Comments by "Shaun Steele" (@shaunsteele4968) on "The Battle Of The Best Tank Commanders Of WWII | Greatest Tank Battles | War Stories" video.

  1. Its been proven that rommel had paid off British informants he called his "little fingers" during the beggining of the Tunisia campaign. At the end were he seems much more lethargic and not mythical, he has lost access to his little fingers.
    14
  2. Overplayed. He also was ready to abandon one of his hurt men to get to safety during an artillery bombardment. His lietienieut had to point out that the man was badly wounded and not dead. His lt had to order another man to drive rommel to safety while he stayed with the wounded man, who survived. Upon encountering his wounded officer later, rommel supposedly just remarked I can't believe you lived and walked away. That's as told by his own lieutenant in an interview. Not a history book.
    5
  3. If a lieutenant had to make a stand for an injured soldier to not be left. He is no Patton.
    5
  4. Ike had to personally put Patton in charge at Marshall's request while also having to give lloyd a, "promotion," to go home and train troops.
    3
  5.  Buttbanging Trannyliberal  dear fdr. I failed with fredendall. I failed with Clark. And now with sir Bernard Montgomery. Please don't remember baseball sir. One person I did not fail with, was the chauffeur. We succeeded time and again and again and again. It's probably time to recognize real.
    2
  6. Patton never fought rommel. Now gd, I told you that you can't refer to fredendall as "the general" you've already confused this man into thinking it was Patton off to a bad start.
    2
  7.  @for865  however he addressed the situation was a$$hole enough that his lt was brought onto a documentary and I'm sure he was aware it was to talk rommel up and he chose to lead with that story. That has to tell you something.
    2
  8.  @petethundabox5067  Joe Angelo. Better arguement and one I will field. The Patton you know was a lt general in the United States army. The Patton that told Joe he had never seen him before a day in his life was a colonel. Being ordered by brig general Douglas MacArthur to dispense of the bonus protesters. He was following orders the same as every soldier. MacArthur was following the presidents.
    2
  9. Eisenhower wasn't involved. He saved his murder for his competition. And nobody murdered them. They demanded a bonus early because of the depression and the us govt said no. Patton also wanted a giant gold medallion made for every man in 3rd army out of Germanys gold supply. Ike said no. Is he a murderer of 3rd army?
    2
  10. If you all line up in the DC memorial mall right now. And demand a 5th stimulus check for at least 10000 dollars. Every American. The government won't send the army on horseback to slap you on the a$$ with the flats of their sabers. But they will tell you no and send a riot squad of the guard in to deal with it.
    2
  11. But having said all that. 2 mistakes Patton made in his life I won't make excuses for. Joe Angelo. And trying to retrieve his son in law.
    2
  12.  Donald Martin  well I called rommel overplayed based on his own men's testimony. You won't find pattons men doing that. Except for one who served directly under for a stint and then directly over for the remainder of the war. Pattons men actually refused to accept his apology and made him literally start balling in front of them. He ordered his driver to take him from the scene at a fast pace. There's not too many historians that want to be taken seriously that I have to argue Patton with. A few. Who've bought into the bradley/Pyle lies.
    2
  13. Patton was made out to be a villain of the war by a reporter ordered to wear a helmet by him. This reporter would die 2 years later in a different part of the world from a bullet to the skull.
    1
  14.  @jimmyhaley727  well later on that would be true. At this point early in the war, you have to remember, this is before us involvement, they had not broken enigma yet. They were being starved of all that bc the gamblers last gamble had failed. A lighting sweep on russia. And now all of that was being pumped into the Eastern front. Us knowing all about them was more circa d day.
    1
  15. At that point. It would be a similar situation to having Lee threatening the gates of Washington and having one general in Texas saying there's confederates here too. You on you own. We're fighting 12 million peasants here.
    1
  16. I will say this. Rommel had his moments. But lusician Truscott had his moments and nobody called him the seal of the mediterraen or anything like that.
    1
  17. The myth of the desert fox was created by churchill as a shaming tactic for his own generals. Churchill made him a celebrity. To the point the British started calling doing something well, rommeling it.
