# Greatest Military Leader elimination game (setup thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 5, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293 "2010-08-05T17:08:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/21 "2010-08-06T00:44:50Z")
A few more for consideration: [Moshe Dayan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan): Eye-patched Israeli commander. [Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Emil_von_Lettow-Vorbeck): Evaded the British in Africa. [Orde Wingate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orde_Wingate): Unorthodox leader in Africa and Asia. [Georgy Zhukov](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgy_Zhukov): Led from Moscow to Berlin. [Titokowaru](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titokowaru): Beat the British twice. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/22 "2010-08-06T00:59:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > A point of eligibility: Does Archimedes qualify? So far as I know, he never stepped foot on the battlefield himself, but his inventions were sufficient to hold off the greatest military in the world at the time. No. Scientists and inventors, however important and innovative, don’t qualify for this game. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/23 "2010-08-06T01:01:17Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > … As for General William Tecumseh Sherman May-he-rot-in-Hell, absolutely not. That fucking arsonist was a war criminal, and should have been hung. This is just the setup thread. The debates ought to wait for the start of the game. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/24 "2010-08-06T01:28:35Z")
Most of the greats have already been nominated, but I’ll take advantage of my right to nominate by adding some World War II figures: George Patton – Armored warfare advocate Bernard Montgomery – El Alamein Allied Commander Douglas MacArthur – Returned, then faded away Charles de Gaulle – Led Free French forces Erwin Rommel – Germany’s Desert Fox It’ll be interesting to see the relative influences of the candidates’ ideology and skills on the voting habits of the thread’s participants… ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/25 "2010-08-06T01:46:42Z")
Can we list ours in a couple goes? Hope so. Anyway, I’ll start out with (for now) two Canadians who deserve a spot on the list: -Sir Isaac Brock: Saved Canada against overwhelming odds. -Sir Arthur Currie: Vimy Ridge. Only sane WW1 leader? I can’t get that second one under five words… Anyway, both minor characters by world standards, but excellent and effective. At the very least, they should last awhile while the military leaders who screwed up are eliminated. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/26 "2010-08-06T04:58:52Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > … > **Ho Chi Minh** Took on a superpower and walked away > > **John Paul Jones** First of the great admirals Hmmm. Did Uncle Ho ever exercise battlefield command? Wiki is ambiguous. Jones was briefly an admiral for the Russians but never for the U.S., as you probably know. ---
**Author:** ![cucuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7feea3/32.png) [@cucuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cucuy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/27 "2010-08-06T05:22:02Z")
[Richard H O’Kane](http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/TopTenUSNavySubmarineCapt.html) - top US submarine captain, WW2. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/28 "2010-08-06T05:56:05Z")
Gabriel Dumont, Metis guerrilla warfare strategist ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/29 "2010-08-06T06:06:00Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > **George McClellan** , inventor of the strategy of not taking casualties by not taking the offensive. That would be Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator. > [@Sternvogel](#): > > George Patton – Armored warfare advocate Wouldn’t that be Guderian? Or Churchill? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/30 "2010-08-06T06:35:05Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > > [@Oakminster](#): > > > > … As for General William Tecumseh Sherman May-he-rot-in-Hell, absolutely not. That fucking arsonist was a war criminal, and should have been hung. > > This is just the setup thread. The debates ought to wait for the start of the game. My bad. I have trouble restraining myself where that individual is concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/31 "2010-08-06T17:13:39Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > > > This is just the setup thread. The debates ought to wait for the start of the game. > > My bad. I have trouble restraining myself where that individual is concerned. Fortunately the SDMB limits us to attacks on positions, not people. 🙂 Hrm, who else attacked _positions_ so he didn’t have to attack _people?_ ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/32 "2010-08-06T19:21:30Z")
[Sgt. Slaughter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sgt._Slaughter) - Defeated Iron Sheik. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/33 "2010-08-06T19:29:42Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Hrm, who else attacked _positions_ so he didn’t have to attack _people?_ The Boxers. They were completely intolerant to missionaries. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/34 "2010-08-06T21:02:49Z")
Some from antiquity: **Attila the Hun** : Scourge of God, and Rome. **King Pyrrhus of Epirus** : “Alexander, Pyrrhus, then myself” - Hannibal **Flavius Aetius** : Scourge of Attila. **Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus** : “Stop quoting laws, we carry weapons!” **King Phillip II of Macedon** : Alex’s dad, set the stage. And a bonus if I could: **Stilicho** : Battler of the Goths. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/35 "2010-08-07T01:23:46Z")
**Napoleon** : “Napoleonic tactics,” anyone? **Genghis Khan** : Conqueror, mobile warfare master. **Georgy Zhukov** : Combined arms genius. **Gaius Marius** : Most important military reforms ever? **Sun Tzu** : Arguably history’s most influential military mind. Honorable mention to Vo Nguyen Giap ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/36 "2010-08-07T03:57:31Z")
Several of you have nominated candidates that others have already nominated. You’re shortchanging yourselves, friends! I suggest you read all the way through the thread and avoid duplicates. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/37 "2010-08-07T04:23:12Z")
Yamamoto Isoroku - WW2 Japanese Naval Leader Togo Heihachiro - “The Nelson of the East” Oda Nobunaga - First Great Unifier of Japan Albert Kesselring - Defended Italy from Allies Charles the Bold - Would-be King of Burgundy ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/38 "2010-08-08T00:10:55Z")
Zachary Taylor-American General Yi-Sun Shin-Korean Admiral Paul Von Hindenburg-German Field Marshal Tsao Tsao (also Cao Cao)-Chinese Emperor, General John S. McCain Sr.-American Admiral ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/39 "2010-08-09T15:33:56Z")
Good ones so far. Still room for more! ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293/40 "2010-08-11T08:30:28Z")
Okay my five are… Alexander the Great conquered the known-world and thensome fieldmarshal Tito kicked the Germans out Yugoslavia Curtis LeMay:reorganized the Strategic Air Command Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter:Dutch Adimiral superstar Erich von Manstein:his plan conquered france when does this start? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-military-leader-elimination-game-setup-thread/549293.md?page=3)