Which Generals from Each Major Fighting Nation Turned the Tide of WW2 Theatres?

They say 'the times make the man,' so it's no surprise that the Second World War made a lot of admirals and generals. In this video, we shed light on a cross section on some of the war's top commanders.
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🎬Video Credits:
Narrator - Cam
Editor - Steven DiLeo
Writer - Brad Dare
Researcher - Daniel
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:51 Georgy Zhukov
2:21 Isoroku Yamamoto
3:32 Erwin Rommel
4:53 William Slim
6:11 George Patton
7:37 Bonus: Grigory Kulik
9:04 Conclusion

[@lordMartiya]

It's clear why Stalin feared Kulik: someone so stupid should have been already dead, yet he was still alive. Something was seriously wrong there...

[@vondantalingting]

By all honesty he wasn't actually dumb, he was quite skilled in the arts of politics and sabotage which caused the massive casualties during OP Barbarossa and the winter war. He was quite intelligent but too arrogant, pigheaded, and downright shitty that his only truly saving grace was lowering the amount of soldiers executed in Katyn to 26k officers instead of the original 150k poles that was supposed to be executed as fifth columnists by Stalin and his Company.

[@jawwadmacaraya9865]

@@vondantalingting he killed many of he's high ranking officers because he is freckin paranoid

[@vondantalingting]

@@jawwadmacaraya9865 Stalin or Kulik?

[@jawwadmacaraya9865]

@@vondantalingting Stalin

[@faithlesshound5621]

Kulik sounds like a "No" man. Every organisation needs one.

[@MH-tr4kn]

Kulik: worst Soviet general or most underrated axis spy?

[@There_was_once_a_knight]

Shhhh

[@sirreepicheeprules7443]

"What one should really fear isn't a competent enemy, but an incompetent ally" Napoleon Bonaparte. Kulik was so effective at weakening the Red Army, it's a wonder he was never shot for his incompetence. What Stalin saw in this man I will never understand...

[@thedaniel2147]

@@sirreepicheeprules7443 Maybe a friend ?

[@selinane2Seli-zw3pz]

@@sirreepicheeprules7443 a friend from the Revolution. Strange Stalin didn't purge Kulik in 1939

[@maple1234567890321]

@@sirreepicheeprules7443 he did got shot... in 1950

[@kellywright540]

Patton was my Dad's commander in WWII. He fought in the 4th Armored Division, 66th Armored Field Artillery Battalion as a scout. He said the movie Patton was as close to the real thing as you will get. And yes, he hated him and loved him at the same time...

[@wilsonwalker1181]

Hello Kelly Wright. How are you doing?

[@mark_xvii]

@@wilsonwalker1181 Hello Wilson Walker. How are you doing?

[@wilsonwalker1181]

@@mark_xvii I’m doing great. Nice meeting you here. I’m from Washington dc but lives in Texas. What about you?

[@Kamina.D.Fierce]

To me, Patton's reputation was one of the biggest helps to the war considering they used it to throw off where they intended to invade on D-Day as well as keep Germany's reserves spread and away from aiding Normandy until it was too late.

[@jagdpanther2224]

Patton was a great general but he was also an asshole!

[@sandtraven3686]

I'm glad to see Slim getting some recognition. The Burma campaign was one of the wildest of the war. The 14th Army is known as the Forgotten Army for a reason; don't feel bad if you're only now learning who General Slim was. Props to you for educating yourself, whoever you are.

[@moiraclegg3380]

My Dad was in Burma. Retreated from Rangoon all the way up into Assam, then India. Had a ride on a bullock cart for 400 miles, 700 miles on foot. Royal Army Ordnance Corps attached to Black Watch (Scottish Regiment). Admired Sikhs, Gurkhas, was at battle of Cohima. Most English guys were poor physical specimens compared to them, he said.

[@prasantakumarpadhi4399]

Battle of Kohima was the greatest battle of 2nd World War.

[@samsunguser3148]

I learned it from a game called World Conqueror 4

[@MrStringybark]

It's not forgotten so much as overlooked. As no Americans were involved, Hollywood never made movies about it. Simple as that. If they had, it would have been almost as famous as D-Day.

[@cynthiacook1646]

@@MrStringybark Actually, Hollywood did some movies on that subject.

[@ktheterkuceder6825]

Slim. One of the best ww2 generals I had never heard of. Kulik. One of the worst ww2 generals I had never heard off.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

General Sitwell may well have been far worse than Kulik, responsible for ruinous defeats in China and being so politically inept he had to be replaced. Not only did Sitwell demand to command all of Chinese Forces despite his ineptness, he tried to get the Communist Chinese under his command as well, greatly alienating himself with Chiang Kai-shek, on top of that, he pushed his own Merrill's Marauders far past the breaking point in jungle warfare and constantly fought and bickered with his own fellow Allied Officers such as General Chennault, Orde Wingate and Colonel Charles Hunter. Rare is the general that fails in both military and political theatres.

[@faithlesshound5621]

@@Edax_Royeaux Joseph *Stillwell, known as "Vinegar Joe."

[@nerdyali4154]

@@Edax_Royeaux The bastard actually sent one of his subordinates to British units to insult them. He had the Chindits replaced by Chinese troops after they had worn down the defences of a Japanese position at great cost and then lauded the superiority of the Chinese. He really was a bitter and twisted bastard promoted way beyond his capabilities. He was off in the jungle in some sideshow while one of the most crucial battles in the Chinese theatre was underway.

[@aboriginalalex]

Of* How did you get it right the first time and then wrong the second?

[@unclelarry8842]

Ah yes, Slim Shady the best WW2 General.

[@derin111]

Some of the ‘Best Generals’ were also some of the ‘Best Self-Publicists’.

[@samuelgroen6783]

Manstein and Guderian disapprove of this comment.

[@jakehughes6087]

Montgomery cries at this comment

[@andrewlancefield3730]

Certainly true with Blood and guts...

[@comradekenobi6908]

what

[@taco4451]

Of course. It would be dumb to *not* use massive Victories in propaganda. Every country did that

[@ToTaLePiCpEaNuT]

I think the best quote about General slim was from the man himself (I’ll write it at the end) My own great grandfather served in his forgotten army and thanks to that army and general William slim my other great grandfather was liberated from his POW camp (he was captured at Singapore) When General Slim was brought into Burma in 1942 the British army was getting battered, the Japanese were in the process of trying to outflank and surround them before they could retreat from Burma. Of the 25,000 men in the retreating British army (British, Indian, Burmese and Gurkha) only 12,000 would escape burma with their lives in what became the British army’s longest ever retreat. The British who escaped were skinny, poorly trained in jungle warfare, demoralised, poorly led, scared stiff of the Japanese and disease ridden… by the time Slim was finished with them in late 1945 they were highly trained, motivated, aggressive jungle fighting force that had annihilated the Japanese (they were about as diverse as an army could get as well) and due to Slim they largely contained disease in the ranks through stringent medical protocols and good leadership from officers and most importantly they were no longer scared of the Japanese, quite the opposite they were aggressive in their pursuit of destroying them. William Slim single handedly in 1942 prevented becoming surrounded against the coast like at Dunkirk or Singapore (no chance of escaping like the brits from Dunkirk on the Burmese coast) his fighting retreat that was brutal but perfectly orchestrated (the Gurkhas at one stage held a tiny bridgehead and were almost slaughtered to give the rest of the army chance to escape) and when they had reached the safety of India General William slim was driving through a makeshift barracks, the barracks was lined with the wounded and yet when he drove past the whole camp cheered him because they knew until he arrived all hope was lost and he had saved them. General William slim said of that moment (I’m paraphrasing) “It’s a great honour for a general to be cheered after a great victory, but to be cheered by his men after a great defeat is the greatest honour a general could hope for” He saw it as a defeat, but in reality like at Dunkirk it was a victory of survival in the jaws of annihilation. I don’t think I need to speak of his great victories late in the war (the bloodiest Japanese defeat in their history) his actions in 1942 were enough.

