Worst Tactical Blunders in the History of War - Political Forum

Kazikli Bey · 08-10-2007, 08:49 PM

I couldn't fina another thread like this, so i thought that i'd make my own.

My question is, in the history of warfare, what have been the biggest tactical blunders committed by a side.

For me, they are:

1. Nazi Germany attacking Stalinist Russia
2. Bombing of Pearl Harbour
3. Hannibal marching through the Alps to invade Rome
4. Brits giving us Ozzies the wrong directions in WW1 and sending us to Gallipoli rather than to where we were meant to go.
5. Tsu Hsi backing the Boxer Rebellion
6. The French attacking the Prussian Empire
7. For that matter, the French attacking anybody at all without Napoleons help.
8. america invading Iraq and then not being able to pull out (after the war had ended)
9. America backing Diem in the Vietnam war and getting hammered by the commies.
10. Hitler making a pass at Marilyn Monroe at the 1936 Olympics (let's face it, that's the real reason america entered the second world war.)

Bradgriff · 08-11-2007, 03:06 PM

OK, this'll be fun.....

1. Operation Barbarosa, Germans Vs. USSR, where Hitler blew it.
2. The Bay of Pigs, Cuban expatriots and CIA Vs. Castro, what it lacks in bodies it makes up for Intel disaster.
3. Waterloo, Napolean Vs. English, When it started raining Napolean should have pulled out.
4. Gallipoli, Turks Vs. UK, the entrenched Turks shred the amphibious attacks of the Brits and Aussies, while command makes no tactical changes
5. Cold Harbour, North Vs. South USA, Grant sacrifices 70,000 men in 2 days, for almost zero tactical gain

Well, that's all I have in my mind, I know there is more.

USViking · 08-12-2007, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazikli Bey

I couldn't fina another thread like this, so i thought that i'd make my own.

My question is, in the history of warfare, what have been the biggest tactical blunders committed by a side.

For me, they are:

1. Nazi Germany attacking Stalinist Russia
2. Bombing of Pearl Harbour
3. Hannibal marching through the Alps to invade Rome
4. Brits giving us Ozzies the wrong directions in WW1 and sending us to Gallipoli rather than to where we were meant to go.
5. Tsu Hsi backing the Boxer Rebellion
6. The French attacking the Prussian Empire
7. For that matter, the French attacking anybody at all without Napoleons help.
8. america invading Iraq and then not being able to pull out (after the war had ended)
9. America backing Diem in the Vietnam war and getting hammered by the commies.
10. Hitler making a pass at Marilyn Monroe at the 1936 Olympics (let's face it, that's the real reason america entered the second world war.)

1-8 are OK

9: America was the one doing the hammering.
However, the will to go all out and win with
a full-scale million-man commitment was not there.

10: What the hell are you talking about?-
MM was 10 years old and living in California
in 1936.

You must be thinking of that good looking
girl (I forget her name) who got kicked off
the team for drinking champaigne on the boat
on the way over.

USViking · 08-12-2007, 06:19 AM

The 1940 French defences are a good candidate.

Half their frontier was covered by the Maginot line
which might actually have been impenetrable. The
other half of the line was unfortified.

So you would think most of their army would have
been covering the non-fortified sector, right?

Wrong- The French High Command did not see it
that way, and had well over half the army sitting
behind the Maginot line.

Shift 20 divisions 50-100km to the left and the
Germans might not have broken through.

Kazikli Bey · 08-12-2007, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by USViking

1-8 are OK

9: America was the one doing the hammering.
However, the will to go all out and win with
a full-scale million-man commitment was not there.

America was the one killing innocent people but also getting hammered coz the Vietcong knew that america couldn't survive against guerilla warfare, you had not tactics against it (except send your men into the jungle to get killed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by USViking

10: What the hell are you talking about?-
MM was 10 years old and living in California
in 1936.

You must be thinking of that good looking
girl (I forget her name) who got kicked off
the team for drinking champaigne on the boat
on the way over.

Yeah, sorry, must of, it was late when i wrote that and i put the first thing name that came.

USViking · 08-12-2007, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazikli Bey

America was the one killing innocent people

America certainly killed innocent people.

But do you really suppose the VC were
doing any different?

You are wrong if you do.

Therefore the two guilts cancel each other
in the realm of comparative moral stature.

Elsewhere in the realm of moral stature
do you by any chance know of the term
"Boat People"?

If you are unfamiliar with it, google it,
but I will give you a hint: it was over a million
people who fled their homeland in time of peace.

They could not go on living with the winners
of the Viet Nam War. And they were only
the ones who could find a boat!

