worst generals in vietnam

Ulysses S. Grant, who replaced McClellan, understood this. Download the FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere. A Brief History. 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. . 15. During the darkest days of the rebellion, when Washington's army had been kicked out of New York and King George's star seemed ascendant, the "Conway cabal" of disgruntled officers and politicians unsuccessfully schemed to out Washington and appoint Gates. James K. Polk upon the outbreak of war between Mexico and the U.S. and offered to become an agent for the U.S. (again). These American commanders have lost the battle for history. The stabbed in the back myth did much to propel the ascent of Adolf Hitler, and Ludendorff was a key participant in the Beer Hall Putsch. I didn't fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that's not against the law for generals. With high hopes set upon his shoulders at the beginning of the American Civil war, quickly becoming General-in-Chief of the Union Army, McClellan would earn the distinction as a general of little action. 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. Alexander went on to march halfway across Asia, creating an empire, albeit short-lived, that changed the history of three continentsnot bad for an ancient millennial. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved, as Continental Army commander during the momentous American defeat of a British army at Saratoga in 1777, The Five Best U.S. Click + to receive email alerts when new stories are published on. Commanders of Chaos: The 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History 4. He was called the inevitable general. A West Point graduate, he served in World War II and Korea. Persian Gulf (1988) (Oil Platforms) 2. Contrarily, I would not so stigmatize another important player often criticized by others, Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge. From Kaiser Wilhelm to Hitler and Saddam Hussein and Gadhafi, there is no end of national leaders who squandered their nations blood and treasure in futile conflicts. Leaders of the Vietnam War - Wikipedia The Worst Military Leaders in History review from Ancient Rome to Vietnam Implementing the attrition strategy, Westmoreland typically employed a series of large unit sweeps conducted in the deep jungle regions along South Vietnams western borders. Argentina, Brazil, and the Brazilian puppet government in Uruguay formed an alliance, and on May 1, 1865, they declared war on Paraguay. Westmoreland was on a treadmill. He first demonstrated his ineptitude during the Mexican-American War, where he had received an appointment to the rank of major general from his friend Pres. Military greatness can most easily be defined by comparison. Hull responded by ordering the evacuation of Fort Dearborn, and the garrison was promptly massacred by a Potawatomi war band upon leaving the fort. The world over, countries are embarking on ambitious projects of industrial policy. Here are five of America's worst generals: Great generals have great talents, and usually egos and ambitions to match. They dramatically upped their game, pressing the U.S. worldwide. Along with Communist China and other Communist movements in the region, who were fighting to reunite the Vietnams under the red banner, there were other belligerent, free countries in the region who had an interest in keeping South Vietnam away from the Commies. Needs to Talk About the Risk of War With China, Putin Has Assembled an Axis of Autocrats Against Ukraine, The Conversation About Ukraine Is Cracking Apart. His senior staff lacked diversity of experience and professional outlook, consisting mostly of people with backgrounds similar to his own, especially airborne. James Bond Stockdale was flying his A-4 Skyhawk on a mission over North Vietnam, just days after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, when his plane took fire and hurtled d 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 These are the incompetents, the idiots, the bumblers who have represented armies or nations at war only to lead them to defeat or shame. There appeared to be little serious planning for what would happen the day after Saddam was gone. 5. Is the Biden administrations China policy too hawkish? Its quite exclusive: combat leaders who had the fate of their people in their hands and squandered it all. The Cimbri destroyed Caepios force and, emboldened by their success, marched on Maximuss camp. Is the Biden administrations China policy too hawkish? Vietnam War - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica How well that would have worked can be seen when Gates was sent to command American troops in the South. The Persians had a mixed record against the Greeks. Not until 1995 did Vietnam release its official estimate of war dead: as many as 2 million civilians on both sides and some 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. His poor tactical decisions resulted in his army being routed by a smaller force of Redcoats and Loyalists at the Battle of Camden in South Carolina in 1780. Overseas during World War II he had limited line duty (16 months of battalion command, then 13 months in staff positions) and of 14 months of command during the Korean War and its immediate aftermath he spent eight months in reserve in Japan and only six months in Korea, and that during the mostly static final months of the war. Major General Sir Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend The idiot who, seeking self aggrandisement, led his army, Force D, to disaster at Kut in WW1. These records were transferred into the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration in 2008. The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January - 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Qung Tr Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. Darius quickly lost everything and became nothing but a fugitive. in history from Michigan State University in 1995. 