[@boomboone47]

Idea: Kulik wasn't incompetent, he was just trying to make the Soviet Union lose.

[@carldombrowski8719]

Some generals were far better at that, like Petain and Weygand.

[@lubex3486]

If kulik was the main General of USSR, Germany would have been very confused 😂

[@theepashmani6474]

May be he is the most underated axis spy lol.

[@HackbyAlex]

i think that spot goes to modern russian general

[@itsjohndell]

The actor who plays Zhukov the hilarious The Death of Stalin is exceptional.

[@erikrungemadsen2081]

"I'm off to represent the entire Red Army at the buffet. You girls enjoy yourself." Jason Isaacs is a genious, looking forward to his work in Dune.

[@AnshuOP69]

i am a anti stalinst

[@craftpaint1644]

Jason was way too young but I agree his acting carried it 💁🇺🇲🛠️🇷🇺

[@tallthinkev]

@@craftpaint1644 Nope, he was 5/6 years younger at the time of the film

[@thehowlingmisogynist9871]

@@erikrungemadsen2081 - Isaacs had the makings of a good James Bond, but, he's too old now!

[@philipqvist7322]

General Bill Slim - turned a rabble of an Army into one that would destroy the JIA with a string of spectacular victories in India and Burma. And he would do this when his 14th Army was at the bottom of the Logistics food chain.

[@APersonOnYouTubeX]

Wow, he earned glory commanding a Low rank army

[@joycechuah6398]

To be fair, the Japanese in Burma were also suffering from bad logistics!

[@enzannometsuke8812]

@@joycechuah6398 yes, but that suffering was reinforced by Slims tactics and strategy

[@philipqvist7322]

@@joycechuah6398 and that is what made Gen Slim a great general - he would never have attacked Imphal with no air support and with just cattle on the hoof as food, while expecting his army to forage as they advanced. He learnt all the mistakes of early 1942 and ensured that the British and Indian 14th Army was well equipped and had sufficient air cover to take on the JIA. He also ensured his troops had sufficient medical cover, so that his men wouldn't die unnecessarily from diseases, infections and malnutrition - and most importantly of all his subordinate officers were all competent.

[@jameshepburn4631]

@Phillip Qvist There was (hope still is) an exhibit on Field Marshall Slim in the war museum in Singapore. Truly a great leader he was an elementary school teacher who never went to Sandhurst nor Woolwich.He was an OTC (like ROTC in USA) product at Birmingham University which likely in part at least accounted for how he led and was much admired by his soldiers. Overshadowed by better publicized and self promoting Generals, even Churchill barely knew his name when Alan Brooke put him in command of 14th Army. He later became a much admired Governor General of Australia. He died about two weeks before Christmas 1970.

[@1630revelloify]

Thank you for remembering General Slim, an often forgotten leader. I knew an old soldier from the Burma campaign who held him in the highest regard.

[@chaz2187]

I’ve become more familiar and fascinated by slim. Apparently, when he saw that troops suffered greatly from jungle diseases because officers were too lenient about whether troops took the necessary medical provisions, often times because soldiers disliked the taste of them. So slim sacked the incompetent officers, a warning to other officers who then made vaccines and antibiotics for soldiers mandatory. Singlehandedly and greatly improving the odds of soldiers fighting or just surviving the jungle.

[@robertsansone1680]

Captain James Cook of HMS Endeavour required his men to eat sauerkraut to prevent scurvy. The men hated the sauerkraut & threw it out. Cook got his men to eat the sauerkraut by Forbidding Them From Eating It! He put the word out that the officers really liked the sauerkraut & they couldn't have anymore. He had the barrels of sauerkraut put in convenient locations so the men could "steal" it. By provoking class jealousy & using psychology, he kept his men healthy. Not one man died of scurvy during his voyages. This is one of my favorite historic stories.

[@colinmartin2921]

Slim was the son of an ironmonger, and so was not imbued with the rigid methods and traditions of the British upper classes, allowing him to use unorthodox methods and to think outside of the box, a brilliant commander who must have been exceptional for him to rise from working-class to Field Marshall.

[@alganhar1]

Except that is not entirely true. You had people with rigid methods and traditions everywhere, and many of the officers from the Upper Classes were just as happy to use unorthodox tactics. This perception of British Officers from the upper classes being hide bound and rigid is largely a myth propagated from a few caricatures of specific individuals. Initiative was a driving requirement for British Officers in the Interwar years after all, as they were often stationed in hostile areas well away from regular command and control. Also, Slim was far from the only man who rose from the lower classes to become a Field Marshal, in fact he is not even the most unique as he was always an officer. The most unique is Field Marshal Sir William Robertson, who was the son of a tailor/postmaster, and the only man in the history of the British Army to rise from Private to Field Marshal. And he did that in the Victorian Era, become Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the highest ranking officer in the British Army from 1916 - 1918. Of course, it is generally forgotten these days that he was not only lower class, but worked himself up to the highest rank from the lowest. However, it is safe to say an idiot did not do that..... Not denigrating Slim here, he and Auchinleck were in my opinion the two best Generals Britain produced during WWII, however, I do grow tired of seeing the constant upper class thing. They were no more hidebound than anyone else in British Society, or anywhere else for that matter. Perhaps you should look at the experiments the British were conducting with large scale mechanised units in the 20's and 30's before making that judgement. It was lack of money that killed those experiments and hampered British Armoured Doctrine, not unwillingness on the part of the Generals....

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

@@alganhar1 Richard O Connor was pretty good too, encircled over 138,000 soldiers with just 40,000 men.

[@postscript67]

Being the son of an ironmonger makes him lower middle class.

[@brianrunyon266]

Hadn't heard of Slim before. I'd read Kulik was stuck in the past, as the saying goes when it came to military tactics.

[@TheFront]

Glad we could enlighten you, then!

[@Chiller01]

Slim did wonders with what he was given. Definitely made Mountbatten look good.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

@@TheFront you should make video on him so more people would know about him

[@sarahberry4026]

@@TheFront eisenhower

[@wilsonwalker1181]

@@sarahberry4026 Hello. How are you doing?

[@sercravenmohead3631]

Giovanni Messe is underrated, yes he’s an Italian general but he’s one of the good ones. The only general to score a cavalry victory in the whole war and it was against the Soviets! He was the most innovative Italian general that favored unconventional mobile tactics, his feats earned high remarks from Rommel who quotes “The German soldier impressed the world, Italian Bersaglieri impressed the German soldier.” I must say for a country that had no business trying to take over the world they did better than what other minor countries did at the time.

