Reaching a milestone. I have just made an update of the database bringing the total number of generals registered over 20.000. The number of generals is now 20.112. A lot of new information has been added to excisting generals in particular within the British, Chinese, Greek, Soviet and US Sections. More that 300 generals without a photo now have a face. Again alllow me to express my graditude to all those who has help with information or photos. Enjoy!
Major General Orde Wingate, founder of the Chindits in the Burma campaign against the Japanese is my favourite. He was as nutty as a fruitcake and his sanity was called into question more than once. He did things like wear a string of garlic and onions around his neck to bite into for the occasional snack, or interrupt a shower to come out totally wet and naked to give orders to subordinates. But he hit the Japs where it really hurt, with long range penetration of their supply lines, creating havoc and destruction in places that cost them dearly.
Absolutely brilliant post. I don't have much practical use for it, but it is lovely to poke around and recognize names from the various countries listed.
My favorite general was Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel (1891 - 1944) Here his sheet: http://www.generals.dk/general/Rommel/Erwin/Germany.html I really him because of his dedication and he was very strategic and intelligent. Even though he was fighting for the germans, he wasn't really a nazi. He also managed to win battles while having a clear advantage. It's a shame he had to commit suicide.
Their win in the World Cup and their growing political and economic power in Europe may not again lead the Germans into the fatal error of thinking themselves the Master Race, but who could blame them for thinking themselves the masterful race. I have been reading a number of books lately about the ETO and come away impressed anew with their prowess in warfare, which can be traced back to before their overthrow of the Roman Empire after corruption and luxury had sapped its strength. It took the British, the Russians (who inflicted nine of ten of the German battlefield deaths) and us in concert with a collection of lesser powers to beat them in World War II. I was also struck by the low opinion of British military ability privately held by their leadership. Max Boot writes in Winston’s War, “Again and again Churchill pressed General Wavell, and indeed all his generals, to overcome their fears of the enemy, to display the fighting spirit which he prized above all things, and which alone, he believed, would enable Britain to survive.” Left to their own, Boot adds, the generals would have accepted battle only on their own favorable terms, which is Montgomery’s career in a nutshell. Wavell told a friend, “My trouble is I am not really interested in war.” Adds Boot: “This was a surprisingly common limitation among Britain’s senior soldiers.” At another point, he laments that “they were agreeable men who lacked the killer instinct indispensable to victory.” After Wavell was replaced in Egypt by General Alexander Auchinleck, the dismal story continued. Despite a three-to-one advantage in tanks and a greater mechanized mobility, the British were defeated again. B.H. Liddell Hart in his History of the Second World War quotes Rommel’s scornful comment about British tank tactics: “What difference does it make if you have two tanks to my one, when you spread them out and let me smash them in detail? You presented me with three brigades in succession.” Alexander Cadogan, second in command of the Foreign Office, wrote in his diary, “Our soldiers are the most pathetic amateurs, pitted against professionals . . . The Germans are magnificent fighters and their Staff are veritable Masters of Warfare.” He added, “Our army is the mockery of the world.” WWI's carnage obliterated God knows how much generational talent and genius and no doubt contributed to the caution of IGS. Yet there was an understanding among many junior officers coming up that future wars would be ones of maneuver. Britishinter-war military exercises to develop tactics were closely studied by the German general staff and by another far-sighted warrior, Charles de Gaulle. Churchill, who had himself played an early role in experimenting with tanks, admitted in his memoirs that he forgotten all that, and the senior military leadership never learned it. The British had a saying through the course of empire to explain how they survived all of the bungling . “We lose every battle but the last one.” http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Liars-They-knew/dp/0989826902/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406465816&sr=8-1&keywords=jerry jay carroll
For the allies, I was always a fan of Patton. For the axis side it was Rommel. These two changed the face of armoured warfare forever. Developing tactics that we still loosely base modern tactics on. The "rivalry" between the two is astounding and almost unmatched between any other 2 generals in the war in my opinion.
