In April, in a contest organized by the National Art Museum in London, participants named American General George Washington as Britain's greatest enemy commander, beating out France's Napoleon Bonaparte, Irish independence leader Michael Collins, modern Turkey founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
Two can play at that game. And no, I'm not talking about naming communists in Congress. The next obvious question is who was America's Greatest Enemy Commander? There are several participants who have vied for that honor in our history.
War of 1812: Sir Alexander Cochrane. Strengths: Royal Navy commander landed the force that burned Washington, DC. Weaknesses: Failed to take Fort McHenry at Baltimore and could not succeed at leading the overall operations to capture New Orleans.
Native American Wars: Crazy Horse. Strengths: Oglala Sioux chief who led the massacres of George A. Custer's forces, as well as those of William J. Fetterman. Weaknesses: Surrendered and killed a year after Custer's Last Stand.
World War II (European Front): Albert Kesselring. Strengths: German officer doggedly fought the Americans in Tunisia, Sicily, Anzio, and throughout Italy, making the U.S. forces struggle at every turn. Weaknesses: Eventually lost every campaign against the U.S.
World War II (Asian Front): Admiral Isokoru Yamamoto. Strengths: Imperial Japanese commander who destroyed the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor and organized several invasions. Weaknesses: Lost at Midway Island and was killed after defeat at Guadalcanal.
Vietnam: Vo Nguyen Giap. Strengths: North Vietnamese commander who defeated the French, planned the Tet Offensive and final capture of South Vietnam in 1975. Weaknesses: Failed in the Easter Offensive. And the Tet Offensive, while a political victory, was a military defeat.
War On Terror: Osama bin-Laden. Strengths: Caused all kinds of chaos for the world superpower with very few resources. Weaknesses: More of an inspirational leader than a tactician. He hid for much of the War on Terror, instead of leading.
So who was America's toughest foe? Vote by adding the name you feel caused the United States the most trouble to the comment list. If you have time, list your case for who should be hold that title.