[@kevray]

Italy could have done a lot of damage but thankfully they were incompetent

[@sercravenmohead3631]

@@kevray They really dropped the ball with their navy but it wasn’t all their fault, Germany didn’t share that Romanian Oil.

[@Luca-ok6sw]

@@kevray they were kinda competent, surely not all the generals were but at least some of them were and the soldier were in majority competent, the problem for Italy was the complete lack of any natural resource to use, their rifle were genius since they were incredibly cheap in iron since it used some wood, but still were really effective, but with just rifle you can’t win a war where tanks and aircraft dominated, the navy did beautifully for what they could, especially the X Mas, but they had little to none fuel so had to stop

[@robertlonghi7949]

Fully agree. Messe was an excellent General.

[@marcolfo100]

the italian army was so ill-equipped that it had a secondary part,and Mussolini wasn't a war leader

[@Liendoelcm]

I read Slim's biography. He was very much forgotten out in Burma and received only what could be spared, the fight against Germany taking the bulk of the supply of troops and equipment. He fought against Japanese troops, strangling them into a standstill by cutting off all their supply roots for everything from food to medicines. The Japanese Forces in Burma just wasted away. My favourite soldier seems not to have complained but fought with what he had. Brilliant man.

[@razak51fr]

I think some generals are too under represented. Generals like Walther Model, Albert Kesselring, Semion Timoshenko, Vassili Chuikov, Hugh Dowding or Omar Bradley also greatly affected WW2, they should have more fame.

[@ktheterkuceder6825]

But they don't and that is the sad part.

[@Concorde4711]

Erich v. Manstein is another one.

[@razorback20]

Brian Horrocks is also very underrated, yet he has been nicknamed 'The British Rommel'.

[@ibnkhaldun7373]

Semion Timoshenko was totall incompetent but was promoted due to his physical strenth and self-confidence. According to Vassily Grosman Vassili Chuikov was famous for beating his subordinates. Walther Model was very compotent but very dedicated nazi. He commited suicide and did have an opportunity to write any self-promoting memoirs unlike Erich von Manstein and Guderian

[@AlanBarker]

Also AVM Keith Park

[@brokenbridge6316]

Fun Fact: Kulik's name became so infamous that two decades later it would cause a lot of Red Army Men to curse his name. He was by far the worse military leader of WWII and for good reason.

[@srgyeetus670]

Who woudn't curse the man who literaly stoped all tank shell production and banned his men from using machine guns Even men in the red air force hated him

[@brokenbridge6316]

@@srgyeetus670---He also made sure to shoot a lot of decent army commanders under his command for such flimsy reasons. I'm glad Stalin ultimately had him shot. Regardless of his reasons. Stalin did the army a favor by shooting him.

[@carldombrowski8719]

He may have been the worst Russian General, but he was still better than the best Italian General. What he did maliciously to make other generals look bad, Italian generals did in good faith and believed to be strategy.

[@srgyeetus670]

@@brokenbridge6316 he realy did but it was kinda late for that If he wasnt alive or involved in politics perhaps hundrends of thousans would have lived the war

[@brokenbridge6316]

@@srgyeetus670---Possible

[@Boodoosh69]

Decent list :) A little surprised there is no talk of Erich von Manstein, he did some incredible feats on Eastern front in spite of his own High Command, he also created the plan for the invasion of France in 1940.

[@bluerisk]

I concur.

[@harukrentz435]

The only reason Rommel becomes a world's known name is because he had "privilege" to fight the western allies in Africa but we all know that the best german generals all fought in the eastern front.

[@sovietunion3721]

Agreed ,Manstein should be on this list

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

@@harukrentz435 Rommel was propped up by the Germans because he won in Africa. He was also propped up by the British because only the best of the best could defeat the British. See Rommel myth for more info.

[@bradycrabtree2674]

Rommel on this list is great. But not pairing him with manstein or guderian is ludicrous

[@sandhopper99]

One of the developments Slim's army and air force perfected was air supply. This was brought to a fine art during the Chindit expeditions and during the battle of Kohima.

[@zacamakapaka3989]

General slim in burma is one of my favourite generals. Battle of the admin box was insane

[@chrisgear8503]

Why u talking about it like u was there?

[@COACHWARBLE]

Slim led from the front. Taught hand to hand combat to everyone!

[@zacamakapaka3989]

@@chrisgear8503 I’m not?

[@theodoros9428]

He was the best British general and one of the best of ww2

[@DxvinderSingh1699]

Azad hind fauj

[@zaryanabtahee]

Konstantin Rokossovsky's name deserves to be on the list.

[@RCAWHICK]

His steel denture smile approves

[@purushothaman6698]

It's 1 for each nation and Zhukov is better than him

[@zaryanabtahee]

@@purushothaman6698 I was just giving my personal opinion.

[@youmaboi5279]

@@purushothaman6698 Ok. Zhukov for Georgia, and Rokossovsky for Russia or Poland😜

[@purushothaman6698]

@@youmaboi5279 it was all under one nation called USSR at that time so no

[@nbm6661]

For me i think heinz guderian should be mentioned he was the first in ww2 to use blitxkrieg which defeated poland so quickly and with the help of erich von mansteins ardenne offensive deafeated france so quickly too this was ultimately what inspired patton to properly adapt those tactics in the invasion of germany late ww2

[@HellNation]

Rommel is overrated, Guderian was the warmaster of the Blitzkrieg

[@LLiivveeeevviiLL]

@@HellNation Agree, would put Manstein over both Rommel and Guderian (2nd).

[@sweenie58]

Slim has my vote due to his ability to adapt and overcome. Using Mules and avoiding frontal assaults. Sometimes it takes courage to make changes.

[@robertreid9856]

I am surprised that British Admiral Andrew Cunningham was not one of your chosen leaders. He was placed in charge of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet. Out gunned and with many older, slower ships, he decided the only thing to do was attack. His plan of attack at Taranto was the first naval air assault on an enemy naval base and formed the model for Yamamoto's attack on Pearl Harbor. Sinking or badly damaging three Italian battleships', Cunningham wasn't done yet. He launched the Battle of Cape Matepan, which was one of the first naval battles to rely heavily on Radar. In a night battle, the Royal Navy sank three heavy cruisers and two destroyers. The Italian Reggia Marine never sailed out en mass to confront the British again and capitulated in September 1943. He deserves to be on your list.

[@APersonOnYouTubeX]

Yes

[@dablord5229]

Well....Cunningham is not a general.......

[@zackyjack8891]

He talked about leaders of armies not commandants

[@bananabeh4653]

Well so was Yamamoto

[@micheal6898]

yes cunningham was a amazing admiral. One of the best of ww2. But he was in command of a superior force tbh. The royal navy was a far better trained and maintained force. the newer Italian ships where not any better than the ships cunningham had. Unless you just look at cruisers

[@Rick-zw9kp]

Rommel deserves the credit he gets. His achievements speak for themselves both in WW1 and WW2. His ability to think outside the box was amazing. One of my favorites is how unconventional he used his tanks in North Africa, often using them as bait to lure British tanks into a trap lined with his anti tank guns. There's so so so many more.

