Hey all,
how about some opinions on the best loved or most hated (by his troops) Allied General or F.M. Not knowing much about anyone but US commanders, I would really love to hear about other nations. My impression is that Patton engendered fear and respect, as well as pride in serving under him. "Uncle Bill" Slim was loved. MacArthur was despised as a glory-hound, even though he was very economical with his mens lives. Monty was admired as a careful planner, and very casualty conscious. Stilwell was hated, at least by the Marauders. Bradley was liked and respected. Bear in my mind that these are all my impressions from casual reading. please correct and/or expand.
Cheers, Jeff.
Allied General or F.M most liked/hated by troops
disliked German GFM
From what I've read, Ferdinand Schoerner was probably the German senior officer least liked by his men. There is one incident I read about at the Nikopol bridgehead that shows his mentality- he had flak guns firing directly over his troops' heads to dissuade them from deserting during a counterattack. He did have guts though- it was he who as a general of mountain troops in Norway, struggling to reach Murmansk, coined the slogan "Arktik is nicht!" (the Arctic doesn't exist). When you're scrambling through blizzards, that's a good mental trick to pull off.
Also, a lot of Luftwaffe generals hated Goering- they felt they were losing the war by being saddled with him as CinC. He had a full General, Bernhard Waber, shot for looting, which the generals were very sarcastic about, knowing the massive looting Unser Hermann committed across Europe. He was also blamed for the disaster at Stalingtad, causing Hitler's failure to order a breakout while there was still time by saying the Luftwaffe could supply Sixth Army by air.
Best regards,
Genstab
Also, a lot of Luftwaffe generals hated Goering- they felt they were losing the war by being saddled with him as CinC. He had a full General, Bernhard Waber, shot for looting, which the generals were very sarcastic about, knowing the massive looting Unser Hermann committed across Europe. He was also blamed for the disaster at Stalingtad, causing Hitler's failure to order a breakout while there was still time by saying the Luftwaffe could supply Sixth Army by air.
Best regards,
Genstab
Re: disliked German GFM
Generals?? Almost everyone in the Jagdgeshwadern (the fighters) hated him...genstab wrote: Also, a lot of Luftwaffe generals hated Goering...
sorry. Only shows not to write when tired...
I'm sure general Courtney Hodges, commander of the American 1st Army was hated for how he was hazarding with the lives of his men during the battle of Hürtgenwald in September 1944 - February 1945.
Last edited by Lipton on 05 Jul 2004, 19:39, edited 1 time in total.
How about Lieutenant General Percival, British Commander of Singapore in 1942. His incompetence led to, amongst others, 15,000 Australians becoming POW's ... 7,000 of whom died in captivity.
Last edited by Paul3747 on 06 Jul 2004, 10:30, edited 1 time in total.
Among American commanders in CBI:
Stilwell was widely respected as a trainer and for his personal courage, but the Marauders did hate him. They felt he pushed the Americans in Burma too hard to avoid showing favoritism vs. the Chinese troops under his command. Many others, however, were fiercely loyal to "Uncle Joe" so I think there was at least a mixed verdict among Stilwell's American troops. His Chinese troops were very wary of him early on. After all, most of them had years of experience fighting in China while he was new to the conflict. However, the success they enjoyed under his command, something new to all of them, I think earned at least their respect if not their affection.
By contrast, Chennault was universally loved and respected by his "boys", many of whom remained personally loyal to him long after he left the military. There were those who disagreed with his politics later on, but no one ever had anything bad to say about "The Old Man". His superiors, on the other hand...
Stilwell was widely respected as a trainer and for his personal courage, but the Marauders did hate him. They felt he pushed the Americans in Burma too hard to avoid showing favoritism vs. the Chinese troops under his command. Many others, however, were fiercely loyal to "Uncle Joe" so I think there was at least a mixed verdict among Stilwell's American troops. His Chinese troops were very wary of him early on. After all, most of them had years of experience fighting in China while he was new to the conflict. However, the success they enjoyed under his command, something new to all of them, I think earned at least their respect if not their affection.
By contrast, Chennault was universally loved and respected by his "boys", many of whom remained personally loyal to him long after he left the military. There were those who disagreed with his politics later on, but no one ever had anything bad to say about "The Old Man". His superiors, on the other hand...
What about general Patton during the invasion of Sicily in 1943? In the movie he was hated (well, it was just a movie).
I also believe that Monty was hated during the operation Epsom and Goodwood in Normandy in June 1944.
I also believe that Monty was hated during the operation Epsom and Goodwood in Normandy in June 1944.
Last edited by Lipton on 05 Jul 2004, 20:45, edited 1 time in total.
Thanks for the reponses so far 
I guess what I am asking about isn't for individual operations. But overall, like a campaign, or several months of operations. I read that when Truscott took over at Anzio, it was a big morale boost. Did that translate into affection over time? How about Terry Allen of the Big Red One?
I guess what I am asking about isn't for individual operations. But overall, like a campaign, or several months of operations. I read that when Truscott took over at Anzio, it was a big morale boost. Did that translate into affection over time? How about Terry Allen of the Big Red One?-
Wm. Harris
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I've asked several vets this very question before. On the whole, they seem quite ambivalent about upper-echelon officers. One ex-Canadian para I interviewed a couple of months ago told me that a General could be surprised just as easily as a soldier fighting in the hedgerows, so he didn't feel disposed to criticize their strategies.
The real angst appears to have been reserved for officers of lower rank - lieutenants, captains, majors, or anyone who was responsible for their day-to-day activities. Since these were the people who commanded in tactical situations, they tend to shoulder the blame when things go wrong within an individual soldier's immediate realm of experience (ie, the death of a comrade or defeat in a small-unit action).
The real angst appears to have been reserved for officers of lower rank - lieutenants, captains, majors, or anyone who was responsible for their day-to-day activities. Since these were the people who commanded in tactical situations, they tend to shoulder the blame when things go wrong within an individual soldier's immediate realm of experience (ie, the death of a comrade or defeat in a small-unit action).
No, at no point in WW2 did Monty ever lose the faith of the men who served under him, British, Commonwealth or American ( as for the men who served above himLipton wrote:I also believe that Monty was hated during the operation Epsom and Goodwood in Normandy in June 1944.
Well that's a different matter)They placed the fault for the difficulties they faced on the skill of the German armies, not on anything Monty had done or not done.
Most of the damage to Montys reputation in the eyes of the general public came post-war.