Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-25618639-20150417014551/@comment-24944355-20150420080418

When it comes to the greatest military leaders - the Great Captains - there are very few that qualify in fact only 7 come to mind & they would be

Alexander the Great - conquered an enormous empire in little more than a decade & never new defeat

Hannibal Barca - took on the Romans on their own turf & thrashed them in a series of spectacular battles including at Cannae where out numbered nearly 2 to 1 he surrounded & destroyed the Romans in the worst defeat they ever suffered all this with a rag tag army of mercenaries & little support from his own government. Known as the father of strategy

Julius Ceasar - Forged the greatest army in Rome's history & used it to conquer Gaul & when his enemies in Rome allied with Pompey to destroy him he crushed them in a series of battles to set the stage for the imperium - the greatest Roman who ever lived.

Ghengis Khan - united the Mongol clans & forged them into the most terrifyingly effective military force since the heights of Rome. Conquered most of asia & parts of Europe & created a Mongol empire that lasted centuries

Frederick the Great - leader of a small nation with a small army he withstood & defeated armies that outnumbered his time after time for years on end

Gustavus Adolphus - turned Sweden into a political & military powerhouse taking on & destroying every opponent who faced him creating a Swedish empire that for a time eclipsed all other European nations

Napolean Bonaparte - rose to leadership of France following the chaos of the revolution & proceded to turn the French army into a military machine that conquered most of Europe in a series of spectacular battles

There are many good generals, considerably fewer very good generals but only these 7 strike me as great generals, the sort who's lives changed warfare forever & left a massive imprint in history