The Great Commanders

The first, and perhaps the greatest, commander of all was Alexander the Great. At the Battle of Issus, he led an audacious charge across a river, crushing a massive Persian force. Still in his early twenties Alexander went on to conquer more of the known world than anyone before or since. By the time of his death, aged 32, he had established himself not only as a great commander but a great conqueror.

Julius Caesar, a scheming politician, used military power to dominate Rome. Massively in debt, he led his armies through a decade of conquest in a bid for wealth, glory and power. In the process he conquered Gaul and precipitated the downfall of the Celts. At the Battle of Alesia he brilliantly used technological superiority and tactical cunning against a force who outnumbered him more than 5 to 1.

Napoleon Bonaparte was a political and military genius who exploited the turmoil of revolution to become Emperor of France. He then used his command skills to conquer Europe. This programme focuses on the Battle of Austerlitz, a spectacular victory against Austria and Russia, which fully justifies his reputation as the greatest modern commander.

Horatio Nelson is Britain’s greatest naval hero. Though at times insubordinate and reckless, Nelson’s professional skills and personal inspiration brought him uncommon successes throughout the Mediterranean and Atlantic as he fought against rival European fleets. At the remarkable Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson secured a mastery of the seals that brought the expansion of the British Empire.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant worked in a store. Within four years he was commanding the Union Armies and within eight, he was President of the United States. The Battle of the Wilderness was an indecisive, bloody tangle in a dense forest. Though it ended in a tactical stalemate, it was a vital strategic victory – one which led to the defeat of the Confederacy.

Following the Russian Revolution, Georgi Zhukov rose to become Stalin’s deputy in the war against Hitler. Thorough and innovative, he was a single-minded soldier whose abilities helped turn the war around. The Battle for Berlin that finally destroyed the Nazi regime was Zhukov’s ultimate triumph. One of the most difficult military objectives is to take a major city. Zhukov’s success in taking Berlin has led him to be called the greatest commander of the 20th century.