Most Overrated Military Tactician

[The Old Lady Hertha]

Who is the most overrated military tactician...I think Rommel is. I think he gets way too much credit for some of the German war machine, I think others like Guderian get overlooked just because he fought glamorously in Northern Afrika.

[nicephoras]

I don't think Guderian is overlooked at all. Rommel was an excellent tactician as well, he's not really overrated.
I think Grant is very overrated as a tactician. On one hand, I understand the simple more men=more cannon fodder, but that's hardly brilliance at work. In ancient times, Pompey's reputation has been greatly inflated by enormous self-aggrandizement.

[yossarian]

I don't think Guderian is overlooked at all. Rommel was an excellent tactician as well, he's not really overrated.
I think Grant is very overrated as a tactician. On one hand, I understand the simple more men=more cannon fodder, but that's hardly brilliance at work. In ancient times, Pompey's reputation has been greatly inflated by enormous self-aggrandizement.

Grant certainly doesn't deserve accolades for his tactics once he took over the Army of the Potomac.....but much of what he did in the western theater....Vicksburg in particular.....was very impressive tactically.

[nicephoras]

That I will agree with, yes.

[Caesar]

Good call on Pompey. He was my first thought.

[DoctorD]

Regarding Grant, didn't someone write a book about how, over the history of our country, the greatest American generals were always great strategicians and were often poor tactically?


And on those lines, did Stonewall Jackson ever do anything well tactically - i.e. in the heat of battle?

[yossarian]

Regarding Grant, didn't someone write a book about how, over the history of our country, the greatest American generals were always great strategicians and were often poor tactically?


And on those lines, did Stonewall Jackson ever do anything well tactically - i.e. in the heat of battle?

My recollection (which may or may not be correct) is that the First Bull Run ( or Manassas, if you prefer) was going poorly for the Confeds until Stonewall turned the tide in the middle of it.

[Smiley321]

How about Bernard Montgomery? He is overrated in England, anyway.

[Jay00]

The US and Britsh military as a whole during WW2. As the Soviet Union military is vastly underrated

[chiladd]

Colin Powell-see End of Gulf 1

[96Squig]

Some people tend to overrate Hitler. If he would have been a sane tactitian overall he would not have started war with the USSR. Same goes for Napoleon though, his Grande Arme was just too bad equipped. But this is more like organizing and preparing a battle, not tactics by itself (Which Hitler didn't even do for any battle, did he?)

[nicephoras]

As the Soviet Union military is vastly underrated

What exactly does that mean? The Russian strategists, with some notable exceptions, left a lot to be desired. Even Zhukov made his mistakes.

[The Old Lady Hertha]

Some people tend to overrate Hitler. If he would have been a sane tactitian overall he would not have started war with the USSR. Same goes for Napoleon though, his Grande Arme was just too bad equipped. But this is more like organizing and preparing a battle, not tactics by itself (Which Hitler didn't even do for any battle, did he?)

Yea I think its pretty much a sure bet that Hitler was not a military tactician, and if he was, he was horrendous.

His "phantom" armies that only he believed in especially toward the end of the war showed a man who was not really in touch with the situation.

[Jay00]

What exactly does that mean? The Russian strategists, with some notable exceptions, left a lot to be desired. Even Zhukov made his mistakes.


My point was the entire military during WW2. It was the Soviet Union who really won the war for the Allies.

[spejic]

The Russian strategists, with some notable exceptions, left a lot to be desired. Even Zhukov made his mistakes.Operation Mars anyone?

[spejic]

His "phantom" armies that only he believed in especially toward the end of the war showed a man who was not really in touch with the situation.You can't discern his abilities by his actions in 1945 in the Bunker. Hitler was very smart and imaginative. For example he had the insight to see the original plan to invade France was sure to fail and the flexability to see Manstein's plan would be better.

His main failing was that he was an amateur. He, like all of us, tended to fixate on particular items of technology because those things are easily quantifyable. He did not pay enough attention to the important but difficult things, like industry and the problems of supply.

[spejic]

And on those lines, did Stonewall Jackson ever do anything well tactically - i.e. in the heat of battle?Actually, there are those that have argued that he did everything well tactically, and was the one that turned General Lee's vague and poorly though out ideas into actual victories.

[chiladd]

My point was the entire military during WW2. It was the Soviet Union who really won the war for the Allies.

actually it was Unkle Adolf who won it for the Allies, if you look back one would think Der Fuerker was an allie agent from some of his obviously boneheaded moves.
Stalingrad leaps way out as one of them.It had little strategic importance in the quest for the Caspian Oilfields ,and even less importance once the city was pretty much leveled.To top it off the German high command repeatidly warned that it would be difficult to maintain stead supply lines (which in fact was Germanys undoing in Stalingrad).
About the only thing the Soviets did right in Stalingrad (if it wasnt so cruel) was to stop civilians from leaving.This way they gaurenteed that Soviet troops would stay and fight instead of turning and runinng as they did on numerous other occasions (this is how the Germans advanced so fast).Without the civilian factor Stalingrad likely would have fell in days IF NOT Hours.It was not Stalins barbarism to his own troops (sending wave after wave to be slaughtered) and his willingness to blackmail those troops into fighting by holding civilians as hostage.
Call it military genius_or call it a last ditch effort by a desperate monster.If it wasnt for the Germans blundering into Stalingrad_the Soviets likely would have been isolated to Moscow and out of the war by 42 or 43.

[DoctorD]

How about Bernard Montgomery? He is overrated in England, anyway.

But on this side of the pond he was never "rated" even during WWII. :)

[Toon³]

Operation Mars anyone?

only succeeded because of poor German preperation and tactics.