In the case of the Boat People the moral
stature of the winners shrinks for any objective
person to see. Comparatively, America does
outstandingly well, for having given 800 thousand
new homes in her bosom.

I doubt anything like objectivity has occurred
in your *****ed, envenomed hatred of the USA,
whose sins have been spoon-fed to you by
the elders who you have had the misfortune
to become indoctrinated by.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazikli Bey

but also getting hammered coz the Vietcong knew that america couldn't survive against guerilla warfare, you had not tactics against it (except send your men into the jungle to get killed.

America was not only surviving, it was prevailing.

The NVA-VC were, however, a numerous and
efficient enemy. It would have taken several
more years to kill them all in a war of attrition,
which was the strategy. The will to keep at it
was not there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazikli Bey

Yeah, sorry, must of, it was late when i wrote that and i put the first thing name that came.

I have a book with a photo. I can't find it
at the moment. When I do find it I will let
you know.

The party girl was I think a medal favorite but
ran afoul on the ocean liner trip of the stupidly
strict team regulations dictated by the infamous
Avery Brundage, then Commissar of the entire
US contingent.

Brundage competed in the 1912 Olympics against
Jim Thorpe. They were, in fact, teammates.

Brundage was the asshole who squealed on Thorpe,
apparently from spite and revenge.

Kazikli Bey · 08-12-2007, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by USViking

America certainly killed innocent people.

But do you really suppose the VC were
doing any different?

You are wrong if you do.

Therefore the two guilts cancel each other
in the realm of comparative moral stature.

Elsewhere in the realm of moral stature
do you by any chance know of the term
"Boat People"?

If you are unfamiliar with it, google it,
but I will give you a hint: it was over a million
people who fled their homeland in time of peace.

They could not go on living with the winners
of the Viet Nam War. And they were only
the ones who could find a boat!

In the case of the Boat People the moral
stature of the winners shrinks for any objective
person to see. Comparatively, America does
outstandingly well, for having given 800 thousand
new homes in her bosom.

I doubt anything like objectivity has occurred
in your *****ed, envenomed hatred of the USA,
whose sins have been spoon-fed to you by
the elders who you have had the misfortune
to become indoctrinated by.

I know of boat people, most of'em came here to Australia, hence the large asian pop and besides, i never said that it was only america committing atrocites, but generally it is expected of communists to commit atrocities, not the 'bringers of democracy'.

Also, my thoughts on america are those of my own thank you, no one spoon fed me anti-americanism but the great thing about being part of a country whose media is not so self-absorbed is that we get to see the whole picture, not just the highlights of 'the great things america has done'. I've lived in america, many European countries, many asian countries and Argentina, my heart goes out to all those South Americans who lost families due to american foreign policy, as well as many asian families who lost out due to american foriegn policy and also my heart is with all the soldiers in the Middle East who are fighting an unjust war.

Quote:

Originally Posted by USViking

America was not only surviving, it was prevailing.

The NVA-VC were, however, a numerous and
efficient enemy. It would have taken several
more years to kill them all in a war of attrition,
which was the strategy. The will to keep at it
was not there.

True, the will to keep at it was not there because the allies were getting hammered, not because they thought they were fighting in an unjust war like today. Don't kid yourself, if america was to win that war, they would have had to have killed every asian man, woman and child, their enemies were numerous and much better at winning battles. America was better equipped, better trained, everything, but the Vietcong had the advantage of guerilla warfare, a tactic that the american army could not, and still cannot cope with.

factfinder · 08-13-2007, 12:23 AM

Let´s add all the bloody and greedy interministerial wars in Africa when the various ministers fight against one another, the Iranian initial offensives against Iraq, esp. the battle near Mandali (1984 ?)which is called a second Stalingrad in the sands , in which 40.000 Iranian children died as they were sent together with the old people to detect mines and the battle in the south Iran over the insignificant island in which half of the Iranian soldiers drowned in the marshland ....[/i], the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 during which the Soviet army became one of the world´s heroin addict and heroin dealer, the battle of Verdun 1916 which the French won because colonel Pétain lost his watch and the Putin´s invasion into Chechnya in the autumn 1999 because the roads for heroin transport were not safe ...

Kazikli Bey · 08-13-2007, 02:43 AM

Factfinder, i seem to see a large amount of biast coming from you against Russia, correct me if I'm wrong.

factfinder · 08-13-2007, 03:11 AM

Well, I am oly l a fact- finder and the facts I found against Putin( not Russia) would make a book of 1.000 pages and some information I have found by studying all the accessible material in many languages just crushes me so I have to tell it but it is not partiality but just S.O.S ...