Geo. Marshall

[Rodger Herbst]

I understand that FDR wanted General Geo. Marshall to take Ike's place,
surely he justs. Anybody out there who can perdict the outcome with him in charge?

[genstab]

You don't think he could do it? That man was a soldier through and through.

[McMax]

I understand that FDR wanted General Geo. Marshall to take Ike's place,
surely he justs. Anybody out there who can perdict the outcome with him in charge?

The exact opposite in reality. Marshall was to be the head of SHAFE and Ike was to return to the US to become CoS. But FDR couldn't bear the thought of Marshall leaving his side and so Ike got the job.

[Rodger Herbst]

But was Marshall a combat leader to go up against some of top German commanders?

[coggle]

IMHO most thought of Marshall as a better possible combat leader than Ike. But FDR wouldn't let him go.

[PaulJ]

But was Marshall a combat leader to go up against some of top German commanders?

What, as compared to Eisenhower's "combat leadership"?

I think I said this in a previous thread, my dream team has always been:
- Marshall in place of Eisenhower;
- Slim in place of Montgomery;
- Patton in place of Bradley; and
- Tedder in place of Leigh-Mallory

[sovietsniper]

Marshall was right up there with the greatest genrals of the war, him going to europe would just provied more proof of this fact.

[Sam H.]

Marshall was a brilliant administrator and belonged in Washington. He helped turn the US Army into one hell of a fighting machine - I doubt Ike could have done his job (Marshall had the clout to demand what he wanted, Ike, being relatively junior before the war, would not have had that power).

[corderex]

I don't know if Marshall could have done a better job than Eisenhower; the real job of Ike was to keep the Anglo-American alliance together in the face of Montgomery's and Alan Brooke's less than amicable attitude. A pure PR job, and Eisenhower did fine.

Still, having said that, had Overlord gone somehow wrong -destroying Ike's career- FDR would had had no option but to send in Marshall, whether he liked it or not. Better to let go Marshall to Europe rather than have Montgomery as Supreme Commander.
That would have certainly killed the Alliance!!

cheers

[sovietsniper]

corderex you seem to pin all the blame of the british, however patton isnt the definithion of polite or courtius

[genstab]

What always gets me is when people disparage Eisenhower's strategic ability as a general. So he didn't have combat experience- he did graduate FIRST IN HIS CLASS from the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth- he also graduated from the Army War College. And I'd say his conception of a broad front rather than one "pencil-like thrust" attacking formation as Montgomery wanted was the right strategic idea too- look what a mess Monty made of Arnhem- even choosing to disregard intelligence that said 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions were refitting in the area (as well as the Fuehrer's Fireman, Model, who happened to be near enough to direct operations and call in Kurt Student's 1st Airborne Army to take command). Ane Eisenhower certainly knew how to handle difficult generals- Patton, Bradley and Montgomery were quite a handful when they starteed bitching and backstabbing each other.

[corderex]

corderex you seem to pin all the blame of the british, however patton isnt the definithion of polite or courtius

You are definitely right. But the thing is that while Patton was more or less kept in control by Eisenhower (he was fired as C-in-C of the 7th Army, and later he didn't got the job as C-inC, 1st Army ), nobody in London seemed able, or willing, to control Montgomery.

[Rodger Herbst]

I still like Ike,I think Marshall was more politition than a top flight combat leader,he was in Washington too long around those screwballs.I agree Ike was underrated, but he was a soldier who he felt was to win the war,he didn,t care too much on who won what(like Berlin) he just wanted to get the war over with.