[@konigludwig6539]

Still just a better Division Commander

[@joanterueljurado5867]

I think that by far the most skilled general of ww2 (at least from germany) was Erich von Manstein, Manstein was the best of the best, he made the plans for the invasion of France and the encirclement of the BEF, and also he designed the elastic defence strategy which made every retreat of his troops a victory.

[@konigludwig6539]

@@joanterueljurado5867 Yes, Manstein was literally an allrounder, just a big genius, people like Model Masters in tactical retreat or Heinrici in Defense etc

[@Rick-zw9kp]

I agree about manstein. There's an episode of 'great escapes of ww2' called ' manstein holds the line' and I highly recommend it. They say his actions saved Germany from losing the war in 1943 in the wake of the defeat at Stalingrad. Truly an amazing feat to stabilize the line and even push the Russians back again.

[@harbingerd.8457]

@@joanterueljurado5867 And to think that Hitler dismissed him just because he made a few mistakes is absurd at best. It could be said that Hitler himself botched the entire German military strategy by dismissing other capable leaders such as Von Bock and Guderian because of his 'genius' and ego

[@xx6489]

Of the bunch I would have much preferred to serve under Slim. A strategic and tactical genius. He managed what none of the other generals did. Victory with minimal casualties. He was able to inflict unimaginable hardship to the enemy with the lightest touch. He put his men before his ego.

[@rpm1796]

I'll take the snow anyday thanks.

[@bighands69]

Patton was a pure tactician. He only went hard when it was the right tactic to use.

[@shironeko130]

The german generals the faced him thought differently, one saying something along the lines of him being predictable and systematic. But they also respected him as a panzer general

[@billmacmillan6203]

Patton was great on the attack and like a receiver looking for a weakness in the opposition's line to gain territory, he would drive for territory. Patton did no better than any other army commander when he came up against any stout defences. Patton was great at self advertisement. That was his drug. He did a particularly poor execution of an offensive operation when he sent a strong armoured force to liberate a POW camp in Germany reputedly holding his son-in-law. They got him and the rest of the POWs out but the force was wiped out on the way back to Patton's lines. All the POWs including Patton's son-in-law, who was wounded, were recaptured.

[@marcolfo100]

yes the best american in strategy was Mac Arthur

[@chrisg4314]

General Kenobi of course

[@mrpenis6969]

hello there

[@TheFront]

The only correct answer!

[@bob2swpa]

He’s one of my favorites also 👍🏻

[@generalkenobi5559]

Indeed

[@AdmiralRamenNoodles]

I feel Richard oConnor had a mention in the Rommel segment as he literally did the same exact things as him in North Africa Campaign before Rommel was present. One of the only British generals that actually knew how to use his tanks. He even pulled a similar move to when Rommel when he was in France and that was dashing his forces to cut off the Italians when he could’ve been cut off himself. Of course the circumstances and Italian command might’ve given him a bonus it was still certainly brilliant on how he handled Operation Compass

[@mst7274]

He was also known as the Desartrat

[@AdmiralRamenNoodles]

What the actual fuck

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

@@AdmiralRamenNoodles Ignore the bot comments mate lol

[@jaxzor]

many people compare Patton with Rommel, tactics wise, bravery, leadership, etc... the only difference is Rommel never had Patton's supplies and manpower

[@DragonTigerBoss]

Hitler also hated Rommel, whereas Patton went to West Point with Eisenhower and they were personal friends.

[@freebird264]

The best thing about George Zhukov is the fact that he won such a comically unbelievable amount of medals and accolades and he EARNT all of them. So many generals and dictatorships in fascist countries would just grant themselves medals and awards to please their own egos but Zhukov actually earned every distinction he had.

[@therider990]

Hitler only had one medal, and he actually earned it. Have you seen how many stalin has? And he has never set foot on the battlefield.

[@schnitzel2121]

@@therider990 in ussr there were a lot of non battle medals. you just need to know which one was for. you will not see a battle medal on stalins chest.

[@therider990]

@@schnitzel2121 why would they reward people for just being a coward lol.

[@TheOne-po7ri]

Like commies in North Korea

[@thomasb1889]

What about Orde Wingate? In studying the reports from the retreat to Singapore he noticed that when the enemy did not do what the Japanese plan had said they would do the Japanese just repeated the plan over and over until they could not attack any more. He formed the Chindits who would be dropped deep in Japanese territory and would be resupplied via air drops. Once the Japanese in the area had worn themselves out on the Chindit defenses they would build an airstrip and be extracted.

[@jameshepburn4631]

@Thomas B Wingate wasn't appreciated until William Slim had seceeded Noel Irwin and George Gifford, both sceptical of unorthodox irregular operations. Slim greatly admired and supported Orde Wingate who was out of favor with both the army and the British Empire officials due to his outspoken support for Jewish inhabitants of what is now Israel (then League of Nations British Mandate of Palestine) in the face of official Arab favoritism.

[@thomasb1889]

@@jameshepburn4631 All that and the fact that he was quirky even by British quirkiness standards even showing up for staff meetings in the nude. No matter what he deserves to be set high on the list of allied general.

[@thodan467]

Wingate was never on the level of 4 or 5 star

[@thomasb1889]

@@thodan467 True but he spotted something that other more senior officers didn't and he beat the Japanese army silly with his tactics.

[@thodan467]

@@thomasb1889 I started reading defeat into victory, and Sim´s very respectful about the corps commander he replaced. Slim states he did good work, with what he´d laid foundations on which Slim could and did build.

[@Kysushanz]

Slim was my "model" General. I studied Slim and Rommel in my Officer studies as I thought that they very much complemented each other - but both were "soldier Generals". Slim's book, "Defeat to Victory" is essential reading for any young aspiring Officer.

[@ethanworner864]

Novices study tactics, amateurs study strategy, professionals study logistics

[@soyentak5076]

If your throwing Admirals into the mix like Yamamoto, you really should have gone with Nimitz over Patton (imo)

[@YARROWS9]

I would go with Admiral Cunningham of the Royal Navy. The Scot who beat the Italian and German Navies in the Mediterranean.

[@johnratican3824]

I don't know. Every time Patton led an American force, they kicked the Germans' ass. He was never beat. The Germans themselves considered him America's best general and feared him.

[@mqart2953]

@@johnratican3824patton was the only general truly FEARED BY THE GERMANS

[@Rebel-Rouser]

While not a General, I think Marine Colonel Chesty Puller was one of the finest commander's of WWII. And let's not forget Chester Nimitz who had to deal with Macarthur's over inflated ass the whole war.

[@thunderbird1921]

How about Ridgway? Parachuted with his men at 49 years old, startled even Patton with his boldness, then cleaned up McArthur's mess in Korea six years later.

[@paratrooper629]

Actually I have read Nimitz and Mac got along well for the most part.

[@paratrooper629]

@@thunderbird1921 bold commander of 18th Airborne Corps. During the Buldge he got along well with Monty.both thought highly of each other then. MAC'S mess.... sorry that dog won't hunt. Mao was determined to enter the war the moment US forces entered the war. HST told MacArthur to cross the 38th and not to announce. Truman told the UN after the fact.... Fiat accompli. State, cia etc said the chicoms would not intervene.... and if they did it would be @ 20K volunteers. And consider this..... initial mission was to repel the NK army back across the 38th. After Mac's genius stroke did HST change the mission to totally destroy NK forces and bring about unification.

