Found this on Quora:
and now open for discussion:
During WW2, which American general was the most respected by the German Army generals?
James Barends, former Design Engineer (1984-1989)
Updated Dec 18 · Upvoted by Gary Schuster, M.S. Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering & History, University of North Dakota (2017) and Richard Ashmore, Active Duty in the U.S. Navy for >20 years.
Actually the answers are surprisingly clear based on interrogations of the German commanders.
The Germans had little respect for Eisenhower, Bradley and Hodges who moved methodically like infantry and had little sense of tactics or strategy. The Germans were unanimous that Eisenhower actually could have ended the war in 1944 because the German armies were shattered at the end of the Normandy battles and the Falaise pocket. The retreat across France was a complete collapse, yet Eisenhower did not understand what it meant and wanted to simply move in a broad even advance. Instead of worrying about liberating French towns, both Patton and Montgomery were right that they had to push at all costs for the Rhine crossings. Both were egomaniacs, but correct. If Ike had stripped some of his armies and kept his two spearheads pushing forward to the Rhine, half the Germans would have been encircled and the rest would have pulled back into Germany. And there were no defensive lines or positions east of the Rhine. It is also rarely discussed, but one of the main reasons there were fuel shortages in France in September 1944, was due to the French who were stealing huge amounts of supplies and Ike simply looked the other way. 40% of gasoline supplies landed in September never made it to the troops. Theft was so bad, Patton used some of his infantry to guard supply convoys. The “red Ball Express” truck convoys were in fact units that were not allowed to stop and had armed escorts. To a very real extent, the French expected the Allies to take care of them. Ike never addressed the pilfering that was choking his armies.
They respected Montgomery as a defensive general, but not offensive. Patton was in fact widely respected as the only major American commander who understood large scale armored warfare. General Marshall agreed with that assessment and it was his direct orders that prevented Ike from firing Patton. There were others they respected, but generally they thought American commanders lacked skill and military knowledge. Interestingly, I saw one report that asked those commanders about past American generals. A majority of the Germans apparently thought Grant was a better General than Lee. Most indicated Lee lost huge numbers of men in every battle but never seemed to land a decisive blow that actually changed the course of the war whereas Grant had several that did directly change the war.
and now open for discussion:
During WW2, which American general was the most respected by the German Army generals?
James Barends, former Design Engineer (1984-1989)
Updated Dec 18 · Upvoted by Gary Schuster, M.S. Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering & History, University of North Dakota (2017) and Richard Ashmore, Active Duty in the U.S. Navy for >20 years.
Actually the answers are surprisingly clear based on interrogations of the German commanders.
The Germans had little respect for Eisenhower, Bradley and Hodges who moved methodically like infantry and had little sense of tactics or strategy. The Germans were unanimous that Eisenhower actually could have ended the war in 1944 because the German armies were shattered at the end of the Normandy battles and the Falaise pocket. The retreat across France was a complete collapse, yet Eisenhower did not understand what it meant and wanted to simply move in a broad even advance. Instead of worrying about liberating French towns, both Patton and Montgomery were right that they had to push at all costs for the Rhine crossings. Both were egomaniacs, but correct. If Ike had stripped some of his armies and kept his two spearheads pushing forward to the Rhine, half the Germans would have been encircled and the rest would have pulled back into Germany. And there were no defensive lines or positions east of the Rhine. It is also rarely discussed, but one of the main reasons there were fuel shortages in France in September 1944, was due to the French who were stealing huge amounts of supplies and Ike simply looked the other way. 40% of gasoline supplies landed in September never made it to the troops. Theft was so bad, Patton used some of his infantry to guard supply convoys. The “red Ball Express” truck convoys were in fact units that were not allowed to stop and had armed escorts. To a very real extent, the French expected the Allies to take care of them. Ike never addressed the pilfering that was choking his armies.
They respected Montgomery as a defensive general, but not offensive. Patton was in fact widely respected as the only major American commander who understood large scale armored warfare. General Marshall agreed with that assessment and it was his direct orders that prevented Ike from firing Patton. There were others they respected, but generally they thought American commanders lacked skill and military knowledge. Interestingly, I saw one report that asked those commanders about past American generals. A majority of the Germans apparently thought Grant was a better General than Lee. Most indicated Lee lost huge numbers of men in every battle but never seemed to land a decisive blow that actually changed the course of the war whereas Grant had several that did directly change the war.
