Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Military Blunders

Military Blunders - Custer's division of 210 men was first isolated and then defeated. The detachments led by Major Reno and Captain Benteen were driven back, but they managed to link up in a defensive position, where they held out for the next 24 hours until they were released.

Custer divided his forces and lost both his life and the battle. All the more remarkable was Rommel's attack. Despite a lack of air support and fewer tanks, 50 American tanks were destroyed in the first hours of the battle.

Military Blunders

7 Worst Military Defeats In Modern History - We Are The MightySource: www.wearethemighty.com

And on February 20, several battalions of German and Italian infantry stormed the Kasserine Pass, which was defended by 30,000 Americans. At Bladensburg, Maryland, 13.6 miles northeast of the federal capital of Washington, D.C., the British attacked.

The Romans At The Battle Of Cannae

At first the Americans held firm. But when the order was given for a tactical retreat to defend the capital, the militia forces collapsed. Soon a group of infantrymen crossed the river and demanded a portion of alcohol, seeing a drinking party.

The drunken hussars refused and made an improvised fortification around the barrels. Finally, there was a heated argument, and a soldier fired. Placing a garrison in remote, jungle-encircled Dien Bien Phu in the first place was a decision that a first-year ROTC student might have questioned.

The French depended on air support for everything from guns to bullets, and above all for reinforcements, but the C-47 could not carry enough to supply the fortress. Matters were complicated by the fact that Navarre had somehow retreated from the gunner's creed and occupied the lowlands (Dien Bien Phu was in the valley), allowing Giap's surprisingly capable anti-aircraft gunners to shoot down landing planes.

The weather between Hanoi and Dien Bien Phu was often dangerous, and although the base initially had two airstrips, the Việt Minh quickly disabled them, forcing the French to parachute supplies - about half of them, including stacks of artillery shells that had fallen in

The Charge Of The Light Brigade

in the enemy. hands. When the US landed its troops in French North Africa, they assumed that the Nazis were exhausted after Germany's defeat by the British at El Alamein in early November 1942. They were wrong.

Historic Military Blunders That Will Make You Feel Better About Your Own  MistakesSource: cdn.historycollection.com

The action most often commemorated in landing pictures was the disembarking of the old steamship River Clyde to allow the soldiers to exit from her escape ports (doors along the hull at the waterline) and disembark at the gangway.

Unfortunately, it was as easy for the Turkish machine gunners on the heights to pick off the soldiers one at a time as they popped out of the extraction ports, as the mechanical ends on the firing range.

Of the first 200 soldiers who disembarked the ships, only 21 made it ashore alive. It was a logical move, but it hurt the French, who had been humiliated in World War II. The most important honor of the Army Order was at stake, and they intended to recapture and hold Dien Bien Phu at all costs.

The French At The Battle Of Agincourt

Burnside first attempted to cross the Rappahannock River on pontoon bridges—Lee burned all existing spans—but there were too many Confederate snipers on the other bank for the unprotected, unarmed Union engineers who desperately tried to block the boats with planks.

Ultimately, Burnside used the pontoons as makeshift assault ships to organize one of the first amphibious assaults in US history. It didn't help that a sudden December thaw and torrential rain turned the other side of the Rappahannock into tire-clogging mud.

The crossing of the river took a full day, which was just what Jackson needed to force his troops into Fredericksburg and link up with its defenders. In 53 BC The Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus invaded the Parthian Empire with an army of 35,000 to 45,000 legionaries (and 4,000 cavalry) and about 12,000 allies.

Learning that the main Parthian army was attacking Armenia, Crassus moved his army across the desert hoping to capture the rich cities of Mesopotamia. Imagine how much longer and bloodier World War II could have been if Admiral Yamamoto had not filled the decks of his vulnerable aircraft carriers at Midway with fully powered aircraft waiting for artillery fire.

Disastrous Facts About Military BlundersSource: www.factinate.com

The Vietnam War To

What if Hitler, despite his anger at the bombing of Berlin, had not changed tactics from downed Spitfires to a futile attack on London? What is known is that with five companies of about 210 men, including pack horse drivers and hired Indian scouts, Custer launched a frontal assault on about 2,000 enraged Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne warriors.

