First generals path guide

I just finished through Pacific War 1945 and here are my thoughts on the generals I have purchased and order of purchase:

In Pacific War '45 you can bring 6 generals and have five free slots - so you can really design a team around whomever you want. In non-naval battles, I usually used 3 infantry, 2 armor, and one artillery. That might change to 2/2/2 or 2/3/1 depending on the specific battle, but the bottom line for me was that I never used more than 3 of any one type and never more than two artillery.

My build order by type would be: armor, artillery, armor, infantry, infantry, armor, infantry, then build out your naval units. Since you cannot sell back generals, only the best in class are worth purchasing. I would try and keep your sides balanced, so go Axis1, Axis2, Allies1, Allies 2, Axis3, Allies3, etc. The IAPs are (1) the best, or arguably the best unit in their class, and (2) can be used for both sides. I would rank them Manstein, Zhukov, Eisenhower, but understand that Zhukov eliminates the need to buy any other artillery general - it is just that tanks are better than cannons and Manstein is the best general on tanks. So if you do have the IAPs, just plug them into that order.

All that said, if I started over these would be my purchase orders by side assuming no IAP:

Axis: Guderian, Leeb, Rommel, Yamashita, Rundstedt, Kesselring, Donitz, Yamamoto, Nagumo.

I cannot recommend a second artillery general after Leeb. Nor are there any great buy options for a third armor general. Save the medals for navy generals. Guderian and Rommel are kinda interchangeable, Guderian is first because he is in 39 and 41. I feel pretty strongly about that order of infantry generals though. Yamashita is just as good an offensive infantry general as you could want. Rundstedt is more versatile than Kesselring, but those two are clearly #2 and #3 in my mind and I don't know why you would need a number 4. For navy, donitz is the best, then I would get your carrier commander, and finish off with nagumo.

Allies: Vatutin, Govorov, Patton, MacArthur, Dowding, Rokossovsky, 3rd infantry (see below), Nimitz, Halsey, Mountbatten

Vatutin is listed first here because he is cheaper than Patton or Rokossovsky. If you have Manstein, I would skip either Patton or Rokossovsky and save the medals. Govorov is the only artillery general worth buying. MacArthur then Dowding is pretty straightforward for overall power of your infantry commander, but if you are stuck, then move to the third choice. As for that 3rd, I would lean towards Slim - two good abilities, great inf. stat and good mov. For navy, it is the same as the axis, get your aura, then carrier, then next best.

All of that said, the free generals can do o.k. You just really want a couple armor and one artillery to bolster them on the early campaigns. Just try and clear maps to start, especially on the ally side, because once you start unlocking some of the special forces (katyusha and kv-6 especially) it makes earlier maps so much easier to go back and three star. Finally, all of the 4* generals are good, except Monty - he is just too overpriced and cannot compete with other options. So build out how you want based on your resources. 

Here is my full roster: Manstein, Eisenhower, Zhukov, Guderian, Rommel, Patton, MacArthur, Rundstedt, Donitz, Leeb, Yamashita, Govorov, Kesselring, Yamamoto, Nimitz, Dowding, Nagumo, Vatutin, Badoglio, Slim, Model, Alexander, Halsey, Chuikov, Leclerc, Timoshenko, Arnold, Ozawa, Cunningham, Riccardi, Messe, and Bock.

As a final note, the 4* generals I have not unlocked: Montgomery (pass), de Gaulle, Rokossovsky (would buy if I didnt have Manstein), Vasilevsky, Mannerheim, and Mountbatten (probably the last unit I will buy).

3* that look o.k. and worth considering: Bradley, Clark, and Kuribayashi.