My 5 favorite WW2 Commanders: British and Commonwealth:
Uncle Bill Slim, Who took the tattered Far-East command and built a juggernaut which ran over the Japanese in Burma.
Claude Auchinleck, whom Bayerlein and Rommel called the best general the British had in North Africa. Auk stood up to Churchill and told him quite bluntly, he wasn't ready to counter-attack Rommel because of his beat up armour and his men who needed some rest after several weeks of fighting. Churchill rewarded Auk for his victory over Rommel by canning him.
Harold Alexander, who belonged at headquarters where his acute understanding of Strategy, tactics and logistics could be best utilised. He was also one of the few generals able to bring the allies together, much like Eisenhower.
Bernard Freyberg, The New Zealand General of Cassino and Crete fame. I believe Freyberg was not used properly. This creative General should have been given more responsibility. Some other time?
Guy G. Simonds, Simonds had many faults. Having Montgomery as a mentor was one of them. He like Montgomery put way too much faith in the plan. If the plan is solid, there is no reason it should fail. Simonds followed this Montgomery nonsencical thinking and was left scratching his head after the Verriere Ridge debacle and Operation Totalize. But for all these shortfalls he was a good commander who understood strategy, tactics and logistics as well as the best of them. By the end of 1944 he was a very able commander.
The Germans
Erich Von Manstein, This brilliant, creative and gifted commander represented the epitome of the Prussian Military Tradition. Well, at least all that is good in it. He is the reason the German's took France so quickly. His Sickle-Cut plan which Hitler attempted to take credit for, was the type of bold artistic stroke which became his signature. He saved the German Army at Kharkov with the use of fluid-elastic moves out maneouvering his opponents completely. He believed in the doctrine of giving up space to regain it and obtain more while destroying the enemy. His thinking ran counter to that of the amateur, Adolph Hitler. And that was a good thing for the Allies.
Heinz Guderian, The father of modern Tank Warfare in Germany. Guderian was an advocate of Liddel-Hart and Fuller and Martel. These soldiers advocated massed armour attacks to breakthrough lines and advance quickly to desired locations. In conjunction with an air arm, artillery and mobile infantry, it could revolutionize warfare. It did. The German's early victories were able because of kampfgruppe and Blitzkrieg doctrine and Heinz Guderian made a huge amount of it happen. Guderian was also sought out to help design the new panzers being developed.
Erwin Rommel, ( Must leave now, shall continue later today
