Q&A · 2:10:15-2:17:19

Which World War II generals are overrated?

A viewer's ranking question becomes a qualified comparison of reputation, resources, inter-Allied friction, and command in secondary theatres.

Question

Who was the most overrated general on each side in World War II?

Short answer

The response offers qualified examples rather than one choice per belligerent, discussing MacArthur, Bradley, de Gaulle, Japanese commanders, and the constraints on Mark Clark in Italy.

Notes

The response resists turning command reputation into a simple ranking. Douglas MacArthur appears mainly because of his own high opinion of himself, while Omar Bradley is judged less capable than his reputation suggests. George Patton also appears to have had a better historical relationship with Bernard Montgomery than with Bradley, contrary to a familiar film portrayal. For France, Charles de Gaulle is the obvious publicly remembered general, although he is judged less capable than he believed. Japanese generals can look like caricatures in hindsight even when many understood the strategic problems they faced. A later follow-up argues that Mark Clark's Italian campaign was deliberately secondary and under-resourced while expected to hold German forces south of the Alps. Clark still presided over battles with horrendous losses, so the resource explanation qualifies his record without excusing it.