[@marcolfo100]

and the excellent tactical admiral Ray Spruance?

[@chrishamilton7516]

Rommel was respected. Patton was admired. Eisenhower was revered. Kuribayahsi was a genius. Montgomery was mocked. Zhukov was fucking terrifying…to his own men.

[@harbingerd.8457]

Montgomery couldn't even take responsibility for the disaster at Market Garden and Arnhem. Instead that guy placed all blame on a Free Polish General while saving face

[@kayvan671]

@@harbingerd.8457 Yeah, Montgomery was one of the worst allied Commanders on the Western Front.

[@shauntemplar.26]

Big fan of all your work..I just want to say this, at the very start of each of your films,, the beginning is just outstanding.. The best montage on KZbin .. amazing work everyone

[@markpaul8178]

Thanks for this superb video ,FRONT.

[@josephrossi3136]

If we had Generals like Patton, Bradley today we would not be in the mess we are in today.

[@cybersquire]

The quality of Generals doesn’t make a difference if their hands are tied by politicians, and 20 years of failed policy by concurrent administrations.

[@chrischuba5037]

@@cybersquire They knew how to take territory. We took and held Afghanistan for 20yrs. What would the Generals of yester-year do differently, mass hangings?

[@gups4963]

@@chrischuba5037 There is no political will for the type of fighting it would take to truly conquer a nation like afghanistan. The U.S. being fairly spoiled just doesn't have the stomach for it these days

[@wombatwilly1002]

Agree 100%

[@casedismissed8581]

@@cybersquire BULLSHIT,if patton and bradley were around today they would have immediately recognized these communists for what they are!! AND ACTED

[@daistoke1314]

Great to see Slim highlighted. Almost certainly the best general Britain had after 1815 till now. Flexible in daily practice, inflexible in reaching his goals.

[@RetractedandRedacted]

Shame Mannerheim from Finland wasn't included. Held off the Russian onslaught so well that the winter war has become a bit of a meme

[@wombatwilly1002]

Ya,I'll buy that but not on the first list.

[@selinane2Seli-zw3pz]

Winter war isn't a part of WWII. And it was lost by Finland anyway, as was Continuation War

[@RetractedandRedacted]

@@selinane2Seli-zw3pz the winter war was a part of the world war as it was a Russian (which was an axis power at the time) offensive as part of Molotov-Ribentrop pact. And given the USSR intended to conquer all of Finland, I'd say Finland won even if they did give up some land.

[@selinane2Seli-zw3pz]

@@RetractedandRedacted Russia was never an Axis power, whatever your will to fake history lol. Finland lost 10% of its territory and 20% of its industrial production, yeah sure what a win lol. And lost even more during Continuation War while betraying the German troops fighting with Finnish lmao. What a feat!

[@RetractedandRedacted]

@@selinane2Seli-zw3pz Russia was certainly in agreement with various axis military aims (ie the invasion of poland) so was at least an axis aligned power. 10% of territory and 20% industrial production is far better than a 100% of both. The USSR lost at least half of it's military that was dedicated to invading Finland. Fundamentally, finlands goal was to not be retaken russia which they weren't in either war. The continuation war was a soviet victory because Finland failed to take back any land. Both wars ended in a treaty rather than a surrender from either side with Russia being generally favoured in the agreements due to the overwhelming size of their military

[@Kyanzes]

Slim had a wide strategic skillset. Had been handed tall orders, had delivered no small victories. Had friends in high places, been never low on support.

[@ibnkhaldun7373]

Zhukov's nickname among Red Army soldiers was " the butcher".

[@Mikhalych88]

According to my granduncle who served in the Red Army recon unit, he and his comrades hated Zhukov as much as they loved Rokossovsky. Rokossovsky cared about his soldiers while Zhukov cared only about success of battle no matter the cost.

[@asianinvasian9022]

it is great to see slim get some well deserved recognition again. So often, when I am talking to somebody and bring him up, the person has no idea who I am talking about

[@georgealderson4424]

A very interesting video Sir. Thank you. I had not heard of the Battle of Gazala (just one of the details I learned) so please keep up your good work to enlighten even old fogies like me. Blessings and peace

[@Karl_I]

I would love to see Rommel and Patton sit down and discuss the war

[@brokenbridge6316]

Hey The Front---This video was a good one. I think you did an excellent job. I have a video suggestion for you. Why don't you make a video on who was the best Infantrymen from each combatant of WWII both Allies n Axis powers. Yeah know the common infantrymen on the ground that often acted above n beyond the call of duty. I think this video has great potential.

[@charlescurran1289]

You forgot to mention Gen. Mark Milley who stabbed his commander-in-chief in the back.

[@echosr2139]

And the first US general to commit treason since the revolutionary war.

[@brycewalker3726]

@@echosr2139 That can’t be true, wouldn’t many Confederate generals be considered traitors?

[@charlescurran1289]

@@brycewalker3726 By most definitions yes. Many in the north wanted generals like Lee hung for treason but Lincoln wanted to unify north and south so trials for treason were never held and I believe all southern combatants were given amnesty.

[@farney8878]

Wondering when the trump cult would open their stupid mouths with incoherent thought.

[@charlescurran1289]

@@farney8878 Very pithy reply. Makes you look like a loving and intelligent individual.

[@professor.moriarty9803]

Another fearsome General from Britain is Lieutenant General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, the "undying", in his army career he got shot in his face, head, ear, arm, leg, stomach, lost and eye and wears an eye porch, lost an arm as well, survived 2 plane-crashes, dug his way out of an Italian POW camp and made it back to England just to get back for the fight. Died of nature causes at the age of 83. What a legend *also, here's a fun fact, Sabaton just made a new record using him as subject, "The Unkillable Soldier"

[@esmeephillips5888]

The model for Brig, Ritchie-Hook in Evelyn Waugh's novel 'Men at Arms'.

[@johanrunfeldt7174]

My favourite Yamamoto quote (and my favourite qoute on naval aviation) is that in 1915 he said: "The most important warship in the future, will be a ship which carries airplanes." In 1915, air warfare was still in its infancy back then!

[@ntf5211]

aircraft carriers are becoming obselete now

[@johanrunfeldt7174]

@@ntf5211 What do you know that nobody else knows? Airpower is, and will continue to be extremely important in Naval Warfare. On another note, please proof-read before you post. I almost disregarded your post because a key word had a spelling error.

[@ceu160193]

@@johanrunfeldt7174 Advancements in hypersonic missiles threaten to turn aircraft carriers into nice big targets.

[@ombricshalazar3869]

ban him he's clearly hacking

[@johanrunfeldt7174]

@@ceu160193 First: Your argument is at least forty years old now, forty years when the aircraft carrier has ruled supreme on the oceans. Second: Yamamoto's statement has turned out to be true for a century, and was certainly valid for his lifetime. Who cares if new developments make it obsolete in the next twenty years.

[@bobber1no499]

I would have loved to have seen Heinz Guderian in this video

[@tizi087]

difficult because he didnt had field command for a longer time

[@sctm81]

Overrated

[@jeffreyval9665]

@@sctm81 he was basically the best at blitzkrieg tactics how is he overrated??

