worst generals in vietnam worst generals in vietnam

But Gates could have doomed the American Revolution. He was certainly nave, but the Boy Scouts need to be defended here. When the French deposed Benito Jurez and installed Maximilian as emperor of Mexico, Santa Anna, now 70, reached out to the U.S. for support in deposing the emperor. Delivered Wednesday & Sunday. What is the standard of shame for induction? Delivered Friday. As a result, American military power and prestige took a dramatic downturn. The Soviets saw the American humiliation in Vietnam as a turning point. By the end of the conflict, America had unleashed the equivalent of 640 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs on Vietnam. Your guide to the most important world stories of the day. Johnston was wounded on the first day of the Battle of Seven Pines, six miles east of Richmond, and he was replaced by Robert E. Lee. In the end, the Romans leveled Carthage and salted the earth. His bad luck didnt end at San Jacinto. Nor is being a bad battlefield commander, by itself, sufficient to make the cut. In 1847, U.S. troops once again surprised Santa Anna and captured his prosthetic leg. Santa Anna liked to call himself the Napoleon of the West. And, like Napoleon, he squandered it all in one grand campaign. Its quite exclusive: combat leaders who had the fate of their people in their hands and squandered it all. 3. Not later than the autumn of 1966 the leaders of both services involved in fighting the ground war in VietnamArmy Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson and Marine Commandant General. And the number one reason why Westmoreland lost the war in Vietnam: With his unavailing approach to conduct of the war he squandered four years of support by much of the American people, the Congress, and even the media. The American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. All the enemys losses were quickly made up. However, not even they managed to get themselves court-martialed and sentenced to death for ineptitude on the battlefield. These are the incompetents, the idiots, the bumblers who have represented armies or nations at war only to lead them to defeat or shame. Only recently have those in the defense and military complex begun to look at how we rate generals. Youre on the list! His work as an observer during the Crimean War gave him insight into the importance of logistics for an industrialized army, and years spent as the chief of engineering for the Illinois Central Railroad made him aware of the transformative nature of rail transport. Critics say that Franks and senior officials, such as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, concocted an invasion plan that used too few troops. Cue the protests from other parts of the globe: A chorus of nations are accusing Washington of fostering unfair competition. On the night of August 15, 1812, Tecumseh led his forces across the Detroit River, and Brock followed the next morning. Rommel is by far the greatest military general of the . The problem begins with the fact that nobody in the chain of command was really competent to critique Westmorelands performance. The Legion numbers XVII, XVIII and XIX never again appeared in the Roman Armys order of battle due to the shame and ill luck they carried. Germanic tribes sacrificed Roman officers on altars to their gods. Ulysses S. Grant made his Civil War debut at the Battle of Belmont against Confederate Gen. Gideon Pillow. NEW FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Best Defense: To counter these, Major General William R. Peers commenced Operation Greeley using elements of the 4th Infantry Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. By one estimate from Harvard University, more than 130,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or severely wounded, in addition to the deaths of more than 7,000 Ukrainian civilians. Persian Gulf (1988) (Oil Platforms) 2. But his persistence and inspiration kept the Continental Army in the field through the worst of times, which is why his face is on the one-dollar bill. Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a frank discussion about the Biden administrations China policy and alternatives that it ought to consider. When the Germans shattered his troops and his reputation at Kasserine Pass in Tunisia in early 1943, Fredendall was only a major general and a corps commander. Concurrently with hi. McClellan truly disappointed president Lincoln at the Battle of Antietam where the North and South would fight the bloodiest battle of the war. Percival was off mistreating Irish Republican Army (IRA) leaders during the Anglo-Irish War before commanding British Malaya in World War II. Watchthe conversation onFP Live, the magazines forum for live journalism, orreada condensed transcript. General Harold K. Johnson was an authentic battlefield hero, and as noted above was fundamentally at odds with Westmorelands approach, but he was not in the chain of command. Following on from our list of the greatest and most successful military commanders, we are presenting this list of the worst. Some staff officers who briefed him one-on-one at deskside were dismayed when Westmoreland occupied himself by signing photographs of himself, one after another, during their presentations. In fact, he did a lot to ensure that Germany would find itself in another war that it couldnt win, but, since he died in 1937, he gets extra credit for being a bad World War II general from beyond the grave. You may opt out at any time. Saul David reviews a surprising study of military failure and names his own five most infamous generals Saul David Thursday February 17 2022, 12.00am , The Times Darius never showed up for the first battle and defeat (Battle of Granicus) because he didnt see Alexander as much of a threat to his empire. The War of the Triple Alliance devastated Paraguay. Westmorelands devotion to advancing his own interests, even when necessary by misrepresentation, was fundamentally at odds with what Scouting is all about. But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln and the Union expected great things. But with that kind of advantage in troops and firepower, who wouldnt? Thats an automatic disqualification from Hall membership. But in a contemporaneous cable to General Earle Wheeler, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Westmoreland complained that the military professionalism of the Marines falls far short of the standards that should be demanded by our armed forces. Xi Jinpings signature foreign policy is a shadow of its former self.. Despite the Union outnumbering the Confederates, McClellan was unable to crush Robert E. Lee after failing to pursue him into Virginia. These battlefield bumblers serve to provide that contrast. Santa Anna, a lifetime gambler, was known for his risk taking in battle, but also his brutality. Fighter Aircraft of All Time, his army being routed by a smaller force of Redcoats and Loyalists at the Battle of Camden in South Carolina in 1780, When the Germans shattered his troops and his reputation at Kasserine Pass in Tunisia in early 1943, Fredendall was only a major general and a corps commander, Listing MacArthur as one of America's worst generals will be controversial, 5 Israeli Weapons of War ISIS Should Fear, But MacArthur's strategy certainly helped unleash 300,000 Chinese "volunteers" who inflicted significant casualties on United Nations forces, But Franks, who commanded the invasion, made a bad situation worse, Critics say that Franks and senior officials, such as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, concocted an invasion plan that used too few troops. 