Your favorite military commanders thoughout history?

by **Gujiristan** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 10:10 pm

SaintB wrote:Scipio Africanus - They named Africa after him for crying out loud!

No, they didn't...They gave him the suffix Africanus in celebration of his victories in Africa...

by **Gujiristan** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 10:15 pm

Why the heck does everyone love Caesar so much? He didn't conquer Gaul, he beat down a Gaul rebellion involving a portion of Gaul. He launched diversionary attacks on Britain to dissuade them from continuing to support the Gauls. He didn't do much else aside from seizing power in Rome for a brief time.

Octavian/Augustus Caesar did far more. He smashed Pompey and conquered Egypt, fighting victorious battles all across the Mediterranean. Not to mention being the first to call himself imperator.

by **United Kingdom of Poland** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 10:17 pm

Gujiristan wrote:Why the heck does everyone love Caesar so much? He didn't conquer Gaul, he beat down a Gaul rebellion involving a portion of Gaul. He launched diversionary attacks on Britain to dissuade them from continuing to support the Gauls. He didn't do much else aside from seizing power in Rome for a brief time.

Octavian/Augustus Caesar did far more. He smashed Pompey and conquered Egypt, fighting victorious battles all across the Mediterranean. Not to mention being the first to call himself imperator.

you mean Marc Anthony right, Julius fought Pompey

by **Gujiristan** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 10:20 pm

United Kingdom of Poland wrote:
Gujiristan wrote:Why the heck does everyone love Caesar so much? He didn't conquer Gaul, he beat down a Gaul rebellion involving a portion of Gaul. He launched diversionary attacks on Britain to dissuade them from continuing to support the Gauls. He didn't do much else aside from seizing power in Rome for a brief time.

Octavian/Augustus Caesar did far more. He smashed Pompey and conquered Egypt, fighting victorious battles all across the Mediterranean. Not to mention being the first to call himself imperator.

you mean Marc Anthony right, Julius fought Pompey

Yeah, slipped up a little there. :oops:

by **Lyttenburgh** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 11:58 pm

Gujiristan wrote:Octavian/Augustus Caesar did far more. He smashed Pompey and conquered Egypt, fighting victorious battles all across the Mediterranean. Not to mention being the first to call himself imperator.

Nope. Actually, Octavian was quite a mediocre military commander (and vengeful... and bloodthirsty one...). All the actuall fighting and winning during his reign were accomplished by others - like Agrippa. And no, he was'n the first one to call himself IMPERATOR - prior to that time this tytle was kind of honorific bestowed by soldiers upon their badass commander.

by **Arumdaum** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 12:03 am

SaintB wrote:Oda Nobunaga - He had the insight to change the way war was waged in Japan, in a nation so steeped in tradition that itself is an accomplishment. He also unified Japan under a single government that lasted ~200 years.

No... not at all. He merely began the process of unification. Japan was pretty much unified by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, while it was Tokugawa Ieyasu who established the Tokugawa shogunate.

by **United Marxist Nations** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:52 am

Gujiristan wrote:Why the heck does everyone love Caesar so much? He didn't conquer Gaul, he beat down a Gaul rebellion involving a portion of Gaul. He launched diversionary attacks on Britain to dissuade them from continuing to support the Gauls. He didn't do much else aside from seizing power in Rome for a brief time.

Octavian/Augustus Caesar did far more. He smashed Pompey and conquered Egypt, fighting victorious battles all across the Mediterranean. Not to mention being the first to call himself imperator.

It was Julius Caesar that did all of that.

by **Bythagias** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 5:16 am

Hannibal Barca. He was the most badass of badasses in history. His tactics and strategies were very impressive. Especially those used at Cannae. His use of elephants in war was also interesting to me.

by **Napkiraly** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 5:18 am

Gujiristan wrote:Why the heck does everyone love Caesar so much? He didn't conquer Gaul,

Evidently you forget the fact that Rome annexed Gaul at the end of the Gallic Wars. Which started when Caesar invaded the place.

Gujiristan wrote:he beat down a Gaul rebellion involving a portion of Gaul.

Vercengetorix's rebellion occurred as their was discontent among the many tribes who had been subjugated-subjugated by Caesar's legions. Caesar launched the invasion, and after eight years of offensives and putting down the aforementioned rebellion, Gaul had been annexed.

Gujiristan wrote:He launched diversionary attacks on Britain to dissuade them from continuing to support the Gauls.

And installed a puppet king. How is that relevant to him being a good commander or not?

Gujiristan wrote:He didn't do much else aside from seizing power in Rome for a brief time.

Annexes Gaul, beats one the best Roman military commanders at the time while outnumbered, makes it unquestionably obvious that Egypt is a Roman puppet and pretty much starts the chain of events that led to Augustus becoming emperor and the Republic no more. Definitely not a lot.

