come?

His victories helped assure the Protestant ascendency in Ireland.

Indirectly, maybe. Are you sure you're talking about the same Willem as I am?

[Souriya Al-Assad]

I dunno. Willem van Oranje?

Not sure if he was actually any good when it came to military strategy, but I'm not very well-read in that department anyway, so I'll just go with him.

Of course, how could I forget Willem van Oranje? Without him, I'd probably be speaking Spanish...

As a tactician, he wasn't the best however some argue that this was because of the resources available to him at the time. Regardless, he was a pillar of morale for the Dutch armies, and so deserves a spot in my top three

Yes, however like Genghis, a controversial choice.

After all Dutch armies in the colonial era participated in the madness of colonial repression that killed several tens of millions worldwide over the centuries.

[Mkuki]

I'll give five in no particular order.

1. Gustav II Adolf
2. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
3. Marcus Aurelius
4. Jean d'Arc
5. Shaka Zulu

[Ayreonia]

There are too many. Heinz Guderian comes to mind first. He basically invented armored warfare as it is. Erwin Rommel, while a strategical fuckup, was a good tactician and a true gentleman. George S. Patton was capable of feats his peers (and enemies) thought impossible. Hjalmar Siilasvuo deserves a mention because he was awesome and Finnish.

[Herrebrugh]

Of course, how could I forget Willem van Oranje? Without him, I'd probably be speaking Spanish...

As a tactician, he wasn't the best however some argue that this was because of the resources available to him at the time. Regardless, he was a pillar of morale for the Dutch armies, and so deserves a spot in my top three

Yes, however like Genghis, a controversial choice.

After all Dutch armies in the colonial era participated in the madness of colonial repression that killed several tens of millions worldwide over the centuries.

Willem van Oranje wasn't exactly involved in that, however, considering Dutch colonialism only really started happening decades after his death. So I don't see how he has anything to do with it.

[Souriya Al-Assad]

Yes, however like Genghis, a controversial choice.

After all Dutch armies in the colonial era participated in the madness of colonial repression that killed several tens of millions worldwide over the centuries.

Willem van Oranje wasn't exactly involved in that, however, considering Dutch colonialism only really started happening decades after his death. So I don't see how he has anything to do with it.

True.

[Herrebrugh]

Willem van Oranje wasn't exactly involved in that, however, considering Dutch colonialism only really started happening decades after his death. So I don't see how he has anything to do with it.

True.

So then he isn't controversial at all, really.

[Shamhnan Insir]

I'd say Genghis Khan, some of his tactical advances are nothing short of spectacular - look up the events leading to the destruction of Samarkand. He really defined a good number of strategies.

However, it is this man http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Carton_de_Wiart that takes the cake. He appears to be a juggernaut.

[Prizyetsa]

True.

So then he isn't controversial at all, really.

At the end of the day, it was just a minor detail anyways...

[Nazis in Space]

Eiteieite, son of Leiteikeipei, who led his tribe to victory over a neighboring tribe of fellow farmers, killed their men, enslaved their women, and stole all their food. How dare they copy his tribe's idea of planting seeds in the ground!

History's first ever military commander, sadly all but forgotten, but his name was as mighty and famed as any later general in Anatolia circa 10000 B.C..