    1
  18. At this point in the war again. We have Patton back burnered in Morocco. Where Ike wouldve loved to have left him. A fool of a best friend running the show. And a commander of allied forces that does not see this will be a disaster. I believe these german men in every one of their counts that day.
    1
  19. The allies didn't get beat and when asked why they lost. Say, western front, one name. Rommel. That wouldve been the germans and pattons name.
    1
  20.  Buttbanging Trannyliberal  I am suggesting though that giving your wife a pair of shoes on her birthday was not the place to be on d day. No family on the battlefield. Cost Sherman 2 daughters.
    1
  21. That's about the same amount of effectiveness as a general as the position ikes good buddy fredendall was in, in Tunisia when he got bounced and Patton took over.
    1
  22. But I blame rommel more for making ikes goofy little plan an effective one not having to ask Patton for a miracle one last time in that war. I do blame him for that. And Patton could've delivered it. From the pas de Calais.
    1
  23.  Buttbanging Trannyliberal  and I am saying that ike deserved to deliver that letter to fdr. Judas b^$& Lee. A much better general. Had to deliver that letter.
    1
  24. Besides and don't ever forget this. Rommel was never to be pattons because Patton was being sandbagged. It was only in defeat of the preferred champion did Patton have to be very reluctantly plucked from the back burner. If a man's better than you. You do anything you can to hold him down. Patton did not know rommel had taken up the healing waters somewhere or another by the time he was allowed the opportunity.
    1
  25. Ike was personally very bad at picking leadership. Marshall was the leadership genius. If it was up to Ike mark Clark and lloyd fedendall wouldve done big things during the war instead of being the 2 most disastrous allied commanders that there were.
    1
  26. Francis Ford Coppola did poorly. Patton done right wouldve won so many awards. So many.
    1
  27. Also, I don't know if this is being done out of respect for the fredendall family but you keep talking about kasserine pass and referencing lloyd fredendall as "the general" which is giving the lay viewer the idea that Patton was responsible for what happened. So if I may. To enlighten your audience. I will explain.
    1
  28. They've always tried to compare these 2. Let me do it and tell you where it stops. They both were too loyal to stupid causes and played caesar to their respective countries. Patton never wouldve left the battlefield for a wife's birthday. Patton didn't leave injured but still alive men laying. Patton didn't ever need a resupply. He never got supplied the first time. He stole it.
    1
  29. I'm sorry. But pattons constant asking of myself to play jim Gordon to his dark knight and let the villains take the credit, drains me. I understand Jim Gordon better than probably anyone on earth.
    1
  30. Let me relate a Patton story to help you with the German mindset. He is fighting over a German village and artillery is destroying people's roofs. Everyday he drives by a German man. Making his entire family repair their roof. So one day he has his driver pull over and his German guy translates. You know. It's dangerous to have your family on the roof like that. We will probably shell tonight and destroy it again. Get them down. He says to Patton. If you destroy it tonight. We will be back here in the am, fixing it. Fiercely proud and industrious. As these men are.
    1
  31. Oh and my ability to put much better commanders in place than you George Patton. Men like fredendall and Clark.
    1
  32. To hear his men talk about him, rommel, actually harkens back to the Civil War. Hearing the men talk of stonewall Jackson. A deaf college professor being the class clowns favorite class at vmi, to a no nonsense demanding battle general. A man not thought to have a proper sense of where his underwear were before the war to genius. No man ever having a moment with him. Always distant and aloof. Nobody being told what was happening. Just being ordered.
    1
  33. So rommel and Pyles George s Patton were a lot alike. It takes a master historian to realize that is a combo of Pyle and Bradley post humous Patton. Not the real deal.
    1
  34. They could all operate 2 ranks above themselves. Our system was more of the aliens system. Why don't you just put her in charge man. We're f^$(%&
    1
  35. Another thing to point out. We had just went to the Olympics where a tyrannical dictator bragged his people would win all the gold. We then proceeded to hoist one black man's gold medal up and say uh uh. Not all. Just like 95 percent. Here's one you missed. Up until this point. They had proven the superman notion to themselves.