Gujiristan wrote:He smashed Pompey

Caesar beat Pompey.

Gujiristan wrote: Not to mention being the first to call himself imperator.

It was bestowed upon military commanders during the Republic era of Rome's history. Hardly the first.

by **Kouralia** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 5:23 am

Haig's pretty good too.

by **Mostrov** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 5:27 am

Kouralia wrote:Haig's pretty good too.

Sir James Greison is better.

by **Hollorous** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 5:46 am

The Godly Nations wrote:
Hollorous wrote:
Sherman's campaign wasn't inefficient by any means. He did exactly what he set out to do, with runaway success.

Also, setting American cities ablaze happened a shitload in the 1700 and 1800s. Sherman was just the most famous to do it.

What purpose did burning civilian building serve?

To undermine Confederate civilian morale and deprive the Confederate army of resources. Also took the heat off Grant in Virginia by encouraging Confederate soldiers to desert in order to protect their property and families back home. It's undisputed that this happened, so I don't see how Sherman's March can be deemed inefficient. You may claim that it was a savage act and it probably was, but all the moral lines that Sherman crossed had already been crossed by the time 1864 rolled around. I find it hilarious that Sherman is so villified when he showed such comparative constraint. Just look at the wars against the civilian populaces in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam...yet none of those generals and decision-makers seem to match Sherman's scary reputation. Maybe longevity has something to do with it?

by **Dainer** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 5:58 am

Military commanders in general tend to be assholes, so my favorites are the ones who did real crazy shit or fight invasions. Preferably while doing crazy shit.

by **Ayreonia** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:39 am

Bythagias wrote:Hannibal Barca. He was the most badass of badasses in history. His tactics and strategies were very impressive. Especially those used at Cannae. His use of elephants in war was also interesting to me.

If by "interesting" you mean "lost most of them to hostile terrain" then sure.

by **Jukraina** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 8:56 am

Mithridates VI aka The Poison King

And his son Pharnaces II is also one of my favorites.

by **Marinar** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:25 am

Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. and Michiel de Ruyter

by **Ozzy** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:33 am

Why does a majority of folks choose Erwin Rommel? Is it considered as trolling if I picked Maitland Wilson after asking?

Ulysses S. Grant and Paul Von Hindenburg are whom I find interesting.

by **Tatooene** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:34 am

Douglas MacArthur anyone? No? Ok.

by **Ozzy** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:41 am

Tatooene wrote:Douglas MacArthur anyone? No? Ok.

Well of course! I also admire the man who suppressed rebellions of WWI veterans and recommended a atomic hellfire on Mao's China. I would say wipe out the Japanese navy during WWII but I believe that goes to Chester Nimitz. (I'm pretty sure his name is Chester. Correct me if I'm wrong.)

by **Kouralia** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:44 am

Tatooene wrote:Douglas MacArthur anyone? No? Ok.

Someone who had to be removed by his commanding officers?

by **The Emerald Dawn** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:45 am

Kouralia wrote:
Tatooene wrote:Douglas MacArthur anyone? No? Ok.

Someone who had to be removed by his commanding officers?

You mean like Rommel?

by **Greater Istanistan** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:14 am

Ozzy wrote:
Tatooene wrote:Douglas MacArthur anyone? No? Ok.

Well of course! I also admire the man who suppressed rebellions of WWI veterans and recommended a atomic hellfire on Mao's China. I would say wipe out the Japanese navy during WWII but I believe that goes to Chester Nimitz. (I'm pretty sure his name is Chester. Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Correct, it was Chester.

Don't like McArthur.

Anybody liike Vo Nyugen Giap?

by **The Emerald Dawn** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:15 am

Greater Istanistan wrote:
Ozzy wrote:Well of course! I also admire the man who suppressed rebellions of WWI veterans and recommended a atomic hellfire on Mao's China. I would say wipe out the Japanese navy during WWII but I believe that goes to Chester Nimitz. (I'm pretty sure his name is Chester. Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Correct, it was Chester.

Don't like McArthur.

Anybody liike Vo Nyugen Giap?

He was not a very good General. His tactics were basically "Throw a living wall at your enemies and hope it sticks."

Small group tactics? The kind that you'd trust a colonel to do is where he excelled. He could do biting tactics like no one else, but his big picture stuff cost way too many of his own troops.

America could have won the war, had it been willing to accept the troop losses to do so.

by **Greater Istanistan** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:53 am

"A nation like yours is not one to accept 10,000 casualties."

-Saddam Hussein

by **Kouralia** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:28 am

The Emerald Dawn wrote:
Kouralia wrote:Someone who had to be removed by his commanding officers?

You mean like Rommel?

Eyyup.

Your favorite military commanders thoughout history?

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