Their reaction can be compared to what might happen if you stick a stick into an anthill and move it a lot. It was the biggest battlefield blunder Custer ever made, and certainly the last. Not that the promising young Winston Churchill did any better.

As First Lord of the Admiralty in 1915, he proposed that a task force of 18 aging battleships break through the Dardanelles, the narrow 38-mile strait leading to the Turkish capital of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). The forts were located on both sides of the Gallipoli peninsula west of the channel, so Churchill's strategy was akin to taking a convoy of old Cadillacs through central Baghdad.

The British lost five battleships, mostly to mines, but also to Turkish coastal artillery. The Americans alone lost about 200 tanks, 100 half-tracks, over 200 guns, 500 trucks and jeeps, and 6,000 prisoners. It was the second most significant American defeat of World War II after the Battle of the Philippines.

The Us Is Still A Proud Nation

The city of Charleston is located between two rivers on a peninsula. General Lincoln decided to take the point of said peninsula, cutting off the British land forces from any possibility of escaping inland and exposing his army on one side to the bombardment of the largest fleet in the history of gunships.

As expected, Lincoln surrendered. However, this was not just any old capitulation. Until the Battle of Corregidor in 1942, this was the largest surrender in the history of the US Army. Edward II managed to cross the Bannockburn River under cover of night, but when he met the Scots on the battlefield, his army was unable to maneuver effectively.

A Scottish knight serving in the English army went over to Bruce's side and provided valuable information. The Scots were able to attack the stranded English troops with spears and then flank them with a surprise cavalry charge.

Britain'S Most Humiliating Military Blunders - The Vintage NewsSource: www.thevintagenews.com

In the confusion, the famous English longbows could not be used effectively, and Edward's army was routed after an unusually long battle for the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, although the Spanish Armada was huge, it relied heavily on the antiquated method of naval combat and used artillery only as a precursor to boarding.

Hitler’s Invasion Of The Soviet Union

In addition, the movement of the fleet had a certain timeline, which caused many vessels to become idle; that or the fight against stormy sea weather. Flaminius ordered his entire army to rush forward to join the battle.

It would have taken only a few minutes to send cavalry to scout the wooded hills, but Flaminius did not. As his army raced forward, they lost formation, at which point Hannibal led his main army down the slopes where they were hiding to crash into the disordered Roman flank.

Mistakes on the battlefield can be as decisive as brilliant tactics, whether it's the sudden advance of tribal factions against the state, the punishment of a proud military unaccustomed to losing, or a temporary shift in the balance of power in an entirely unexpected direction.

Crassus sent 40,000 legionaries and auxiliaries into the desert in pursuit of the Parthian army. He ignored the advice of his allies and advisers, who offered to stay in the mountains or near the Euphrates to reduce the danger from the Parthian cavalry.

Crassus At The Battle Of Carrhae

In 1812, the French Emperor Napoleon led an army of 680,000 men drawn from France and its allies to invade Russia. For three months the Russians fought a military retreat. In the end, Napoleon captured Moscow, but the Russians refused to make peace.

Navarre's biggest mistake was that she underestimated the courage, combat effectiveness and skill of the forces of General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Viet Minh. How could rice farmers dressed in black pajamas and shower slippers defeat experienced French artillerymen and legionnaires defending a fortified garrison equipped with aircraft, the latest marvel of technology to which the Việt Minh had no access?

25 Disastrous Facts About Military BlundersSource: www.factinate.com

The rotation continues. Custer graduated last in his class at West Point, by some accounts an arrogant brat who had learned little more than to drive his superiors mad. But today, a 7th Cavalry website proudly notes that Custer "graduated 34th in one of the most brilliant classes to date" without mentioning that there were only 34 in the class.

The real battle began with the first rays of the sun on March 1 and ended at noon. The Ethiopians were furious, ruthless and showed no mercy. Over 10,000 Baratieri soldiers were killed, wounded or missing, while the Ethiopians lost 17,000 killed and wounded.