    1
  36.  @fordhamdonnington2738  where did I claim the war was stopped to do the Olympics. Not sure what you were getting at. Does this change the fact that at sporting events leading up to war, Germany typically was winning and we were pr-ing.
    1
  37. But I've been told things like Russia was on our side dumba$$ so nothing really surprises me at this point.
    1
  38. Well taking your expert opinions on ww2 and jumping another 70 years back to the Civil War was at first. But not really when you think about it.
    1
  39. Patton only had thousands of years of history and 50 years of battlefield instinct to go on. Unless you want to count Oscar Koch, pattons Intel guy as a little finger when he said, you know. The German needs a port. And Antwerp makes a mighty fine port when they guessed the bulge.
    1
  40.  @for865  it would help the men to see a few more dead generals I'm this war. George Patton. I don't think anything. I'm telling you what his men thought about him. Sorry to destroy your hero and churchills shaming instrument.
    1
  41. You can say why should I identify a man as a savior when he refused to identify his? Joe Angelo is the savior of our savior.
    1
  42.  @petethundabox5067  you have to remember. MacArthur never openly disregarded an order until he crossed the lines he was not to cross to protect Phillipino lives. Patton didn't start disobeying orders directly until assassins were warning him that if they were ordered. It was going to be him or their family and to run. He pulled the dark knight move instead. Billy the kid. In Germany. Come and get me you terrible general of a f#^$*
    1
  43. Probably said something to the effect of without me, you couldn't out general a tree on a golf course. To later of course...be proven correct.
    1
  44.  @electrontube  well I will give you this. I am no master of reference. Like this particular thing. I don't give names. But I do say go back and watch verbal interviews with his men. Which gives you an idea of a place to start and find the badmouthing I've spoke of. But to come forward. Say Leavenworth teaches nothing on Patton because he is a joke. Tell me I've got the nosebleed seats. Provides absolutely no background on your experience. Provide not one single clue as to a reference. Let me give you a reference that everything you said except the info about those 2 books and the times of their print fly in the face of and call a liar. That would be retired lt col Carlo D'Este. Who is both Patton and eisenhowers official military historian. Who has been to Leavenworth and disagrees big time with you and has left it in print. He got cheap seats too? Did somebody trick that man and he's sitting outside the ballpark?
    1
  45.  @electrontube  and I can see how a study of any general put into difficult circumstances at Leavenworth,is a much better study, than optimal circumstances. What I am telling you sir. Is that Pattons official military historian has and is disagreeing with you about Patton being a non factor at Leavenworth. You are actually also disagreeing with Patton who bragged in his journos he would be a study at Leavenworth for years to come. I have absolutely no experience at Leavenworth and have to attempt to get it from these horses mouths. I also asked you to identify what experience you had with the institution. Not name address or details. Just a generalized explanation of experience.
    1
  46. Obviously I can reference either of these things for you. Pattons claim can be found in war as I knew it. In his journos. Carlo D'Este claims can be established in his Patton biography entitled Patton: A Genius for War. Both those men did attend Leavenworth and graduate. Are experts. And are disputing you sir.
    1
  47. I'm not offended at all. I'm not Patton. I have no Leavenworth experience. And if you told me I was there for 4 hours and all we did was stand on our heads and spin. I would have to take yours as the expert account. But I can use other experts to dispute you so...there's an issue here.
    1
  48.  @manifestmisery8306  if that makes a good general. Fredendall must be like napoleon to you.
    1
  49. Because I can't think of any better way to protect this brain of warfare than what he did. Building a giant bunker and having the German cut his lines. Thousands of dead men. But he's safe. Deserved a battlefield promotion
    1
  50. And again. I am relating a verbal story told by a man who served with rommel. So you're not disagreeing with me as I never met the man. You are disagreeing with men who did.
    1
  51. I would think if the situation were that dangerous, this lieutenant would've had some understanding of rommels needs to flee. The man did not seem to possess that understanding. Telling me it wasn't that dire.
