Originally Posted by gingerbeard

Mao tse tung (invention of effective gorilla warfare, extensively used by the vietnamese based on mao's tactics)

That's not true.
Guerilla warfare had been around before Mao's time.

Mine would include:
Gwak Jae-woo, Sun Tzu and Joan of Arc.
The first because he's from the same family as me and played a key role in the war against the Japanese in 1592.
Sun Tsu for his genius.
Joan of Arc for her insanity.

Field Marshall Bernard L. Montgomery- British Commander during World War II.

Good call

Von Manstein - Best german commander of the war bar none. Probably best WW2 commander, certainly better than Patton. Germans might have been defeated earlier if it wasnt for him
The Auk - Underrated. Wasnt given the material that Monty had. Poor choice of subordinates though
O'Connor - If he hadnt been captured, a big what if!

Edward the First
Duke of Marlborough

Washington

Gen. Patton
Gen. Schwarkopf

Hi, I'm Italian, and sorry for my bad,bad the language inglish.I live near 18 km from the airport of Biscari, but the exact name for italian troops during WWII is airport of Santo Pietro.If is possible, here, I write the site where is possible to see my pictures with the residuals of this airport.In the last 7 pictures is the Ponte Ficuzza and here the sergeant West with not much soldiers they kill 37 italian soldiers:
http://www.worldwar.it/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8556
Best regards
Toti

Chesty Puller
Stonewall Jackson
George Patton
Erwin Rommel

for more modern, David Petraeus.

patton.........

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

Montgomery and Rommel