Wars are an integral part of human existence. And there are people whose tactical and strategic genius is fully disclosed only during hostilities. They are called the best generals in history. The 10 greatest of them we present to your attention today.
10. Konstantin Rokossovsky (1896–1968)
One of the famous military leaders of the Victory was the only person in the history of the USSR who became a marshal of two countries at once: Poland and the Soviet Union.
During the Great Patriotic War, Rokossovsky led such important operations as the Battle of Moscow (1941), the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk (1942 and 1943).
However, his leadership talent was fully revealed during the liberation of Belarus in 1944. At the suggestion of the Rokossovsky troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, they struck at once in two main directions, depriving the Germans of the ability to maneuver reserves. A well-prepared disinformation gave the German command a false impression of the place of the general offensive.
According to many historians, during the operation "Bagration" German troops suffered a major defeat in the Second World War.
9. Napoleon (1769-1821)
The General, the First Consul and, ultimately, the Emperor of France won many battles, mainly fighting the rest of Europe. He was proclaimed king of Italy, obliged Spain to help France with money and navy, and gave Holland to his brother Louis. And this is only a small part of his military achievements.
Luck cheated on Napoleon in 1812 when he invaded Russia. After the first successes, the capture of Smolensk and deserted Moscow, the Napoleonic army suffered a series of defeats, largely due to the large-scale partisan movement. Napoleon fled back to France, losing most of his army.
Forced to surrender after the titanic battle of Leipzig in 1813, and for the first time abdicate in 1814, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba. However, he managed to return to the French throne for 100 days in 1815, was defeated by Blucher and Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo, and spent the rest of his life on St. Helena, trying to explain to anyone who would listen to why he remains the best general in history.
8. Mikhail Kutuzov (1745–1813)
One of the greatest commanders in Russian history was not a “nugget from the hinterland”. He gained his military experience under the command of such stars of military affairs as P. A. Rumyantsev and A. V. Suvorov.
Kutuzov’s military talent was most clearly revealed in the confrontation with another great commander - Napoleon Bonaparte. He preferred to protect the soldiers and not engage in large-scale battles with the French, giving the only general battle near the village of Borodino. Modern historians believe that the lack of victory at Borodino has become one of the main factors in the defeat of Napoleon.
Napoleon Bonaparte did not respect his opponents too much, not sparing them a strong word. However, he made an exception for Kutuzov, explaining the failure of the Russian campaign as “merciless Russian frosts.”
7. Alexander Suvorov (1730-1800)
One of the best military leaders in the world has not lost a single battle in his entire military career. And he participated in more than 60 major battles.
Among the most famous military campaigns of Suvorov included: the capture of Ishmael and the Italian and Swiss campaigns.
- Izmail - a Turkish fortress, built according to the latest (for that time) requirements of serf art, was considered impregnable. Suvorov ordered the creation of a training camp simulating a moat and rampart of the Izmail fortress. After an eight-day training, the Russian troops stormed Ishmael.
- During a campaign in northern Italy, Russian troops under the command of Suvorov freed the Italians from the rule of the French Directory. And the count himself received from the Sardinian king the magnificent rank of "The Great Marshal of the Piedmontese troops."
- During the 17-day Swiss campaign, the famous passage of Suvorov through the Alps took place. After the assault on the St. Gotthard Pass and the capture of the Devil's Bridge, exhausted and hungry Russian soldiers left for the town of Altdorf, from which there was no further road through the mountains. Suvorov and his miraculous heroes had to cross the Rostock ridge and Muoten Valley without any climbing equipment, with wounded comrades, provisions and weapons. Unfortunately, due to numerous betrayals of the Austrians, the Swiss campaign could not be completed as planned in St. Petersburg. The French were not defeated, and the Russian corps of General Rimsky-Korsakov was completely destroyed.
6. Frederick II of Prussia (1712-1786)
Having doubled the territory of Prussia during his reign, Frederick, nicknamed his contemporaries the Great, fought with the Russians, Saxons, French, Swedes and Austrians. In the battles of Rosbach and Leyten, he valiantly defeated forces more than double his own, mainly due to two skills that he considered to be the key to victory: speed of decision-making and lightning fast implementation.
