My favorite commanders (2 Viewers)

[Currahee Chris]

What????? You mean Lee Marvin didn't sneak up on those Germans??? But I saw it with my own two eyes- well, 4 I guess, I wear glasses.

What??? The Dirty Dozen didn't really happen????

In light of these startling new revelations, I would like to officially change my position on favorite commanders:

Please note that no one can compare to the legendary John Wayne and Lee Marvin or as Cap Ron states- Sgt. Rock from Easy Co.

And let's not forget the enigmatic Col. Klink

Please note that in order to make room for these 4 guys, I will bump Rommel, Ike, Patton and Taylor from my list.

If anyone would be interested, I will take you to South Philly to talk to Bill Guarenere or better yet, since he's much closer, down to Hershey and we can talk with Dick Winters about the "truth" as it's portrayed in american film media.

I tell you what, I'll take my 11 years experience as an American Army Non Com against any sheepskin degree from ANY university- American or otherwise- where the lessons taught in that university were forged from the blood and courage of his brothers (and I'm not talking Gamma Sigma Deltas) before him and kindly funded through the generosity of the American taxpayer.

Proudly waving the standard of the ignorant American for 34 years........

soon to be 35..........I hope...............

STANDS ALONE!!
CC

 

[Rob]

What????? You mean Lee Marvin didn't sneak up on those Germans??? But I saw it with my own two eyes- well, 4 I guess, I wear glasses.

What??? The Dirty Dozen didn't really happen????

In light of these startling new revelations, I would like to officially change my position on favorite commanders:

Please note that no one can compare to the legendary John Wayne and Lee Marvin or as Cap Ron states- Sgt. Rock from Easy Co.

And let's not forget the enigmatic Col. Klink

Please note that in order to make room for these 4 guys, I will bump Rommel, Ike, Patton and Taylor from my list.

If anyone would be interested, I will take you to South Philly to talk to Bill Guarenere or better yet, since he's much closer, down to Hershey and we can talk with Dick Winters about the "truth" as it's portrayed in american film media.

I tell you what, I'll take my 11 years experience as an American Army Non Com against any sheepskin degree from ANY university- American or otherwise- where the lessons taught in that university were forged from the blood and courage of his brothers (and I'm not talking Gamma Sigma Deltas) before him and kindly funded through the generosity of the American taxpayer.

Proudly waving the standard of the ignorant American for 34 years........

soon to be 35..........I hope...............

STANDS ALONE!!
CC

Rob

 

[OzDigger]

Neither irony or sarcasm is argument. But hey, if you guys are ok with your soldiers being depicted shooting unarmed personnel who am I to argue

 

[Rob]

Neither irony or sarcasm is argument. But hey, if you guys are ok with your soldiers being depicted shooting unarmed personnel who am I to argue

Oz,i wasn't laughing at that mate.I was laughing at Chris's 'My wife who's also my sister' stereotype.

Rob

 

[Capitolron]

Neither irony or sarcasm is argument. But hey, if you guys are ok with your soldiers being depicted shooting unarmed personnel who am I to argue

Oz - Come on? Lighten up here

There are plenty of unfortunate shootings on both sides - all sides - I am sure even a few of your Aussies took part at some point in WWII - it was a big bad war for all.

But, I would have to think that the Germans were a little more in wrong on these cases than were the rest of us. Or is the holocaust ficition??

 

[Canadian Samurai]

Guys, I think you're being selective in what war movies you're using for evidence. Don't the Allied POWs always play dead in their cells and then strangle the poor German guard when he comes in to check on them?

 

[maloyalo]

Not 'best' commanders, just ones I like to read about and either admired or was fascinated with.

Napoleon
Davout
Arminius
Robert E. Lee
Hannibal
US Grant
Rommel
Saladin

Interesting following the discussions.

My favorite remains Napoleon. Mostly for his organization of the French army. I think the Grand Armee in its prime was the new model, most everyone copied, for its flexibity, logical forms and especially Corps structure. And not least, for the shear impressiveness and variety of its uniforms.

 

[Currahee Chris]

Not 'best' commanders, just ones I like to read about and either admired or was fascinated with.


My favorite remains Napoleon. Mostly for his organization of the French army. I think the Grand Armee in its prime was the new model, most everyone copied, for its flexibity, logical forms and especially Corps structure. And not least, for the shear impressiveness and variety of its uniforms.

Smart move to qualify that with "not best"- I probably should have done that from the get go and saved myself some headache

or just have not posted this thread......

AHHHHH!!! Not one of my Pa friends paying homage to Nap!!! Oh man!! What is the world coming too???? We may have to disown you and send you down to DC with that other Nap fanatic.....

STANDS ALONE!!
CC

 

[Capitolron]

Chris, Chris, Chris

NAPOLEON was and still is a Military God !

We continue to teach his tactics at West Point today! I think this has more to do with the fact he was Artillery and you are Armor

or

There is a unspoken story about you and a French Girl thats not coming out?

hehehehe

 

[Rob]

Chris, Chris, Chris POLEON was and still is a Military God !

We continue to teach his tactics at West Point today! I think this has more to do with the fact he was Artillery and you are Armor

or

There is a unspoken story about you and a French Girl thats not coming out?

hehehehe

Do you mean to say that even today at west point they teach you to put on a silly hat,stick one arm in your jacket and shout 'WHATS MY BLOODY CAVALRY DOING!!!!'