" Continue in the task till all your ammunition is expended. If your hands are broken, fight with your feet. If your hands and feet are broken, fight with your teeth. If there is no breath left in your body, fight with your spirit. Lack of weapons is no excuse for defeat. " ~ Lt Gen Renya Mutaguchi ordered his 15th Army in March '43, during his Imphal campaigne, which was the part of his Op U-Go. He however escaped from the war crime. http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/M/u/Mutaguchi_Renya.htm And here is the outline at a glance of the 14th Army of Viscount Slim and the British Allies, who proved that Mutaguchi and his men were not invincible. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...oldiers-fighting-Japanese-Burmese-jungle.html
Despatches from British Air, land warfare and Naval Commanders WWII: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/londongazette.html
dont know if it was posted but a Great Canadian General Guy Granville, Lieutenant-General (1903 – 1974)
Panzer Leader: https://www.scribd.com/doc/234446353/62956542-Panzer-Leader-General-Heinz-Guderian-1952
This is a great resource for people interested in an overview of World War II generals! I am particularly interested in General Ira C. Eaker, who commanded the Eighth US Air Force. I am interested in him for two reasons. Firstly, the general was the namesake for Blytheville Air Force Base in northeast Arkansas, where I lived from birth until age 8. The base was renamed Eaker Air Force Base after the general's death in 1987. Sadly, the base itself closed in 1992, following the end of the Cold War. Secondly, he may be the general with the longest wait time between promotions in American military history (other than George Washington, who waited 175 years to be promoted to General of the Armies of the United States). Eaker retired at the rank of lieutenant general in 1948, but almost 40 years later, he was promoted to four-star general by Congressional legislation. Barry Goldwater and President Reagan were responsible for this promotion, which occurred in 1985.
Generalmajor Mellenthin - who was still very much involved in NATO thinking in 1980. Chief of Staff to Rommel and other amour generals - the top link is a transcript of a Q & A conference: http://dsearch.dtic.mil/search?site...n=200&filter=0&getfields=*&btnG.x=9&btnG.y=12 General Balck: http://dsearch.dtic.mil/search?site...n=200&filter=0&getfields=*&btnG.x=10&btnG.y=8
I recently watched a documentary called "Hitler the Junkie" that opened my eyes to a whole new chapter in this icons life. It discusses the journal of Hitlers personal doctor and his records of Hitler health and the "medications" he was taking from before the war to his death in 1945. National Geographic Channel aired it and if you would like to know more here is a link to their page. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episodes/hitler-the-junkie/
Yes, Adolf was pretty 'messed up' by mid-1943. Knowing this sheds light on his mood swings and telling temper tantrums. It was this which aided the Allied cause, due to his erratic decisions and interference. Fat Herman was also a junkie. When he was captured hehad a suitcase containing thousands of doses of methadon (synthetic Heroin). The guards at Ashcan/Dustbin (pre-trial Nuremberg prison) tried to cut him off 'cold turkey' but that induced a heart attack, so he was gradually weaned off the junk. Compare film of him taken immediately after capture with the opening of the war-crime trial and one can see his weight loss and improved health.
Speaking of WWII general officers I just discovered on Youtube.com the apperance of Sir Oliver Leek (?), late of 8th Army, BEF as a contestant on an American TV gameshow: 'What's My Line?'. Look for the 10 April, 1960 episode.
This an impressive array of top army officers of the World War 11 era, however, I wonder why no Russian is included. It was reported that Russia had some of the most brilliant field marshalls at that time. Therefore, Hitler had to ensure that most them were removed before he attacked Russia because he was wary of their capabilities. Hitler had spread the propaganda that a group of Russia's field marshalls were plotting to overthrow Stalin, who was then the Russian Leader. Hitler knew that stalling was an erratic leader, who not hesitate to eliminate anyone whom he believed to be a threat to him. The false propaganda reached Stalin and he played into Hitler's hand executing most of his better field marshalls. However, a few remained and it was one of those who orchestrated the stand against the Germans when they had besieged the city of Leningrad, which eventually resulted in the Germans retreating and the Russians pursuing the straight back to Berlin.