[@bobmetcalfe9640]

Nice to see someone mention slim. Not just the best British general IMO but the best ally general probably. He took an army whose morale was at rock bottom and used it to beat the Japanese. No one else really came close to that.

[@Green-ader]

Those who are not forgotten are the ones who are best known therefore slim was not the best, patton was the best

[@dallasmars2]

Stillwell lead those people out of burma

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

@@Green-ader Slim had an army of 21,000 vs 100,000 Japanese, Patton outnumbered the Germans 6 to 1

[@rameshjamdar1555]

Excellent analysis

[@jessewilliams9195]

very cool. thanks

[@indianajones4321]

Great video, you should definitely do a part 2 for this

[@TheFront]

Perhaps!

[@jawwadmacaraya9865]

What is Indiana Jones doing in here?

[@user-yl5qg2ij1q]

U are everywhere

[@indianajones4321]

@@user-yl5qg2ij1q hello there

[@user-yl5qg2ij1q]

@@indianajones4321 hi

[@zachfrancisco8185]

Konstantin rokosofsky (i spelled his name wrong i guess) deserves to be on a list he was a major part in the soviets most sucessful offensive on june 22 1944 operation bagration the soviets largest and most sucessful offensive which destroyed army group center and trapping army group north against the baltic sea.

[@ntf5211]

stalingrad was the turning point

[@b4nterontilt245]

@@ntf5211 and it was Rokkosovsky doing too. His and Vasilevsky's

[@robertlonghi7949]

Good to see the mention on Slim who I feel was the best British General of WW2.

[@romad357]

I'm glad to have seen Viscount Slim of Burma recognized as the best British general of World War II. His 14th Army performed magnificently! I have a copy of his book, "Defeat Into Victory" in my library.

[@tomfuller4205]

Reminds me of an anecdote I once heard, “George Patton dies and goes to Heaven, at the Pearly Gates Patton asks God who the best general was. When God points to a gardener Patton became confused and asked God, when was the gardener ever a general. God replied, “He wasn’t but if he ever decided to be one he would be the best one.”

[@ktheterkuceder6825]

A great story of humility and modesty.

[@gabe75001]

I don’t get it

[@Edax_Royeaux]

That's a dumb story. That's like saying: "Whose your best chef?" "That invalid over there" "Does he cook? "No."

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

Hah! Nobody noticed the sleight-of-hand? Patton used the word "was", and the lord answered with "would have been". "God" did not answer the question honestly.

[@greghenderson6782]

Field Marshall Alanbrooke, who, with Generals Dill & Gort, saved the core of the British Expeditionary Forces in France, preventing German efforts to break up I & II Corps in the field and get them to Dunkirk. Then went on as CIGS (Chief of Imperial General Staff) to develop and deliver the strategies which lead to Operation 'Overlord'.

[@silverhost9782]

I do agree, but by the time he found himself in CIGS he wasn't doing much hands on commanding which maybe means he isn't eligible

[@michaelplanchunas3693]

Field Marshall Dill is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on orders of FDR. His diplomacy and good nature often prevented harsh confrontations during meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He always seemed to find a way to tamp down hard feelings on both sides, and got them working together to defeat the enemy not each other. It was said the Marshall cried on hearing of Dills death, the only time he was known to cry. FDR was shocked into silence at the news.

[@SapienAnamoly]

Excellent

[@williamkz]

I'd never heard of Kulik before. Now I know why! (I'd heard of all the others. Excellent short presentation. Thanks.)

[@71superbee39]

"A good plan violently executed today is better than a perfect plan next week." Gen. George S. Patton..

[@TheFreshman321]

Yes his body count can attest to that.

[@ironwolf2244]

Good list, though China should've been on there. They did so much for the War, and had many fierce battles. If you do a list of them later on, you could mention Sun Li-jen, known as the 'Rommel of the East', or Xue Yue known as 'Patton of Asia' by the non-Chinese forces he worked with, and 'God of War' by his fellow Chinese.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Who's the Nationalist general here then?

[@DraftTheHippies]

@@michaelandreipalon359 Both of them were NRA commanders

[@isaacwest276]

I wouldn’t say China “did so much for the war” when in light of other major countries, but I agree more light should be shed on them. On another note some historians would classify the Sino-Japanese War as a side-theatre rather than a main course, akin to the Winter War and War of 1812.

[@austin2407]

@@isaacwest276 The Sino-Japanese war was the "main course" for Japan and the subsequent attack on America was a by product of the failures in China, if you consider the pacific war to be part of the 2nd world war then the Sino-Japanese war has every right to be considered a major theater in WWII. Aside from the top 3 major nations, the UK, US, USSR, China's contribution against the Axis(solely against Japan) could be argued to be 4th, and certainly 2nd in the Asia-Pacific theater behind US.

[@wojak6793]

@@isaacwest276 the chinese theater was about as important in asia as the eastern front in europe lol, imagine germany putting all its troops on the western front or japan putting all its industry and resources into planes and ships for the pacific theater. That didn’t happen because of russia and china respectively, there’s a reason they were given permanent UN member seats as opposed to other countries after the war

[@gennymikel4296]

Great vid and no ads.🙂

[@fwcolb]

Many thanks for the mention of General Slim.

[@Literarydilettante]

What about Eisenhower? He wasn't a tactical genius, but boy did he know logistics. I reckon logistics beat tactics in the long run.

[@AlexanderDunetz]

Bradley knows more than Eisenhower about logistics anyday. Tactics is for rapists. Strategics is for serial killers.

[@ollikoskiniemi6221]

@@SnazzySki98 your opinion is invalid because of your use of lmfao

[@TheFreshman321]

Both Eisenhower and Bradley were crap military strategist. Bradley was tactically incompetent. He should have got fired for the disaster in the Hurtegen Forest, the Ardennes and failure to close the falsies pocket. Monty saved him in the Northern bulge.

[@grahamlait1969]

Glad you included Slim. He was never part of the British establishment. 14th army had all the left over bits that the British could spare to fight in Burma and was the only allied army to defeat a Japanese army in the field during the whole war. Slim managed this despite having the idiotic Mountbatten as his superior. He was certainly much better than the egotistical Montgomery and the only British general worth mentioning in this compilation.

[@intelligenthorsemanshipwit1330]

I agree with much of your analysis but I am unable to accept your assertion that 14 was the only allied army to defeat a Japanese army during the whole war. Didn’t the Americans defeat the Japanese in, er, the Solomons, Guadalcanal, Philippines, Saipan, and they and the Australians in New Guinea, etc Etc?

[@seanhiggins2740]

What I appreciate about Patton is that his goal was always to accomplish his mission as fast as possible. This had the efficient and humane side effect of minimizing the casualties and destruction of all sides while still attaining victory.

[@dwh5512]

My pop flew 52 mission in combat for VMB-423 in the Marines and he taught all 8 of his kids what Yamamoto had said among many other things you cover here. Keep up the good work.

[@epicevogaming207]

napoleon seeing this video:hold my bear.

[@arifahmedkhan9999]

Russia laughs

[@usfast]

What about Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding? His system he put in place for the Battle of Britain was critical to the final British victory. If Britain had lost the Battle of Britain the Germans would have almost certainly invaded and taken the island. Without Great Britain the Germans would have had a much better chance of winning the war.

