2 general paths from experience have been posted so far, so i decided "why not a third one?"
1.Guderian:Super good on medium tanks due to anti-armor and blitzkrieg, also good on heavies due to anti armor.
2.Leeb:Best axis artillery general output wise, but feel free to get badoglio if you like him better
3.Govorov (purchased in 1941 eastern front):Best allied artillery general, he packs an insane punch with katyusha
4.Yamashita:A really good infantry general, he is fast and very good for pacific 1941
5.Nagumo:Cheaper than donitz, but not as good, he is useful for clearing pacific 1941
6.Mountbatten: Inferior to nimtz, he is okay but I mainly bought him to finish unlocking navy and artillery medals.
7.Kesselring: Purchased to perfect clear coral sea, If there is a carrier in missions ill use him, but if not i rarely do
8.Donitz:Best axis navy general, I bought him to perfect clear axis 1942
9.Rommel:Best axis tank general on heavies, he sucks on medium tanks though. I bought him when i got to africa
10.Patton:Best allied tank general, great on medium tanks and good on heavies if you have no one else.
11. Montgomery:He is good, I bought him to serve as an allied heavy tank general but found him insufficient
12.Macarthur:Best allied infantry general, super good on cossacks, I bought him to help in africa, and he has been useful in 1944 and 1945
13.Rokkoskovsky:Best allied heavy tank general, super good on KV-6, IMO way better than montgomery on heavies.
14.Vasilevsky:Another allied infantry gen. I bought him mainly to help in challenge mode where there is 3-4 infantry, and to start completing 1941 lineup.
and that's it, lemme know what generals you guys think I should buy next.