Only kidding mate

 

[damian]

Sad to say more than a few members think movies are real life

Was Breaker Morant a movie then Oz

Regards
Damian

 

[maloyalo]

Do you mean to say that even today at west point they teach you to put on a silly hat,stick one arm in your jacket and shout 'WHATS MY BLOODY CAVALRY DOING!!!!'

Only kidding mate

I really liked that!

btw, did anyone else like Rod Steiger's portrayal of Napoleon in the movie 'Waterloo' ? Besides the occasional accent slips, I thought he did a great job of getting accross the intensity, theatrics, and I will say it, genius of the man.

 

[Currahee Chris]

Chris, Chris, Chris

NAPOLEON was and still is a Military God !

We continue to teach his tactics at West Point today! I think this has more to do with the fact he was Artillery and you are Armor

or

There is a unspoken story about you and a French Girl thats not coming out?

hehehehe

Ha!! Yeah, I wish- yeah I was the starring lead in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"- Quasimodo was inspired by a Frenchman who saw me running around Paris.

I heard about that series of courses at the Point. I believe the course selection is something like this:

INF 301 "Assaulting Russia- don't leave your supply train behind"

LOG 305 "Supply chain matrices for vertically challenged leadership"

and then there is the grad course

UNI 501 "Pretty uniforms- How Napoleon inspired Versace"



STANDS ALONE!!
CC

 

[OzDigger]

Was Breaker Morant a movie then Oz

Regards
Damian

Yes, "Breaker Morant" was a movie, it was based on a play by the same name written by Kenneth Ross rather than the book "The Breaker" by Kit Denton.

I recommend forum members read the attached link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaker_Morant, especially the section Death of Capt. Hunt and see if they would not have also killed those Boers. And of course, as with the Viet Cong, most Boers were guerillas, often fighting out of uniform and I suspect in the strictest sense not covered by the Geneva convention. However, politics often has precedence over military matters, usually to the detriment of all concerned.

Btw, as a result of the fast trial and fire squad execution the Australian government no longer tolerated direct action by another government over its soldiers, it was also the last time that an Australian soldier received capital punishment whilst in service.

 

[maddadicus]

Yes, "Breaker Morant" was a movie, it was based on a play by the same name written by Kenneth Ross rather than the book "The Breaker" by Kit Denton.

I recommend forum members read the attached link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaker_Morant, especially the section Death of Capt. Hunt and see if they would not have also killed those Boers. And of course, as with the Viet Cong, most Boers were guerillas, often fighting out of uniform and I suspect in the strictest sense not covered by the Geneva convention. However, politics often has precedence over military matters, usually to the detriment of all concerned.

Btw, as a result of the fast trial and fire squad execution the Australian government no longer tolerated direct action by another government over its soldiers, it was also the last time that an Australian soldier received capital punishment whilst in service.

I could not imagine how the Australian populace responded to the executions, when they found out. Future commomwealth relations must have been severely strained, from that moment on......Michael

 

[Canadian Samurai]

Australia and Canada should never have been over there doing the British Empire's dirty work. That was a pretty shameful war for all concerned.

 

[sirsydney]

Btw, as a result of the fast trial and fire squad execution the Australian government no longer tolerated direct action by another government over its soldiers, it was also the last time that an Australian soldier received capital punishment whilst in service.

And yet a couple of Brits (General Sir Ian Hamilton and First Sea Lord Churchill) kept feeding ANZAC troops into the Gallipoli meat grinder in 1915.

 

[The Military Workshop]

Whilst not so senior in rank as other leaders mentioned I think Oddball from Kelly's Heroes has to rank highly !!! Now don't ruin it by telling me he wasn't real. How about a Ltd Ed set of his Sherman shooting the back of a Tiger with paint. Classic !
Incidentally the ANZAC's weren't the only allied troops at Gallipoli. There were a lot more British casualties at Gallipoli. Just over 40,000 British killed compared to just under 8,000 Australians. The French had slightly more casualties than the Aussies. Not trying to take away from the bravery and sacrifice of the ANZAC's but just pointing out the Brits were actually there doing their bit also.
Details of casualties taken from.
http://anzac.homestead.com/casualties.html
Regards
Brett (now in Oz but born in UK)

 

[OzDigger]

Australia and Canada should never have been over there doing the British Empire's dirty work. That was a pretty shameful war for all concerned.

And yet a couple of Brits (General Sir Ian Hamilton and First Sea Lord Churchill) kept feeding ANZAC troops into the Gallipoli meat grinder in 1915.

Australia had its own government by 1901 and was not obliged to fight in either the Boer War or World War One, but at the time it seemed like the right thing to do. And in both wars the UK lost many more troops than Australia - or Canada.

Btw, Gallipolli, and operation Market-Garden for that matter, may well have succeded if carried out earlier.

 

[Robert E. Lee]

Gentleman,
I was discussing the set 'jes make sure he's dead" with Tim Tyler when I was at Troops of Time yesterday and we determind that he is not kicking the soldier or about to blast away at him at point blank range. He pointed out that the soldier is turning him over to see what kinds of wounds he has etc. He might hav killed him latter but not with a BAR.