1. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel: The “Desert Fox”
No German general was as famed among the Allies as Erwin Rommel. He was so well respected that Field Marshal Montgomery had to remind his own troops to stop speaking about Rommel in such favorable terms.
This talented general rose to prominence during the campaign against France. At the Battle of Sedan, he led from the front, allowing him to get a better feel for the battle situation. He had an innate ability to sense opportunities, and with his natural skills in warfare, he would capitalize on these opportunities. When he took risks, he was very seldom wrong.
Rommel headed the Afrika kops, which was formed to alleviate the pressure on the Italians in North Africa. Rommel sprung into action with such audacious and swift movements on the battlefield that his forces could even capture the Supreme British Commander General O’Connor. With his background as a tank commander, the North African desert was the perfect ground for Rommel’s tactics.
The fight for North Africa went back and forth, with Rommel outmaneuvering the Allied forces and inflicting inordinately high casualties, but eventually, the tide turned against the Germans. Supplies dried up as Hitler focused all his attention on the Soviet Union and left the Afrika Korps to fend for themselves, outnumbered and outgunned by the Allied armies. Rommel was later involved in the plot to kill Hitler, and upon this discovery, Rommel took his own life by poison.
2. Marshal Georgy Zhukov
During the Second World War, Georgy Zhukov was the most famous and most important Russian commander. Born to a farmer and a shoemaker in 1896, at the age of 19, he was conscripted into the military, serving in World War I and fighting for the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War. From 1937-to 1939, Zhukov fought against the Japanese along the Mongolian-Manchurian border. He achieved stunning victories and was made a Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1941, just before Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Zhukov was promoted to general and chief of general staff of the Red Army.
Zhukov successfully defended Moscow before organizing a counter-attack that pushed the Germans 60 to 150 miles from the city. He then helped draw up the plans for Operation Uranus – in Stalingrad (today Volgograd, Russian Federation).The plan was a complete success and turned the tide of the war. Zhukov then helped win the battle of Kursk and lifted the siege of Leningrad.
Georgy Zhukov spearheaded the Soviet offensive westwards, defeating the Germans at Seelow Heights and then encircling and defeating the Germans in Berlin to end the war. It is undeniable that Zhukov was a talented general with imagination and logistical skills instrumental in saving the Soviet Union and defeating Nazi Germany.
3. General Douglas MacArthur
Raised in a military family in the American Old West and graduating as valedictorian at the West Texas Military Academy, Douglas MacArthur played a supremely important role as a General In war against Japan. He was a dynamic leader who implemented groundbreaking tactical operations that saw the focus of military operations emphasizing the speed and mobility of amphibious and air forces operating over vast distances.
MacArthur served in the First World War, in which he became highly decorated and was promoted from major to colonel to brigadier general in a short space of time. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor twice, was awarded the Distinguished service cross once, and received the Silver Star seven times during his service on the Western Front.
Although suffering setbacks in the early stages of his contribution to World War II, being overwhelmed by the Japanese, MacArthur and his forces escaped and vowed to return to liberate the Philippines after successfully implementing a campaign of “island-hopping.” His strategy was to bypass main Japanese strongholds and attack weaker islands in order to gain a closer position to the Japanese home islands.
After the war, this talented general showed he was more than just a general. He oversaw the occupation of Japan and was instrumental in dismantling its military and restoring its economy.
4. General George Patton
Without a doubt, George Patton was one of the most controversial figures of the Second World War. During the Sicilian campaign, he slapped two of his subordinates who were suffering from PTSD and ordered them both back to the frontlines.
Criticism from home was harsh, and Patton was relieved of duty for 11 months before Eisenhower decided that Patton’s drive and attitude would be needed in the campaign in Europe. Despite his controversy, he was popular with his men. He was seen as a soldier’s soldier, and was well respected by those under his command. As a result, he was able to achieve rapid advances through aggressive tactics. He was also a talented general who was able to think outside the box. During the Allied invasion of Sicily, Patton’s advance was extraordinarily fast due to the fact that the Americans had connections with the Sicilian mafia, who struck deals with those trying to oppose the American advance to stand aside.
General Patton battled through the Normandy Breakout campaign towards the French border with Germany. After, during the Lorraine campaign, his rivalry with Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery came to a head when both generals and their armies ran out of fuel. Both petitioned Eisenhower, who decided to split the reserves, but prioritized Montgomery, who submitted plans for Operation Market Garden.
The German counter-offensive known as the Battle of the bulge caused a severe problem for the Allied advance. Patton, who was stationed along the Saar River, was tasked with relieving the city of Bastogne. Given Patton’s troop disposition, it was an incredibly difficult task, yet he managed to divert 133,000 vehicles and six divisions from frontline combat during winter and wheeled them north to achieve their objective in short order. This logistical feat was surely one of the most incredible achievements of the Allied cause.
After Germany’s failed counter-offensive, the Allies went on the attack again and advanced into Germany. With his aggressive and speedy advance, even in the face of dogged resistance, Patton gained acclaim and the well-deserved nickname of “Old Blood and Guts.”
Patton was uniquely aggressive and competent, easily making him one of World War II’s most valuable and talented generals.
5. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery
Born in 1887, Bernard Law Montgomery was a British general who served in the First World War and the Irish War of Independence before rising in prominence to become one of the most talented generals of World War II.
“Monty,” or “The Spartan General,” as he was known, was a cautious leader, driven primarily by concern for the lives of his men. In this, he was the complete opposite of the American general George Patton. Montgomery’s slow and methodical approach to warfare resulted from his experiences in the WWI where he had seen so many soldiers’ lives being wasted by poor planning and rash decisions. His style was steadfast, and his attitude was stubborn. Not even Churchill could persuade Montgomery to attack if he didn’t want to.
His rivalry with Patton, who had the favor of Eisenhower, was the cause of the only time Montgomery abandoned his signature style. Towards the end of the war, the Allied commanders were increasingly impressed by generals who were relentless in their advance and attacks. Montgomery decided to ditch his usual defensive posture and try to take more risks. Operation Market Garden was attack on German positions in the Netherlands in September, 1944, and was a complete failure.
Nevertheless, Montgomery had already won his fame as the man who led the 8th Army and outwitted Erwin Rommel, ending German ambitions in North Africa. Although remembered as a cantankerous man who didn’t suffer fools, Montgomery was well-liked and respected by those under his command.
Although there are historians who debate Montgomery’s skills as a commander, it is clear that where slow and methodical approaches were needed, Field Marshal Montgomery was a talented general.
