NationStates Jolt Archive

With the topic of who was the greatest WWII general getting it's umpteenth re-hash at the moment, I thought it might be more interesting to ask this: who were the great generals of the First World War?

I will vote for Arthur Currie. The one and only great Canadian general. Who managed to take Vimy Ridge when the British and French failed, with only one-tenth the casualties that the French sustained. Inflicting twice as many German casualties as he sustained. Although he didn't invent any really new tactics, he did integrate a lot of the new infantry and artillery techniques into a successful battleplan. Although Vimy was only a tactical victory, it was a clear victory for the Allies, possibly the first important one since the Marne. Even during the German offensive in 1918, the position remained and served as a launching place for the war-winning Hundred Days.

Virtually everyone else in the war was mediocre or grossly incompetent. It wasn't exactly a war marked by noble purpose or brilliance by anyone.

Allenby was pretty good, he did extremely well in Palestine and Syria, and used manuever very well indeed.

Lettow-Vorbeck was brilliant as well, ran the British Empire on a merry chase throughout the whole war in East Africa (althought technically he was only a colonel, but what the hell)

General Stepanovic of Serbia held of the combined Central Powers armies for nearly a year and managed to get a lot of his troops out by sea in atrocious conditions so they could fight again later

Lunderdorff and Hindenberg (together) were the best team, at least at the operational level in the Eastern Front. As supreme warlords however....

Brusilov of Russia damn near knocked Austria Hungary out of the war in 1916, if the Russians had been able to replace his material losses from the hard struggle Russia might have been able to hold out against Germany. However he was the only really good general the Russians had and he won against the Austrians, who were definitely second rate compared to the Germans.

whichever German commander came up with the idea of infiltration tactics damn near won Germany the war (it was really close). but poor strategy by Lunderdorf in 1918 cost Germany its one chance at victory before American numbers and better Allied tactics overcame the worn out Germans


the remaining Generals of the war? Well, most were competent usually, just overwhelmed by the conditions of the front, the lack of battlefield mobility and communications, and the sheer grind of the attrition nature of the struggle

Hmmm... Herb Plummer of Messines Ridge fame, Arthur Currie of Vimy Ridge, Allenby in Palestine, Birdwood at Gallipoli.

Lettow-Vorbeck was a real fox. Brilliant guerrilla tactics. Might I add Muller of the EMDEN as well (except he was a navy captain).

For generals, Kemal Ataturk, Max Hoffmann, "Breakthrough" Bruchmuller (sp?).

For the nautics, Muller of the Emden, Tyrrwhitt of the Harwich Force and the incredible Roger Keyes.

Maharlikana

Technology and the concept of war was just way too different for some of them to comprehend I guess. Like Hunter-Bunter (General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston) the politicking Gallipoli and Somme general whose troops were slaughtered on the first day or Robert Nivelles whose miracle plan ended in a widespread mutiny.

Maharlikana

I will second the recommendation for Kemal Attaturk, especially postwar when he defeated the Greeks in spite of the help the French were giving them.

Joffre's recovery of the French General Comand, keeping the Franco-Prussian War from repeating was great generalship. Likewise Foch as Allied Supreme Commander was excellent. I've always found the French in WWI most fascinating, and think they produced some of the best and worst generals of the conflict (including Joffre who managed to be both).

New Shiron- Hi! Nice to see ya `round. I used to be Nordrreich back in the day.

I forgot about Lettow-Vorbeck. One of the greatest guerilla fighters of the twentieth century. And it was Ludendorff who came up with infiltration tactics. If he wasn't a total nutcase, the war might've ended up differently. And I agree about Hindenburg and Ludendorff as supreme warlords. Then again, the Kaiser wasn't exactly the brightest fellow.

Brusilov was good, but again, he didn't achieve that impressive victory against the Germans.

I don't know so much about what Kemal Ataturk did in the War, but his postwar achievements were stunning.

I would've liked to have seen Currie run the war in the West, I know it would never happen, but I think the result would've been happier then it was IRL.

Soldier and Statesman (ironically that was the Greek ideal) Ataturk rules! He certainly did a lot better than a lot of his contemporaries, Petain, Ludendorff, Hindenburg... though Churchill made a great comeback in the second war he was imaginative but almost totally discredited in the first one.

Maharlikana

Ludendorff and Hindenburg were a great team - like Scharnhorst (and later Gneisenau) and Blucher. One the father figure, the other the brains of the operation.

Ataturk commanded a division at Gallipoli (25th IIRC in reserve) and he pretty much stopped the ANZAC advance on the first day. He was instrumental in stopping the allied advances throughout the campaign and under his guidance Turkey turned from the 'sick man of Europe' to a respectable modern nation.

Maharlikana

on the naval front, I would add US Admiral Sims, who persuaded the British to adopt the convoy system in time to prevent defeat from the U-boat threat in 1917 and early 1918. He proved that the British were looking at things the wrong way. He managed to persuade Beatty, who persuaded the Admiralty, preventing British defeat at sea at the critical moment of the war.

Russian Admiral Wegel did very well in the Black Sea, and his forces managed to crush Turkish coastal trade, seriously hurting their industry and forcing the Germans to ship coal to Turkey. Until the revolution ended the Russian Imperial Navy anyway.

the bravery of Admiral Craddock has always been something to admire. Knowing it was hopeless, he did battle with Graf Spee anyway in hopes of at least damaging the German ships. The orders from the Admiralty that sent him to his doom are something the RN should always remember with embarrassment.

Graf Spee was good too, and led the Allies on a merry chase before he was hunted down. If he had closed the range though at Port Stanley before the British battlecruisers left the harbor he might have been able survive. One mistake was enough though.

Jellicoe was literally the only man who could lose the war in an afternoon (as Churchill put it so well) and didn't... which says something. Maybe not brilliant, but competent. He did manage to damn near bag the German fleet twice at Jutland, but deficiencies in the British warships, signalling, shooting, and the short time frame prevented the disaster the Germans could very well have suffered.

Keyes was simply an amazing man, another of those eccentrically brilliant Admirals the British seem to come up with when they need them most.

New Shiron- Hi! Nice to see ya `round. I used to be Nordrreich back in the day.

hey guy! send me a telegram...

Smuts was underrated as well, he damned near bagged Vorbeck in spite of really, really bad terrain and conditions

John Monash.

Don't hate on Wilhelm. The Germans actually liked the guy and he loved them. That and he couldn't help his brain tumors and whatnot.
I like the Kaiser. I have his picture on my wall. Restore the Reich!

But anyways one of my favorites would be that uber cool 'general' of the air; the Red Baron... kaput.

By the way, does anyone here play Tiller's JUTLAND or any interesting WW1 era games? (just one little OT question)

Maharlikana

Interesting trivia...

Did you know that Manfred von Richthoven's sister was Mrs.D.H.Lawrence (the writer of the infamous Lady Chatterley's Lover)

Maharlikana