For the purposes of this vote only Army Commanders were considered.

I've added most of the better known commanders and a couple of lesser known ones. For example, most of you will not know that Paul Hausser was commander of the II SS Panzer Korps at Kursk, later 7th Army on the Western Front in 1944.

When voting it would be helpful if you can give some reasons as to why you made the choice you did.

BTW, IMO there are several commanders on the list who were very close and most of these commanders were as good as the best Allied equivalents.

Heinz Guderian, I choose him because he pretty much invented the strategy with which all large scale conflicts have been fought with since his idea came around.

Heinz Guderian, reason... just as Vitaly said.

No Italians?

Quite frankly the Italians contributed little to the Axis cause compared against the German effort. And also, I couldn't find an Italian Army commander good enough to be considered. If I had stuck one in it would have been a token gesture.

I myself voted for Manstein. It was a very tough call between him and Guderian but I went with Manstein because he had a longer operational army career and because of 2 masterstrokes of genius. 'Fall Gelb', the masterplan that defeated France and the brilliant recapture of Kharkov in early 1943 when the entire German southern defensive line was in danger of collapsing. But if you voted for Guderian then I won't argue with that as it's a very good choice.

IMO the worst commander on the list is Paulus, followed by Model or Rundstedt. That wasn't to say that those commanders weren't any good because they were (especially Model and Rundstedt). It just highlights the strength in depth the Germans had in WW2.

Okay so no Italians, where are the Japanese?

Originally Posted by Charge_7

Okay so no Italians, where are the Japanese?

Quite frankly, I know little about the Japanese land campaign in WW2. If you feel there are deserving Japanese Army Commanders by all means nominate them.

Originally Posted by Doppleganger

I myself voted for Manstein. It was a very tough call between him and Guderian but I went with Manstein because he had a longer operational army career and because of 2 masterstrokes of genius. 'Fall Gelb', the masterplan that defeated France and the brilliant recapture of Kharkov in early 1943 when the entire German southern defensive line was in danger of collapsing. But if you voted for Guderian then I won't argue with that as it's a very good choice.

I also voted for Manstein. Defending the Eastern Front was no easy task. Manstein also went against Hitler's orders more than a few times.

"The absence of a 'war plan' permitting the timely preparation of an invasion [of the USSR revealed] a failure of the Wehrmacht leadership-in other words on the part of Hitler himself."

"Hitler also overlooked that holding on to a territorial objective presupposes the defeat of the enemy's armed forces. In the Soviet Union, the capture of economically valuable areas was problematical and their long-term retention an impossibility."

My favorite is Kuribayashi, but Iwo Jima represents the majority his work, and a substantial percentage of all casualties inflicted upon the USMC in WWII.

I'm not ready to nominate these two, but Hitler wanted Generals who would rather die than surrender:
...

Alas! The Stars of the Generals have fallen with the setting of the waning moon over Mabuni.*.*.*.

The pale moon shimmers bluish white over the waters of the southern sea, but on Hill 89 which juts abruptly from the reefs, the rocks and boulders are dyed crimson by the blood of the penetration unit which, with burning patriotism, rush the American positions for the last stand. The surrounding area displays a picture of concentrated fireworks; bursts of naval gun fire, flashes of mortar and artillery fire, to which is added the occasional chatter of machine guns.*.*.*.

Gathered around their section chiefs, members of each section bow in veneration toward the eastern sky and the cheer of "long live the Emperor" echoes among the boulders.*.*.*. The faces of all are flushed with deep emotion and tears fall upon ragged uniforms, soiled with the dirt and grime of battle.*.*.*.

Four o'clock, the final hour of Hara-kiri; the Commanding General, dressed in full field uniform, and the Chief of Staff in a white kimono appeared.*.*.*. The Chief of Staff says as he leaves the cave first, "Well, Commanding General Ushijima, as the way may be dark, I, Cho, will lead the way." The Commanding General replies, "Please do so, and I'll take along my fan since it is getting warm." Saying this he picked up his Okinawa-made Kuba fan and walked out quietly fanning himself.*.*.*.

The moon, which had been shining until now, sinks below the waves of the western sea. Dawn has not yet arrived and, at 0410, the generals appeared at the mouth of the cave. The American forces were only three meters away [sic.]. Four meters away from the mouth of the cave a sheet of white cloth is placed on a quilt; this is the ritual place for the two Generals to commit Hara-kiri. The Commanding General and the Chief of Staff sit down on the quilt, bow in reverence towards the eastern sky, and Adjutant J. respectfully presents the sword. Finally, the time for the honored rites of Hara-kiri arrives. At this time several grenades were hurled near this solemn scene by the enemy troops who observed movements taking place beneath them. A simultaneous shout and a flash of a sword, then another repeated shout and a flash, and both Generals had nobly accomplished their last duty to their Emperor.*.*.*.

All is quiet after the cessation of gunfire and smoke; and the full moon is once again gleaming over the waves of the southern sea. Hill 89 of Mabuni will live in memory forever.

Yes Guderian, but the list is a quality one.

Guderians work in tank warfare tips it for me.

Like to have seen some Japanese generals though Dops, but I guess we can't have everything.