I think that Sherman's pillaging of the South was contemptuous and dishonorable. That's not something you do to your own people, even if they were rebels.
Guderian was a great general, I agree. In my opinion, he was on par with Rommel - if not, above him. Funny that he is now widely overlooked in military history.
Even moreso considering he literally wrote the book on tank warfare: "Achtung-Panzer!" was the name of it.
Then I guess Genghis Khan and Alexander weren't great commanders, either.
I think Sherman's rampage was exactly the right thing to do under the circumstances. It demoralized the enemy army, cut the lines of communication and attrited the enemy of its southern armies. It brought about the end of the war, which is the point of command. The South complaining about Sherman is like Zarqawi complaining about the Fallujah campaign. They brought it on themselves in a war that claimed half a million lives.
I think Sherman was more than dishonorable in Ga. and the Carolinas. His actions were criminal. Sherman's march to the sea had very little military significance other than to "make Georgia howl". Had the South somehow won I would not be surprised if Sherman would have been hanged for these activities. I think Sherman was more interested in teaching South Carolina a lesson than flanking Lee at Petersburg and ending the war.
I've always thought that Marshal Davout was a tactical wizard -- at least on a par with his boss.
Overall, though, its got to be Alexander. The guy excelled tactically, operationally, and strategically. He won on all types of terrain, and showed himself to be a master of siege warfare as well. Plus, he has balls the size of basketballs.
Aother great German General of WWII was Eric Von Manstein. He was a Panzer Commander and an old style Prussian Aristocrat who detested Hitler and was one of the few who wpuld stand up to him. He refused to obey Hitlers order to shoot all of the Soviet Commisars they captured.
He was the victor of the battle of Kharkov and had Hitler heeded his counsel instead of firing him, the Soviet Union would probably have fallen and there certainly would have been no Stalingrad.
American Generals: The Confederate trio of Lee, Jackson and Forrest. MacArthur was brilliant at times: His S. Pacific campaign, WWI and Inchon but he could screw up royally as well: Corrigador and his ineffective defense of the Phillipenes and the Red Chinese ambush in Korea.
Best Regimental and battalion Commander: Chesty Puller, USMC who, BTW, was a cousin of Patton (both were descendents of Confederate soldiers).
Best American Naval Commander: admiral Nimitz. (Its ironic that our chief Army Commander and our chief Naval commander inWWII (Eisenhower & Nimitz) were both of German descent).
Guderian was senior to Rommel. At the outset of the war, Guderian was a panzer corps commander while Rommel was a newly-minted panzer division commander. Guderian was tinkering with tank operations while Hitler was still running Hitlers body guard.