    1
  52. In other words. This man treated it like it was a cowardly act. He felt comfortable enough to get out and assist the wounded man. And this is before the age of Jerry springer where it was traditional to say negative things about people. He wanted it told. He knew it went against his image. That's at least what I got from it.
    1
  53. I wanted to correct that. I didn't sense this man accusing rommel of cowardice. I sensed this man accusing rommel of precondemning this man to death and leaving him out of impatience more so than fear of self. That WOULD be FRedendall.
    1
  54. Long story short. It doesn't take away from what he did in Tunisia. It just adds an added depth to rommel and makes him that much more interesting. That's when I started to pick up stonewall vibes from him.
    1
  55.  @manifestmisery8306  a private wouldn't have been in a field car with him. I imagine it was at least a Lieutenant but I can't say I recall the man's rank.
    1
  56.  Donald Martin  as a matter of fact. Understanding that a lot of the negative parts of the Patton movie was high fantasy and that he had a lot of manure shoveled on his corpse both by ernie Pyle and Omar Bradley. If you don't have at least some appreciation for this occurring. You need to go read more about the war than 3 books by Rick Atkinson. I would recommend Carlo DEste. He is Patton and Eisenhower official military biographer and anything written by him is light years ahead of what you are reading in terms of research. Rick is great at introducing someone who knows nothing to ww2. But he swims at the shallow end of the pool.
    1
  57.  @memkiii  you reading bad sources friend. Check your references. It probably comes back to bradley or Eisenhower. Don't come in amateur hour on someone who is not.
    1
  58. War as I knew it would be a good place to start. The horses mouth.
    1
  59. Don't come tell me he was mean bc you read a blurb. I can tell you the name of the man who painted him that way and why. Here's a hint. It killed this man. Not listening.
    1
  60.  @memkiii  the man who is sitting you up to look like a fool. His name was ernest Pyle.
    1
  61. I unfortunately have the dishonor of sharing my home state with him.
    1
  62. I actually keep a portrait of the man. He's dead. He has a trickle of blood coming from the side of his mouth down his chin and he is staring lifeless at the sky. But he lived as he intended. In a felt reporters hat. Without a heavy sweaty battle helmet.
    1
  63. And you'll never guess where God decided to enter the bullet on this genius of a man.
    1
  64. To be fair to history. He died in a helmet. But he wasn't wearing it when they were ambushed and didn't have it secured. Wore one side cocked up too high. And that's the side the bullet entered. They were in a jeep and were ambushed by a Japanese machine gun.
    1
  65. Germany vs any of the allied countries one v one wouldve been a curb stomp delight for Germany. Don't ever get it twisted.
    1
  66. It wouldve been like a small Asian girls basketball team telling the lakers to get ready to eat s^#* and then proceeding to go feed them s^@* it doesn't happen. So why would it in this situation.
    1
  67. This is actually poor history. Besides the questionable demises by both men as well as the known ww2 assassin with dementia saying he paralyzed patton( american) very little. Rommel is more like Douglas MacArthur. Let me explain. Both men were not people, people. Like most generals. MacArthur had no question of personal bravery. Personally disarmed and killed 2 men taking him prisoner. Rommel same. You get a poor kinsmanship with his men unlike Patton when you listen to them talk about him. You get a man more obsessed with pictures and the press portrayal of himself. You also get a man more interested in results than his men. MacArthur famously said dead seriously to one of his generals, tale the island or don't come back alive. That's rommel. You can either fire that 88 at that tank or die today. Rommel.
    1
  68. And I say all this in honesty. Because I worship George Patton but am Irwin rommels doppelganger. So I should be a rommel guy.
    1
  69. Patton done right at that time. In the seventies. Wouldve upset a lot of Archie bunkers. Let me tell you. And broken open a lot of investigations into current presidents.
    1
  70. Sorry I meant recent presidents.
    1
  71. I would like to point out that to any history rook, it might be like somebody shouldve tapped these german officers on the shoulder and told them we won. You're wrong. Germany took on the world and almost beat it. 90 miles of Russian soil and us grant tactics that he never gets proper credit for stopped it. Namely. The wall of flesh.
    1