Britain’s Greatest Foe (1 Viewer)

[Gazza]

Last year you may recall the British National Army Museum (NAM) ran an interesting event as to who was Britain’s Greatest General. I attended the celebrity speakers event – which was great – and there was a joint-winner Bill Slim and the Duke of Wellington.

This year the NAM is running another interesting exercise – only this time it is Britain’s Greatest Foe. From the Rani of Jhansi to Erwin Rommel, who is Britain’s Greatest Enemy Commander? Who has given the British Army the most trouble?

Below is the list of 20 Foes …





Akbar Khan
Andrew Jackson
Eduard Totleben
Erwin Rommel
George Washington
James Fitzjames, Duke of Berwick
Louis Botha
Maurice de Saxe
Michael Collins
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Napoleon Bonaparte
Ntshingwayo kaMahole
Osman Digna
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
Rani of Jhansi
Riwha Titokowaru
Santiago de Liniers
Tipu Sultan
Tomoyuki Yamashita

The current leader board has the following as the top 5

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk 2,918
Michael Collins 2,585
Erwin Rommel 469
Napoleon Bonaparte 303
George Washington 139

Gazza

 

[Currahee Chris]

Oh man, here we go again!! {sm4}{sm4}{bravo}}

These are all sorts of fun bud, will be interesting to see what comes of it.

Well,,,,,,,hmmmmmmm. Guess my vote goes with other foes- Gaius Suetonius Paulinus who defeated Boudicca and/or William Wallace/Robert the Bruce.

I feel as an American it would be ok to rule Washington and Jackson out as I don't feel they represented a threat to the security of the island herself but more of a threat to the Island's interests- I am sure that could be said for several of those folks....including my nominee Wallace and the Bruce.

 

[lancer]

Going strictly by outcome of the various wars involved, I would think that George Washington and Michael Collins deserve to be near the top of any such list. Most of the mentioned personalities inflicted defeats on Great Britain but in the end had to sucumb. Washington and Collins inflicted defeats and forced outcomes favorable to their interests. -- Al

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi Guys,

Some interesting enemies here. I too think that Collins and Washington should be higher than the current leader. Still its interesting to see and I wonder how it will play out. Nice to see a nod to a couple of foes from India. The Tipu Sultan was a rather nasty enemy I believe he enjoyed feeding his enemies to his Tigers...

Dave

 

[blaster]

A bit of a mixed bag here.

Greatest Enemy Commanders implies that they achieved greatness for their own glory - by inflicting the greatest defeat (number of casualties in a battle - Somme; number of casualties in a total campaign), by the length of their engagement (IRA), by the number of battles lost (Boers, von Lettow VorBeck) greatest humiliation - Isandlhwana), by tying down the greatest number of British troops relative to their size (1st and 2nd Boer Wars).

None of the top 5 contenders appears to meet the above criteria.

Who is an enemy commander? - Adolf Hitler was the greatest enemy commander for Britain if we are talking about scale and yet he is not even listed.

My two cents worth.

Rgds Victor

 

[marco55]

My vote would go to Napolean.The Turk was a great nationalist but hardly Britain's greatest enemy.The Madhi was more dangerous than Osman Digna.
Mark

 

[Currahee Chris]

Kind of surprised Gazza- seems your mates aren't sounding off- would have thought we'd be at 20-30 posts by now.

 

[damian]

Would have to vote for The Big Fella followed by Louis Botha

 

[waynepoo]

Adolf would have to number one that's a no brainer(why he isn't on the list makes no sense!!!!!), Bonny would be number two another no brainer I think, Oh and of course the Australian cricket team:wink2::rolleyes2:{sm3}{sm3}{sm3}{sm3}
Wayne.

 

[The Military Workshop]

Must be a lot of Aussies (ie. Ataturk) and Irish (Collins) voting in this{sm4}

Does seem strange Ataturk heading the list. Whilst he did a great job defending at Gallipoli he was not a foe or danger to Britain in the sense that Washington and Napoleon were.

 

[The Military Workshop]

Adolf would have to number one that's a no brainer(why he isn't on the list makes no sense!!!!!), Bonny would be number two another no brainer I think, Oh and of course the Australian cricket team:wink2::rolleyes2:{sm3}{sm3}{sm3}{sm3}
Wayne.

Wayne,
I guess you mean Shane Warne at No 3 after Adolf and Napoleon.

For our American friends Shane Warne is a bowler in a game called cricket.

Brett

 

[Fitzgibbon]

Isee the measure of what is GREAT is left open...room for another slant?
^&grinLest we forget....the enemy within is usually the greater foe. I think my vote would go perhaps to Gladstone for ensuring that the newly emergent civil service remained under the control of the old aristocracy attended by its most famous trait of arrogance; thereby setting in train a number of very expensive fiascoes. The blunders of Isandlwanah and of Gallipoli and the Somme could be traced back to this place in history - these events catapulted their winning commanders to fame because it is much easier to put someone in the enemy camp on a pedestal as a brilliant strategist than put one of your own inside the porcelain pedestal...it's not cricket; it's politics. Every great commander is made by an equally inept opponent. {sm4}

 

[BLReed]

... Every great commander is made by an equally inept opponent.

And the winner is George Washington. Hmm, and he didn't even want to envade the British Isles.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/0...itary-opponent/#ixzz1s5i2fdPm?test=latestnews

I would have thought Hitler or Napoleon. Doesn't matter I guess. What neither Hilter or Napoleon could accomplish
the European Union will.

 

[The Military Workshop]

And the winner is George Washington. Hmm, and he didn't even want to envade the British Isles.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/0...itary-opponent/#ixzz1s5i2fdPm?test=latestnews

I would have thought Hitler or Napoleon. Doesn't matter I guess. What neither Hilter or Napoleon could accomplish
the European Union will.

I am guessing the Turkish and Irish vote got overwhelmed by the USA vote.

Washington be also unique on that list in that he previously fought for the British and "took the Kings schilling".

 

[Jack]

I am guessing the Turkish and Irish vote got overwhelmed by the USA vote.

Washington be also unique on that list in that he previously fought for the British and "took the Kings schilling".

Did Smuts do the same?

 

[The Military Workshop]

Jack,
Smuts was an enemy during Boer War but was on British side during WWI and WW2. Rose to Field Marshall and was in War Cabinet with Churchill. Even suggested Pershing should be removed from command in WWI. A very interesting character and career.
Brett