8. Officially labelled a defector by the Pentagon, many suspected Nolan, an African American, changed sides after suffering a lifetime of racial discrimination. Starting with the battle of Long Island, he lost way more fights than he wonyet he managed to win the war. Argentina, Brazil, and the Brazilian puppet government in Uruguay formed an alliance, and on May 1, 1865, they declared war on Paraguay. If Gates had been in command, we might be paying for our groceries with shillings and pence. Napoleon. 10. In 1975, when the Vietnam War ended, the Vietnamese army had only 36 generals, but by 2018, peace-time Vietnam had 415 military officers holding general ranks. Listing MacArthur as one of America's worst generals will be controversial. The man who appealed for Varus help was Arminius, a Romanized Germanic prince. If there was a saving grace for America, it was that he wasn't commanding an army. But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln. George Brinton McClellan, a self-proclaimed Young Napoleon, ran dreadful campaigns, but he doesnt make the grade because he was canned before he could lose the entire war. Necessarily, more is lost to time than is remembered. Lpez was the son of Carlos Antonio Lpez, a dictator who had done much to modernize Paraguay in the mid-19th century. Although Westmoreland denied it, he imposed a ceiling on the reported number of enemy by instructing his intelligence officers to adhere to a command position of not more than 300,000, even though newly acquired and more accurate data developed in his own headquarters then indicated a much higher figure. The initial assault resulted in very high casualties for the Russians and an almost complete breakdown of morale in the Russian forces. But its not just the United States. British Gen. Isaac Brock possessed a remarkable ability to anticipate his opponents moves and reactions, and it was not long before he had taken full measure of Hull. He would eventually be betrayed and killed by a friend. When major U.S. ground force deployments were under consideration in July 1965, for example, LBJ worried that North Vietnam would respond by pouring in more men of its own. By the way, here is the first review I have seen of Sorley's new biography of Westmoreland, which I read in galleys last summer, and enjoyed. Darius was a different sort of game-changer. Westmorelands own book about himself gives some indication of how he would react to this more recent one. Gods and Generals (2003) Loss $61 million These are actually Civil War reenactors and probably the only people who paid to see the movie. Ultimately, he was denied his final showdown with the Allies by German political leaders who realized that the Americans could produce soldiers faster than Germany could produce bullets. Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a frank discussion about the Biden administrations China policy and alternatives that it ought to consider. 13,091. Military greatness can most easily be defined by comparison. He denied senior civilian officials accurate data on enemy strength and composition, during development of a 1967 Special National Intelligence Estimate imposing a ceiling on the number of enemy forces his intelligence officers could report or agree to and personally removing from the order of battle entire categories that had long been included, thus falsely portraying progress in reducing enemy strength. These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen. The Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) Extract Files contains records of 58,220 U.S. military fatal casualties of the Vietnam War. Gamelin made the mistake of viewing the Ardennes as impenetrable and chose to defend it with ten of his weakest, least well equipped and least well trained divisions. Among the most detrimental and problematic policies are the incarceration of drug users in compulsory treatment centers, and the stigmatization and abuse of consumers by the police. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he theoretically had some influence there, at least to the extent he could shape the collective viewpoint, but even then LBJ and McNamara were famously impervious to advice from the Joint Chiefs. Would he be upset if he were alive to read this book today? At this point, things somehow got worse for Hull. What will another year of war look like? James K. Polk. The deplorable conduct of Charles Lee at the Battle of Monmouth has been immortalized by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Benedict Arnolds name is synonymous with traitorous behavior. . His battlefield losses marked the end of the Persian Empire. The inept Luigi Cadorna of Italy fought a dozen battles on the Isonzo before his army completely collapsed at Caporetto. By Lewis Sorley Best Defense Saigon bureau chief. Assuming you believe the subtitle to be accurate, who were GEN Westmorelands biggest accomplices in the loss? Lpez, possibly in a fit of madness, ordered the execution of hundreds of people, including some of his own family members. My generation would likely vote for the year exactly one-half century ago as the absolutely worst year in our lifetimes. A final humiliation came during Mexican-American War. And how might that be impacting the world? But then MacArthur thrived on controversy like bread thrives on yeast. As Lincoln well knew, the only way the Union could lose the war was if the North eventually grew tired and agreed to allow the South to secede. Santa Anna would lose Texas at the Battle of San Jacinto. Despite fresh salvos of Western sanctions, Tehran and Moscow are buddying up on defense ties. For many soldiers, a major tipping point happened when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968, news of which reaches the soldiers in Da 5 Bloods during one particularly stirring scene . A more positive example is George Washington. That may have been true in the east (the worst of the Union generals in that theater rates his own entry on this list), but in the west it was a much different affair. 4. Because he never wanted to face a superior force, he refused to fight. Caepio may have been a terrible general, but he was apparently an exceptional thief.