Nominees for unluckiest General of WWII

Gordon

Forum Guru
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
2,488
Reaction score
2,940
Country
llUnited States
My nominee is Lieutenant (posthumously full) General Lesley J. McNair. Wounded by German artillery in Tunisia and killed by the errant carpet bombing preceding Operation Cobra.
 

Khill

Elder Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
2,188
Reaction score
792
Location
MAINE
Country
llIceland
do vice admirals count? Shibazaki killed on the first day of Tarawa after famously stating that it would, "take a million men a hundred years" to take the island. USMC did it in 72 hrs :)-
 

TopT

Elder Member
Joined
May 2, 2004
Messages
2,603
Reaction score
1,399
Location
PA
Country
llUnited States
do vice admirals count? Shibazaki killed on the first day of Tarawa after famously stating that it would, "take a million men a hundred years" to take the island. USMC did it in 72 hrs :)-
I am not sure that is correct.

Japanese archives state that he contacted Tokyo on D+2 and also that he was in the massive bombproof shelter that was destroyed on D+3 (I believe behind Red 2). In any case, his body was never identified but was believed to be among the 200+ bodies burned in that blockhouse.
 

Khill

Elder Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
2,188
Reaction score
792
Location
MAINE
Country
llIceland
I am not sure that is correct.

Japanese archives state that he contacted Tokyo on D+2 and also that he was in the massive bombproof shelter that was destroyed on D+3 (I believe behind Red 2). In any case, his body was never identified but was believed to be among the 200+ bodies burned in that blockhouse.
fair enough, but it still does not seems that lucky after taking all that smack
 

Gordon

Forum Guru
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
2,488
Reaction score
2,940
Country
llUnited States
do vice admirals count? Shibazaki killed on the first day of Tarawa after famously stating that it would, "take a million men a hundred years" to take the island. USMC did it in 72 hrs :)-
Yes, but it might be better to nominate him in the "Most ironic death" category. ;)
 

62nd Army

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2003
Messages
892
Reaction score
330
Location
USA
Country
llUnited States
Any General in Russia pre-1937, most of them did not live to see post 1937!!
 

Michael Dorosh

der Spieß des Forums
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
15,733
Reaction score
2,765
Location
Calgary, AB
First name
Michael
Country
llCanada
By all accounts, General Helmuth Weidling considered himself unlucky when, as commander of LVI Panzer Corps in April 1945, he was called to the Führerbunker to answer on charges of cowardice, the penalty for which was the firing squad. When he explained that reports of him moving his command post were erroneous, he was promoted to command of the Berlin Defence Area.

On receiving this honour, he reportedly remarked drily that he would rather have been shot.
 

Old Noob

Forum Guru
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Messages
2,177
Reaction score
2,330
Country
llUnited States
Another candidate would be General Pavlov, Russian commander (overall) when the Germans attacked in June 1941.
After a few weeks of getting his ass handed to him by the panzers, Stalin recalled him for rifle-caliber rehabilitation.
 

Old Noob

Forum Guru
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Messages
2,177
Reaction score
2,330
Country
llUnited States
Actually, Pavlov did not last even a week before STAVKA summoned him.
 

Von Kar

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2021
Messages
43
Reaction score
38
Country
llBelgium
Maybe Lieutenant-General William Gott ?

“In August 1942 he was appointed as successor to General Auchinleck as commander of the Eighth Army. On the way to take up his command he was killed when his plane was shot down. His death led to the appointment of Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery in his place.”
(Wikipedia)

Might have spared General Eisenhower a lot of frustrations in Normandy and afterwards, which makes a nominee of him, too.
 
Top