Napoleon during the invasion of Prussia said about Frederick: "If this man were still alive, I would not be here." Frederick died peacefully in his sleep in 1786.
5. Jan ижižka (1360-1424)
This Czech commander and leader of the Hussites can rightfully be called the "man-honey-eater" of his time, for fearlessness, severity and ingenuity. Judge for yourself.
- Before becoming the leader of the Hussites (representatives of the Czech reformist religious movement), ижižka managed to fight both for the Poles, and for the Hungarians, and for the British (but this is not accurate, since there is no reliable information about his service to Henry the Fifth). And in his spare time from the war he was the leader of the robbers, after which he was amnestied by the Czech king Vaclav the Fourth and accepted to his service.
- Having lost his second eye during the siege of Rabi Castle and being completely blind, Zizka continued to lead the army. He was taken in a wagon, in front of the soldiers, so that they would not lose their presence of mind. Where Jan lost his first eye - the story is silent.
- Zizka's “tanks”, also known as “Wagenburg” or “Tabor”, were chain-wagons that hid crossbowmen, spearmen, shield-bearers and troops. Before such a circular defense, the knightly cavalry was powerless.
- Zizka led the Hussites in numerous wars for many years before he died of the plague. Before his death, he asked to remove his skin from him and pull it on the drum, so that even after death he would terrify the enemies.
4. Genghis Khan (1162-1227)
Under the leadership of this brilliant commander, the Mongols captured China, Central Asia, the Caucasus and even Eastern Europe. Genghis Khan (at birth called Temujin or Temujin) was often ruthless, destroying the entire population of many cities that did not surrender to him.
On the other hand, he was also religiously tolerant, a genius of tactics (perfected the trick of "feigned retreat") and a master of maintaining the supply lines of the largest continental empire in the history of mankind.
3. Julius Caesar (100-44 BC)
This is probably the most famous of all the ancient Romans. After the conquest of Gaul, which expanded the territory of Rome to the English Channel and the Rhine, Julius Caesar became the first Roman general to cross both of these water obstacles. Under his leadership, the Roman legions invaded Britain.
These achievements provided the great Roman commander with unsurpassed military glory, which threatened to outshine Gnei Pompey, Caesar's former triumvirate ally. Pompey accused Caesar of disobedience and treason and ordered him to dissolve his army and return to Rome. Caesar refused and in 49 BC led his army to a civil war in which he won.
Thanks to Caesar, Rome has become the largest empire in the Mediterranean.
The assassination of Julius Caesar occurred shortly before he was to go on a campaign against the Parthian Empire.
2. Hannibal Barka (247-183 BC)
One of the greatest commanders of antiquity went down in history as a man who brought Rome to his knees during the second Punic War. He defeated the Romans on Lake Trasimen, and lost only about 1,500 soldiers, which was not comparable with the losses suffered by the Roman army (15 thousand soldiers were killed, 6 thousand were captured).
In Cannes, Hannibal demonstrated one of the earliest examples of tick tactics. Most of the army of the Romans ended up in a cauldron, from which they could not escape. The Battle of Cannes entered the annals of war as one of the bloodiest, according to various estimates, from 60 to 70 thousand Romans died. Hannibal captured Tarentum, Syracuse and Capua - the most important city in Italy after Rome.
Unfortunately for Hannibal, the Romans quickly realized that the tactics of “abandoning the battle” and the liberation of the cities captured by the Carthaginians, means that the army of Carthage can only chase the Roman troops throughout Italy, creating trouble for the local population, but gradually depleting their forces. Ultimately, Hannibal was forced to retreat to Carthage, where he was defeated by Scipio at the Battle of Zam.
1. Alexander the Great (356-323 BC)
In Western historiography, this Macedonian king is known as Alexander the Great. He conquered an incredibly vast territory for his time - from Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt to Persia, Central Asia and the shores of the Indus - founded twenty separate cities of his name, and continued to be revered for centuries as God in many lands he conquered.
For the greatest commander of all time, it was important not only the ability to win, but also the ability to know what to do with victory. Alexander recognized the importance of the people whom he defeated and did not seek to assimilate them. He carried the defeated peoples Greek culture, philosophy and technology.
Alexander the Great died at the age of 32, before many other famous military leaders on this list won their first victory.