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. Brock, sensing an opportunity, advised an immediate march on Fort Detroit. Fortunately, along came Reaganif not for that, Westmorelands military reversals could well have signaled the beginning of our end. Gen. Charles Cornwallis. In other words, this book is a "how-not-to" guide to leadership. [1] Darius family would be captured and even lost the Battle of Gaugamela, where so many factors were in his favor. A very influential visitor, Senator "Fritz" Hollings from Westmoreland's home state of South Carolina, had warned him about reliance on such ratios. The next major British offensive came at Passchendaele (July 31November 6, 1917), where Haig lost another 275,000 troops in a battle whose name became synonymous with pointless slaughter. Watchthe conversation onFP Live, the magazines forum for live journalism, orreada condensed transcript. He was soon released, however, and, as more capable French admirals either died or somehow incurred Napoleons disfavor, a path to the top echelons of command was opened for Villeneuve. Others were experienced military men who should have known better than to take the risks they took - or not take the risks they should have. While British cannons shelled the fort from the Canadian side of the river, Tecumseh marched his warriors through a forest clearing in an endless parade. Defining that is like defining a bad meal. In 1847, U.S. troops once again surprised Santa Anna and captured his prosthetic leg. This infuriated the Marines, who viewed it as evidence that Westmoreland lacked confidence in them. Varus himself, seeing all hope was lost, committed suicide. 10. Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama. But there was something that not even the factories of New York and Chicago could produce, and that was time. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Varus placed his legions in a position where their fighting strengths would be minimized and that of the Germanic Cherusci tribesman maximized. Applications for the Gettysburg College-Gilder Lehrman MA program are open and considered on a rolling basis. He called for bombing China, as if liberating Korea was worth risking 550 million Chinese and possibly war with Russia as well. But the rash advance into North Korea was a blunder of strategic proportions. And how might that be impacting the world? They dramatically upped their game, pressing the U.S. worldwide. Advancing to the North Korean border with China also was a red flag for Mao-Tse Tung, who feared that American troops on his border were a prelude to U.S. invasion. While Maximus was conducting negotiations with the Cimbri, a Germanic tribe that had invaded the Roman province of Transalpine Gaul, Caepio rashly attacked the Cimbri army on October 6, 105 BCE. My daughter thinks 2018 was the worst year ever. I'd nominate 1968 Heres the inaugural class: 6. He was responsible for coming up with the idea of using force to restore constitutional order in Chechnya. Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. Weekly update on developments in India and its neighbors. Sure, he was the greatest commander of the Second Punic War, a titanic contest between Carthage and Rome. Delivered Friday. On the other side of the trenches in World War I was Erich Ludendorff, commanding the armies of Germany. For one thing, we wouldnt haveSpartacuson Netflix. 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. Without question, many lives would be saved if their tactical professionalism were enhanced.. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great invaded the Persian Empire. Simultaneously, he contacted Maximilian to offer the young emperor his services. Civil War Casualties | American Battlefield Trust These two instances are illustrative of many, many more, ranging from his actions or lack of action in combat situations to his determination to take over the war and win it with U.S. forces to his resultant failure to build up South Vietnamese forces to the validity of body count to the decision to close Khe Sanh to his actions when Lang Vei was overrun to denying predictions he had made of an early end to the war to claims of not being surprised at Tet 1968 to denying a post-Tet request for many additional U.S. forces. Battle of Dak To in the Vietnam War - ThoughtCo Reviews - Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam Advancing in dispersed columns across the northern half of the peninsula was an invitation to be destroyed piecemeal. 