Napoleon’s Invasion Of Russia

But in one morning Ethiopia rose from medieval obscurity to claim membership among modern nations. While the defenders lost 61 men killed or wounded, the British managed to reduce the American force by about 264 men.

It is not surprising that Lacolle Mille was the last battle led by American General James Wilkinson, since he was graciously removed from command after it. The standard was pretty low during the War of 1812. Just a pulse might be enough for you to lead Americans to their deaths.

At a time when trench warfare was considered an achievement, Stonewall Jackson was a rare beacon of tactical talent. Sure, he fought for "slavery" or "states," depending on who you ask, but Jackson was the Confederacy's most reliable victorious general.

So much so that many people claim that Stonewall's presence would have turned the tide at Gettysburg. On the morning of 24 June, Flaminius was pursuing Hannibal along the shores of Lake Trasimene when his vanguard overtook Hannibal's rear guard, a trap set by Hannibal to ambush Flaminius.

The Romans At The Teutoburg Forest

After Germany's defeat in history's greatest battle at Stalingrad, Hitler was forced to transfer troops from the Western Front to Russia, weakening his hold on Europe. The Axis lost almost 1,000,000 men during the campaign which marked the turning point of World War II.

Military Blunders By Saul David | Hachette UkSource: www.hachette.co.uk

First, it took the Union almost fifteen minutes to launch the attack. Then the ladders that needed to get out of their own trenches didn't get out. But the attack itself was the real blow. Instead of attacking the huge smoking crater, the inexperienced Union soldiers jumped into it, mistakenly believing that the crater provided good cover.

By doing this, the union graciously gave up any advantage they might have in favor of a lower position than the enemy (generally a bad idea). The Confederates rallied and aimed their artillery at the huge hole the Union troops had climbed into. Shooting a fish in a barrel sounds harder than it is, and it was made even easier when the Union counterattack failed to outrun the Confederates.

. . and took refuge in the crater. The war against the Plains Indians, which lasted from the 1820s until the final clash at Wounded Knee in 1890, was not a simple territorial dispute. The Indians had little concept of land ownership.

Custer At The Battle Of The Little Bighorn

It seemed to them as stupid as owning air: there was plenty of it, and it was available to everyone. Baratieri was stung by a telegram from Italian Prime Minister Francesco Crispi demanding he take action or believe his status had been downgraded from hero to coward.

The general did not like the fight—he knew he was outnumbered, though he had no idea how well armed he was—but his brigadiers urged him on. This would prove to be a fatal mistake. A few moments later, his squad was surrounded by the war cries of the tribes.

This was Custer's last battle, in which he and five companies of the 7th Cavalry were killed. However, Jackson never made it to Gettysburg thanks to his greatest victory, the Battle of Chancellorsville. During the battle, Jackson deftly moved around the battlefield to surprise the Union flank.

Jackson and his 28,000 troops attacked Union soldiers who were playing cards. Inexplicably, Burnside threw 14 brigades against the stone wall, and wave after wave of rebel infantry mowed down the bluecoats. Burnside occupied the deadly southern redoubt, perhaps assuming that the Confederates would run out of ammunition or morale at some point.

Nothing of the sort happened, and on the night of December 13, 1862, after nine direct attacks, more than 12,000 Union soldiers lay dead or wounded, a blue blanket in a meadow where the temperature soon dropped to 15 degrees.

The thaw is over. Therefore, in the early hours of April 25, 1915, Hamilton undertook an extremely ambitious amphibious landing. The bridgehead assault scheme might have sounded like a description of a D-Day landing if it were not for the absence of any specialized landing craft.

Armored assault boats existed as early as England, but they remained a well-kept secret; God forbid, the invaders will use them and thus spill the beans about the British. Instead, huge warships towed heavy ropes of shells—essentially lifeboats—to shore, then split the ropes and outsourced the work of towing to slow, shallow draft boats.

The rowers went the last meters to land.

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