[@danmitchell8165]

There wasn’t really much chance the Germans could pull off a naval invasion on that scale, but yes I agree he was a very good commander

[@freppie_]

@@danmitchell8165 the royal navy would have made it hard, but ships without air support are sitting ducks as well.

[@danmitchell8165]

@@freppie_ firstly, at this point the Luftwaffe didn’t have much experience in attacking warships, there was no Fliegerkorps X yet. And secondly, the Germans did not have any ships really capable of performing an amphibious invasion, they were going to use modified river barges. And any ships that did manage to survive the journey would have encountered small torpedo boats covering the south coast and the destroyers from the Harwich Force (can’t remember if this was the name of it during WW2), who would have cut it to shreds. Then there’s the whole question of resupplying any troops who do manage to get ashore… Sorry for the long comment!

[@harbingerd.8457]

@@danmitchell8165 that's a good explanation actually. But do you think the Germans could have used the captured French fleet at Toulon if they were never scuttled?

[@danmitchell8165]

@@harbingerd.8457 not really something I’ve ever thought of really. I guess they would be a welcome help in escorting the invasion convoy but there’s still the problem of no suitable assault ships/landing craft. Also I doubt the kriegsmarine would’ve been able to crew the ships within such a short period of time.

[@rickyhancock6229]

Yes I did learn something New.. thankyou

[@Justme-to6yu]

Lets not forget about claude auchinleck. I think he was underrated and overlooked cuz of poster boy Montgomery.

[@georgehunton4786]

Don't forget that not only the Allies benefitted from Ultra, the Soviets did also massively especially at Kursk after being supplied by the British. And on the other side Rommel had every night knowledge of what the British plans were for the next day after the Germans had decoded British plans being sent each night to Washington by American Col Fellows. After the Aussies captured the German signal centre in the Desert Rommel had no further success against Montgomery.

[@paulmicheldenverco1]

The Japanese only could run wild on the U.S. when we didn't know there was a war on. After they suckerpunched the biggest brute in town, they never ran wild, not even a little bit. The first carrier battle (Coral Sea) was a tactical victory for the U.S. and the Japanese thought they sunk two carriers, which they only sunk one, while the other was ready for service again in the Battle of Midway. Even Pearl Harbor is only significant when looking at the extreme short term. Within a year most of the ships were salvaged and ready for service. All they did was what they predicted they would do: awake a sleeping giant and really piss him off.

[@redblack4373]

1. Americans knew there is a war, they just did not want to get involved initially until it is right at their doorstep. The USS Panay sinking was indirectly one of the causes for Japanese expansion into Southeast Asia. 2. Battle of Coral Sea was a tactical victory for the Japanese since they took out 25% of the American carriers in the Pacific at that time. However it was a strategic victory for the Allies (not just American) since the Japanese did not capture Port Moresby. 3. Only 1 carrier was a huge loss for the Americans. 4. Awaking the giant in terms of industry and production capabilities yes. However at that time of 1941 -1942, Japanese were better in terms of navy aircraft and torpedo technology. Americans were riding their luck in their conflicts then and were very lucky at Midway which turned the tide.

[@duedman-alleswasknallt5775]

Getting declared on by Japan and Germany was probably the greatest economic stimulus to a single nation ever. In later decades the US had to fabricate reasons to go to war

[@kevinprzy4539]

Lmao 3 of your points are so inaccurate mate

[@onrr1726]

Yamamoto knew and warned leaders that provokeing a war with the U.S. was only going to wake a sleeping giant once it went into full gear.

[@abhabh6896]

if only US had a general like that.

[@RavenDimal]

US is rich in resources but is just so dumb in some cases.

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

Missing out the air commanders: Keith Park, Hugh Dowding, Jimmy Doolittle all deserving of praise.

[@marcolfo100]

and Kesselring,and ''hap'' Arnold?

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

@@marcolfo100 Kesselring wasn't just on the losing side, but he was a horrible person.

[@saucyspartan4466]

I love how the most influential general of WW2 Manstein is not on the list when he literally invented the idea of blitzkrieg.

[@nerevarindoril3435]

The principe of "blitzkrieg" is more ancient, the prussians in year 1820-1850 knows their economie or their army could not follow a long and costly war, they was ennemy with Russia, France, and Austria so the idea of an hyper offensive force for a fast end of war was needed.

[@kayvan671]

@@nerevarindoril3435 The Schlieffenplan was also very important in the foundation of Blizkrieg. Both world wars followed the same example.

[@Monker851]

Guderian Invented Blitzkrieg

[@nerevarindoril3435]

@@Monker851 The term yes but the principe no.

[@chizorama]

@@nerevarindoril3435 The British invented the term Blitzkrieg, the Germans called it keil & kessel.

[@paulmicheldenverco1]

Patton should have been told to apologize to those two men he slapped, but they never should have demoted him. Putting Bradley ahead of him was taking the greatest American leader out of the running to command all American ground forces during D-Day. He should have commanded all allied forces in the Western front, for that matter.

[@Anthony-jo7up]

Patton was literally born to lead the liberation of Europe. It was the worst mistake of the American military leadership to replace him. Bradley was good, Eisenhower was good, but Patton was a once-in-a-lifetime commander that the world hasn't seen the like of since. It is absolutely unfathomable in hindsight that they constantly stripped his army of resources to prioritize other disastrous operations like Market Garden.

[@lavrans25]

BBVA CV Bøckman Linville, qmvøm,Mvh A AZ aJøma

[@retardcorpsman]

Anthony Eh…I dunno about that. Patton was good, that’s for sure, but he was much more skilled in the tactical sense than he was strategically. On the other hand, Eisenhower was perfect for commanding the entire western front command since he was patient and had the organisational skills to co-ordinate the large British, French, Canadian, Polish and American coalition units under his command. He was in particular, adept at settling differences between different generals and acting a middle man for certain military disputes. In fact, he was probably the only general at that time that had the patience to tolerate both Montgomery and Patton at the same time. In comparison, Patton was infamous for bickering with fellow generals and even his own soldiers when a minor dispute comes to his attention. Had Patton been in charge of the entire western front instead of Eisenhower, Patton would surely have broke from the pressure of having to command 5+ different national armies at once.

[@scotttild]

@@Anthony-jo7up Ike was a far better choice then Patton, Ike was far more level headed and politically he worked with the allies far better then Patton ever would have. Patton didn’t give a crap about anybody but his glory. Ike know about diplomacy something Patton didn’t know or care about.

[@alfmalf3310]

I think General Richard O’Connor should have a mention his execution of operation compass is pretty jaw dropping

[@abhimanyurathi2837]

General Slim was a living legend whose policies had a positive impact in the post independence Indian army

[@jamisonmaguire4398]

One wonders how Slim would have done if he had been in charge of the British forces instead of Montgomery and Patton would have fared if he had been in total charge of the Normandy landings.

[@saucyspartan4466]

It would be a complete and utter failure Slim was great in the jungles and against the japanese but had no experience with the germans who unlike the japanese could adapt as shown under local competent leaders like model in operation market garden going from defense to a crushing offensive. Simply put Montgomery was the right man for the job on the British side as shown by the SUCCESS at Sword and Gold with Omaha being the only landing were the allies were almost turned back.