6. There is now little doubt that Putin failed in his initial goals: Kyiv is still Show morestanding, Ukrainians are determined to keep fighting, and the West has so far stayed resolute in its support of Ukraine. Vietnam War U.S. Military Fatal Casualty Statistics What defines Santa Anna is his utter failure to subdue the Texican rebels and block American expansion. He was uninterested in other viewpoints on how the war might be prosecuted, dismissing the PROVN Study sponsored by Army Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson (which concluded that Westmorelands way of war was not working and could not work) and basic disagreements with Westmorelands organization and approach voiced by his brilliant classmate General Bruce Palmer Jr. 7. - 2 Worst: 2007 Washington Wizards. Vice President, Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consult individual encyclopedia entries about the topics. A curated selection of our very best long reads. Not that Fredendall didn't have real issues that would have tried any commander. Evening roundup with our editors favorite stories of the day. Keep up with the world without stopping yours. Santa Anna, a lifetime gambler, was known for his risk taking in battle, but also his brutality. Scilit | Article - A Slow March from Social Evil to Harm Reduction He also issued orders to his troops in a personal code that no one else understood, such as this gem of command clarity: Move your command, i. e., the walking boys, pop guns, Baker's outfit and the outfit which is the reverse of Baker's outfit and the big fellows to M, which is due north of where you are now, as soon as possible. MilitaryHistoryOnline.com Have your boss report to the French gentleman whose name begins with J at a place which begins with D which is five grid squares to the left of M. The Kasserine disaster had repercussions. There was no warmth, no apparent interest in his associates as people. While there were a host of bad generals serving on both sides during the American Civil Warmostly on the Union side unfortunatelythe one that usually gets the most credit for dragging out the war as long as he did is Union General George McClellan. Having amassed roughly twice as many losses in a single day as Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, had suffered during the entire Peninsular War, Haig saw no reason to change tactics. Russias war is receiving critical assistance from authoritarian regimes around the world. Persian Gulf War (1990-1991) 24. He served as a National Socialist member of the German parliament before authoring a book about how humanity exists in a state of perpetual war and why that is a good thing. So long Fort Bragg, welcome Fort Liberty: The Pentagon's naming Gamelin also chose not to disperse Frances vast number of superior tanks. The Worst Military Leaders in History is meant to be thought-provoking, and it surely is that." ARMY Magazine "Few subjects get military historians and history buffs talking like a debate over the best military leaders in history. This proved possible only with enemy cooperation, since they could break contact and limit casualties as they wished by withdrawing into sanctuaries across the border. In 1941, Graziani resigned his commission after the British counterattacked and the Tenth Army was completely defeated during Operation Compass. As military professionals, we should think about more . It was anotherhistory-changingevent, the birth of a truly exceptional nation. 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. Despite reports of the build-up of German forces and even knowing the date of the Germans attack, Gamelin did nothing, stating that he would await events. 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. Unfortunately the fates of the former Republic Vietnam (Sout. Click + to receive email alerts when new stories are published on Muammar Al-Gaddafi. Along with Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Montgomery is the most celebrated of British generals and had the ego to match, or even exceed, his reputation. He was killed in combat on March 1, 1870. Westmoreland established a headquarters known as MACV Forward in the northern provinces of South Vietnam and put his deputy, General Creighton Abrams, in charge, placing him over the Marines and also the Army forces in that region. The Worst Military Leaders in History Hardcover - March 22, 2022 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. Whatever its military wisdom or lack thereof, it was a decision that should not have been made by generals under the American political system. If it was, half to three-quarters of them would be in jail. The Second Battle of the Somme was the first of a series of successful German offensives, but Ludendorff had failed to integrate these tactical victories into a broader strategic plan. In his single-minded pursuit of that objective, Westmoreland (despite his repeated claims to the contrary) essentially ignored two other crucial aspects of the war, improvement of South Vietnams armed forces and pacification. Mexican general Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna probably wished that everyone really did remember the Alamo, because: (1) he actually did win that battle (he outnumbered his opponents between 10- and 30-to-1); and (2) during the 13-day siege, he somehow resisted the urge to betray all his allegiances and change sides. Sun Wu Sun Zi, or Sun Tzu, was a