GarfieldVirtuoso t1_iur67sl wrote on November 2, 2022 at 12:57 PM

Was Che Guevara a good commander? I know nothing about his military story, but it seems he played an important role in the cuban revolution, but dont know if he was vital for winning the war. Then there was the Bay of Pigs invasion defense but his influence there is debated as this thread shows, and then he went to have some blunders in Africa and Bolivia, but I dont know if that was the case of him trying to do the best with little resources or just made poor decisions that lead to his death

Fabulous-Fox3057 t1_iurh8lj wrote on November 2, 2022 at 2:21 PM

He was a good commander, you should take a moment and read about the batle of santa clara in the cuban revolution.

Anglicanpolitics123 OP t1_iusb4gz wrote on November 2, 2022 at 5:37 PM

So there's a book written on this subject that I haven't read but i know the summary of it. It's called 'Commandante Che' by Paul Dosal. It establishes that the answer is complicated(I would add yes but complicated). Che when it comes to military campaigns Che was a terrible strategist but a brilliant tactician and soldier. During the Cuban Revolution it was Castro's strategic planning that gave them the edge but Che's tactical genius won them the final decisive battle at Santa Clara despite being outnumbered 10 to 1. What happened though was internationally in places like Congo and Bolivia he could not win the campaigns because he would always be at a strategic disadvantage. This despite the fact that he would win the battles anyways. So he found himself in the position America found itself in Vietnam. Winning every battle but being at a massive disadvantage.

Furthermore it also concludes that Che was not w great commander in chief but he was a brilliant field commander. What I get when reading Ches military escapades is that he is the Hannibal of guerilla warfare. A brilliant tactician who's tactics as well as the strategic disadvantage he found himself in ended up being used against him by his enemies.

GarfieldVirtuoso t1_iuscqwb wrote on November 2, 2022 at 5:47 PM

Wow, that sounds interesting, gonna learn more about this. Never thought about the idea that one could be a terrible strategist but an god tier field commander

Now I really want to know other military figures and distinguish them between good strategist/good field commanders or even both

Abstract__Nonsense t1_ius5k6l wrote on November 2, 2022 at 5:01 PM

Ya Che was a good commander. His guerilla tactics were taught at West Point.