[@jamisonmaguire4398]

@@saucyspartan4466 I love talking to armchair generals. LOL

[@Neion8]

@@jamisonmaguire4398 Well, you're postulating alternative scenarios of WW2, so you're something of an armchair general yourself. As for your point, Patton gets raised by the same propaganda-driven scales that lower Montgommery since keeping USA in the war meant giving them victories (which is why the disaster at Anzio happened - where an American general failed to capture an undefended city and allowed himself to be encircled by entrenched enemies causing roughly 40k casualties on both sides despite the allied force outnumbering the enemy nearly 2 to 1). Calling Patton the US equivalent of Rommel is fitting, since Rommel's main weakness during his early successes was a near-complete disregard of logistics which very nearly caused his famous spearhead in the invasion of France to fail due to overextension and lack of fuel/ammunition (if Britain and France had better/faster comms than relying on semaphore, it's entirely likely Rommel would've died a footnote in that battle as he could've easily been encircled). The difference is, during his desert campaigns Rommel grew as a general, whereas Patton remained a whiney bitch that blamed his allies for his own shortcomings because he didn't understand that trying to funnel the resources for 3 seperate armies through a single artifical port (since America botched the construction of their mulberry harbour due to disregarding the manufacturing instructions given to them by the British in favour of haste - which caused it's destruction via storm) and a handful of beaches was a strain on everyone's resources, and trying to capture more ports for more supplies as well as the airstrips and V2 launch sites that were killing more civilians every day was more important to the war effort than adding more medals to his coat. In short, he's probably one of the most overrated generals of all time - not that he's bad, just the main beneficiary of a nation in need of a hero.

[@jamisonmaguire4398]

@@Neion8 Wow Who are you trying to convince with your word salad?? You should write a book, I'm sure it would be a best seller. LOL

[@jamisonmaguire4398]

@@saucyspartan4466 Wow. I take it you think Slim's capabilities wouldn't translate into other theaters is nothing but a character assassination of a great but little known general. Nice going ace. LOL

[@wezza60]

Zhukov, absolute legend, 2 people if I could travel back in time to meet would be him and Adm Chester Nimitz.

[@picklerix6162]

Two of my uncles fought under Patton. A third uncle was stationed in Burma but I don’t know much about him. My aunt was an army nurse in North Africa and Europe.

[@Dfturcott]

My uncle was in the air force and had a pet gerbil named Rommel. As I get older I think it was an homage to how the gerbil always seemed smart enough to escape his cage.

[@Constantin_Valdor_]

I think you missed a great one Erich von Manstein: he organised the invasion of France and defeated it in 6 weeks, and he oversaw military modernization and provide security to a wartorn west Germany Though he isn't that famous globally, he is regarded as Germany's greatest general in WW2

[@davidsweeney4021]

I'm from Birmingham so I knew about Bill Slim, a Brummie like me. Also I read about Yamamoto's reluctance to attack US bases/forces and it made sense, just a shame his superios didn't listen, it would have saved a lot of lives. I have the utmost respect for these two men. Nearly forgot my Granddad was in the Royal Artillery in Burma, part of the Forgotten Army.

[@brushwolf]

Then there was the time Patton had a wild west shootout with Villistas, using a single action colt revolver and a bolt action rifle. One of the dead Villistas made the trip back to the US camp tied to the hood of the Dodge Auto like a deer.

[@sgtmayhem7567]

Great video. Your choice of Generals was truly inspired. I’m sure the information you presented was completely credible, since Montgomery wasn’t tacked on.

[@tessSGS]

Montgomery was the single most successful Allied general in the ETO. However, as they HAD to have an American general, he was omitted.

[@Wykletypl]

Zhukov and Rommel are overrated. Konstantin Rokossovsky and Erich von Manstein are often considered the Best for USSR and Germany.

[@simonangerer]

Thank you

[@spookyengie735]

i think it less of Zhukov and Rommel being overrated and it more Konstantin Rokossovsky and Erich von Manstein being underrated

[@pitrson666]

@@spookyengie735 this

[@Historyfan476AD]

Patton to.

[@rowanhilgers8341]

Romossovsky was good but zhukov was on another level but those 2 together mainly lead the push against germany

[@zombiegandhi8405]

Something I've found as a potential interesting tidbit about Patton, comes from the book War Letters by Andrew Carroll. In the letters shown there written to his father, Patton seems to have a self-awareness of his larger-than-life nature; and seems to claim it was cultivated on purpose. Whether on purpose, or an attempt at perhaps downplaying his ego--of this I don't know--I find it interesting that he seemed self-aware of what he portrayed.

[@joshuaward3948]

I havent watched the video yet but already thumbs up, like, comment, subscribe all that bullshit THIS is the history content i love to find, GREAT men of history Well done

[@joshaseltine985]

I collect documentarys when I read the art of war each point he made I could think of commanders from ancient Egypt all the way up to today that succeeded or failed on the point

[@donovanwalker7908]

Zhukov was beloved by his soldiers and by the Russian people. That is why Stalin had him basically exiled after the war because he feared Zhukov could lead a rebellion against him. It wasn't until a few years later Stalin brought him back as a Field Marshal again.

[@johnryder1713]

Zhukov must have been the only general to turn back a BlitzKrieg at Kursk, to do so using Trench formations and Barb wire, old fashioned tactics of previous wars, and yet he appeared to be the most modern Russian general, as others used older tactics like horse draw artillery and other older tactics

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

At Rostov, the blitzkrieg was also turned back in 1941. No idea who was general there.

[@lorenzodimaio8449]

@@sjonnieplayfull5859 I think Tymoshenko. Still, the idea of using horses was because they weren't fully motorized, especially after the great losses during Barbarossa, that's why the also created new cavalry formations

[@tizi087]

i suppose every general who know the enemy will attack here, who has months of time of preparation and a shitton of troops should be able to stop such an attack. And still the germans managed to pierce 3 defensive lines in the south and the sowjets needed to throw in their tanks into the meat grinder to stop them. Zukov wasn't a mordern general. he was a good planner, who knew how to corrdinate the cooperation between generals. but as a frontline commander himself he was absoloutly horrible. Just look at the loss figures during the winter campaign in 41 or other operation he led himself

[@Chiller01]

The Germans were also a largely horse drawn Army in 1941. The Wehrmacht used between 600,000 to 750,000 horses to launch Operation Barbarossa. The bulk of the infantry divisions proceeded on foot and could not keep up with the mechanized units.

[@tizi087]

@@Chiller01 The german infantry division were actually and intresting kind of mobile as far as i know. they certainly were slower than mobile division but if i remember correctly faster than their soviet counterparts

[@RRaquello]

I remember reading a poll once where at the end of the war British soldiers were asked "Which general would you have most liked to serve under?" and the answer wasn't Montgomery or Alexander, but it was Slim. I'd heard the name before, but didn't know anything about him. The CBI theater was such a dead end that it seemed anyone who was assigned there was never heard from again, but in professional circles, Slim was very highly regarded.

[@jessekulubi4797]

Georgy Zhukov was my favourite military commander not only in the second world war, but in history. Can you also consider doing videos on other military commanders of the war, like Vasily Chuikov, better known as the saviour of Stalingrad, and Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky