Who was the most charismatic military leader in WWII?

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Who was the most charismatic military leader in WWII?
Aug 16, 2007 22:34
JOHNNY512 Points: Join Date: Nov 29, 2004 Status: offline	During World War II, there were many excellent military leaders, such as Churchill, General de Gaul, Frankline Roosevelt, Stalin, Chaiman Mao. Some people even said Hitler is charismatic,because he seduced so many followers to launch the evil war. Do you think who was the most charismatic military leader in WWII?

Aug 17, 2007 12:05

TRAVELLERMIKE
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Although your question is after Charisma, I prefer to think the best leadership came from Generals rather than the Politicians, and the Charisma may have been less obvious amongst the best of those.

This my suggestion for consideration amongst the greatest generals of WW2:

Field Marshall Viscount Slim

Referred to by Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten, who was Supreme Allied Commander of Southeast Asia, as "the finest general World War II produced".

But have you heard of him?

Aug 19, 2007 20:35	#2
LEONARDO Points: Join Date: May 21, 2007 Status: Offline	Personally, I think Churchill and Stalin are strong military leaders. The aboving man I have never heard of .

Aug 20, 2007 13:13

TRAVELLERMIKE
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The General I put forward is Bill Slim, who joined the army as a private in 1914. He rose through the ranks, and spent most of the years between the first and second world wars as a Gurkha Officer.

By 1942 he had risen to command the rearguard of the British army that retreated from Burma. During that action, his men marched and fought for a hundred days and nights and across a thousand miles, but the retreat was disciplined, and, on reaching the border of India, the army turned and held the Japanese assault. A great new army (the 14th) was built up around the defended position, to the point which at which it could take the offensive once again.

Under Bill Slim's Generalship it then drove back the Japanese, re-taking the ground lost. That it did this with such effect is testament to the leadership provided by Bill Slim, who had the ability to demand the seemingly impossible from his troops, and yet have them love him for it!

Aug 20, 2007 21:44	#4
ROGERINCA Points: Join Date: Jun 28, 2005 Status: Offline	As an American, with a father fighting the Germans in the North Atlantic, and his younger brother, my uncle, fighting the Japanese in New Guinea and elsewhere in the South Pacific, I must select an American General !! :) :) My hero and home town boy, General George S. Patton !! His nick name was 'Old Blood and Guts' and he was a big thorn in the side of 'Monty' !!! LOL

Aug 21, 2007 00:36	#5
LEOPOLD219 Points: Join Date: Feb 7, 2007 Status: Offline	ROGERINCA ,is this man in the picture your uncle?Very cool an and handsome. I believe he is charismatic. Does he hold a sword in his hand?

Aug 21, 2007 01:44

ROGERINCA
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No, he was not my uncle !! LOL

He was born and raised in my home town area in California.

He is a very famous US General from the WWII era.

He was very flamboyant and had his own way of doing things and getting the job done. He got into trouble with General Eisenhower, because he was not a politician. There was a film made in 1970 about his life. It was a very big hit and is still available on DVD today.

I don't think that was a sword in his hand, it is a riding crop, used by horsemen. He was a calvary officer early in his career.

Aug 21, 2007 06:12	#7
WESTNORWOODGAS Points: Join Date: Jun 22, 2007 Status: Offline	I remember my father talking about Bill Slim & Mountbatten ( who's batman used to live in my home town ) from his time in Burma.

Aug 21, 2007 20:58

DODGER
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I met Lord Mountbatten many years ago in Malta. I was in the RM at the time. He bought us all a bottle of brandy each and then stayed with us untill we had all finished our bottles.He was the only one still standing at the end of this session!
I had heard of people having charisma before but had never realy met anyone who realy had it untill Mountbatten walked into the room.
He was killed by the IRA....but at sea where he would have chosen to die.
Dodger.

Aug 22, 2007 01:49	#9
WESTNORWOODGAS Points: Join Date: Jun 22, 2007 Status: Offline	Thanks for sharing that story Dodger, it was a sad day when the IRA took his life, my father was distraught when it happened.

Aug 22, 2007 22:10	#10
MIRANDAZHAO Points: Join Date: Feb 7, 2007 Status: Offline	IRA, oh, I have heard that there was a long-standing conflict between IRA and Britain. Did IRA usually launch terrorist attack on Britain? Churchill is a great military leader. Besides, he is a good writer. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.

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