35thOVI  | 16 Dec 2025 7:52 a.m. PST |
Who are your 10 worst commanders in history? Here are some articles listing some. I personally don't agree with some of their choices. Subject: 9 Worst Generals in History | Britannica
link Subject: 6. Worst. Military. Leaders. Ever. | The Heritage Foundation
link But what guarantees you as one of the worst? Examples:
Did your incompetence destroy a kingdom or empire, like Darius III or Guy of Lusignan? Did you get your army nearly destroyed by technological inferior opponents (weaponry as a whole inferior), like Arthur St. Clair or Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford? Did your defeat in one battle single handedly determine the fate of a war, like perhaps the Battle of Tsushima? Just some examples and thoughts that might be included in the decision. Just one of mine: Darius III So who are your worst 10, with a snippet of why? |
| robert piepenbrink | 16 Dec 2025 8:17 a.m. PST |
Oh, the worst commander I ever knew was a 2nd Lieutenant in an artillery battalion in Germany. Bone ignorant and always in the way. They finally made him "assistant sub-community supervisor" or some such to get him out of the way of troops. That's how it usually works Which is why I don't do these discussions, or read such articles. Except for a few hereditary monarchs, you're about to get a long list of officers who were far better than most of their peers--remember that even in the "up or out" Army, O-5 is a successful career--but who weren't up to the demands of some new situation or genius opponent. And we, with far more information and none of the responsibility, will mock them. It's pretty much Christmas. If we can't show wisdom, let's opt for charity. |
| Frederick | 16 Dec 2025 8:58 a.m. PST |
There are lots and lots – and, with all due respect, Carafino is waaaaaay off the mark with some of his conclusions – I agree though about Santa Anna and Darius III as well as Lopez (let's go to war with countries that outnumber us 4 to 1 and see how it goes) I also think Ludendorff also got a bad rap – now, he was no doubt a terrible politician, but that's another story I agree as to Darius III, managing to lose an empire that by all rights should have crushed the Macedonian upstart Also McClellan is a fair pick – great organizer, just don't let him onto any battlefields If one lists Gideon Pillow, how about John Bell Hood – who marched the Army of the Tennessee into near annihilation? Or Samsonov and Rennenkampf, who managed to get almost the entire Russian 2nd Army wiped out? For the Romans I would list Publius Quinctilius Varus – mostly because his defeat and the loss of the three legions in the Teutoburg Forest essentially stopped Roman expansion into Germany which arguably left them with a very tough to defend northern frontier |
| 35thOVI | 16 Dec 2025 9:06 a.m. PST |
Frederick, as I said, those are not my lists in the articles. Just some examples. The only one I listed as mine was Darius 3rd. Managed to have the premiere empire of his time and lost it all. I'm just interested in others choices and why. Thanks |
| Choctaw | 16 Dec 2025 10:11 a.m. PST |
Although I'm not arguing with adding John Bell Hood to the list, he certainly wasn't dealing with an incompetent or inferior enemy. I wonder if he would have performed better in that role had it been earlier in the war. |
 John the OFM | 16 Dec 2025 10:38 a.m. PST |
Who was that Italian general in the Great War who hurled his men against dug in Austrian troops in the Alps? I can't be bothered to look his name up, because that would give him too much honor.
Didn't he also use decimation? As for Darius III, he did fine against everyone except Alexander. |
| John the OFM | 16 Dec 2025 10:56 a.m. PST |
Cornwallis? Seriously? That guy who named him is a typical internet clickbait nut. |
 McKinstry  | 16 Dec 2025 11:20 a.m. PST |
Franz Conrad von Hotzendorf – As much responsible for staring WW1 as any one individual. Absolutely incapable of understanding what his military could or could not accomplish. Inept in virtually all aspects of strategy and tactics. He got his empire dissolved and probably never understood his failings. Right up there with DariusIII. My choice for #1 awful. Cadorna is certainly awful as well. Seemingly unable to understand terrain and the effect on his troops and his shooting his own men should have gotten him stood against a wall. He's bad but I suspect merely one of many gormless cretins wasting men. |
| Grelber | 16 Dec 2025 11:29 a.m. PST |
I would have included Lieutenant General Sebastiano Visconti Prasca, commander of Italian troops in Albania in 1940. When offered more troops for the planned Italian invasion of Greece, he turned them down because the larger army would need a full general to command the invasion and he would become number two. The invasion went badly; his troops were thrown out of Greece, and he lost a significant part of Albania and was replaced after just two weeks. Grelber |
| Grattan54 | 16 Dec 2025 11:44 a.m. PST |
Yes, Hotzendorf would be up there for me. |
 enfant perdus | 16 Dec 2025 2:02 p.m. PST |
Cornwallis? Seriously? That guy who named him is a typical internet clickbait nut. His reasoning regarding Hannibal either misses or ignores the fact that Carthage was destroyed 56 years after the Battle of Zama and nearly forty years after Hannibal died. And his comments about Napoleon are deeply ignorant, and I say that as someone who loathes Napoleon. As for the author of the Britannica article, It's hard to take him seriously when he lists Haig and McClellan. Again, I hate George B. McClellan, but the man's biggest disasters involved not crushing the enemy. If any can tell me about a McClellan defeat that nearly destroyed the Army of the Potomac or jeopardized the Republic, I'm all ears. The assessment of Haig is similarly cartoonish and ill-informed, and reads like it was written by someone who watched part of a bad Youtube video about WWI. At least he's right about Caepio. |
| Shardik | 16 Dec 2025 3:01 p.m. PST |
At a lower level, Pulleine and his deployment at Isandlwhana |
| Deucey | 16 Dec 2025 3:11 p.m. PST |
Yamamoto is highly overrated. You're being hard on Darius. NOBODY withstood Alexander. Ramses II: Bad general, great PR guy. I agree with RP. The worst generals are probably people we'll never know existed. |
| John the OFM | 16 Dec 2025 6:39 p.m. PST |
When we get newbies in a Sword and the Flame game, we always make him the CinC. He's the second son of a rich Lord, and his mother is a Lady. That explains everything. Seniority? Skill? Merit? Wash your mouth out, Sir! |