prominent military general during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) who is always regarded as one of the greatest military strategists in China and even the World. If Gates had been in command, we might be paying for our groceries with shillings and pence. Allied with Brock was the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, who was head of the most formidable pan-Indian military force the continent had ever seen. They kept it as a war trophy, exhibiting the leg at county fairs. Create an FP account to save articles to read later and in the FP mobile app. FPsRavi Agrawalsat down with U.S. Trade RepresentativeKatherine Tai, the Biden administrations top official tasked with mapping out and implementing the White Houses trade policy. Its quite exclusive: combat leaders who had the fate of their people in their hands and squandered it all. The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest darkened Emperor Augustus remaining years and he was heard, upon occasion, to moan, Quinctilius Varus, give me back my Legions!, Notable mention: George Custer, Joseph Hooker, Ambrose Burnside, Charles Cornwallis, John II of France, Top 10 Utterly Bizarre Things Banned In China, Top 10 Military Bases Linked To UFOs (That Aren't Area 51), 10 Bizarre Military Inventions That Almost Saw Deployment, 10 Futuristic Sci-Fi Military Technologies That, 10 Awesome French Military Victories You've Never Heard Of, 10 Oddities That Interrupted Military Battles, Top 10 Top-Level Domains That Caused Controversies, 10 Controversial Toys You Might Already Have in Your Home, Ten Absolutely Vicious Fights over Inherited Fortunes, 10 Female Film Pioneers Who Shaped the Movies, Ten True Tales from Americas Toughest Prison, 10 Times Members of Secretive Societies and Organizations Spilled the Beans, 10 Common Idioms with Unexpectedly Dark Origins, 10 North American Animals with Misplaced Reputations, 10 Japanese Weapons Invented Too Late To Win World War II, 10 Ways The History Of Thanksgiving Is Nothing Like You Imagined, 10 Great Buildings That Were Not Built Quite Well Enough. Explore the benefits included in your subscription. A dull, unfeeling, unimaginative, smug "Colonel Blimp" of the worst sort. The Vietnam War Crimes You Never Heard Of | History News Network But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln and the Union expected great things. But MacArthur's strategy certainly helped unleash 300,000 Chinese "volunteers" who inflicted significant casualties on United Nations forces. Not only is Sorley a third-generation graduate of West Point a Vietnam veteran and a historian, but he worked for Westmoreland as well. 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. This was heeded about as well as any piece of parental advice, anywhere ever. The Roman Empire has a long, proud tradition of producing some of the finest generals in human history- and just as many of the worst. He effectively pledged to become an agent for the U.S. but found that he had been deposed upon his return to Mexico. Elmo Zumwalt was a U.S. admiral and commander of American naval forces in Vietnam. I flew into Vietnam in June 1968 as a young . bar is to mention Vietnam. He bears a lot of responsibility for one the greatest reversals of military fortune ever experienced by a super power. Maximus managed to form up his men but to no avail. George Custer at the Little Big Horn and Lord Chelmsford at the Battle of Isandlwana leap to mind. He was also supremely gifted at overestimating the size of his opponents armies to a degree that beggared belief. And if they not only fail to deliver, but wind up sinking their own side in the process, and change history, they earn a spot in the Hall of Military Shame. NEW FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Following on from our list of the greatest and most successful military commanders, we are presenting this list of the worst. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Feel free to mention any others you may know of in the comments. Registration for summer courses begins March 18, 2023 and ends June 7, 2023. The British gained control of the fort, dozens of cannons, the brig USS Adams (recommissioned the HMS Detroit), and virtually the entire Michigan Territory. Delivered Wednesday. Corruption is the Worst Enemy of the Vietnamese Army Known as Reverse Buller by his troops during the Second Boer War, the Englishman was first defeated at the Battle of Colenso and subsequently lost his position as overall commander. On March 24, 1976, Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1 st Viscount of Alamein, hero of World War II, died at home in England. 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. 88,594. But the inducements encourage U.S. companies to invest only at homenot elsewhere. Vast areas dotted with villages were blasted with artillery, bombed from the air. Ukraines economy and infrastructure have been dealt blows that will take decades to recover from. All related (37) Sort Recommended Doug Szabo Author has 972 answers and 137.7K answer views Nov 27 My vote goes to adm Otto Zumwalt. In stereotypically McClellan fashion, he was promptly checked by a vastly inferior force under John Bankhead Magruder. Of course they raised this issue, leading Westmoreland to declare vehemently that establishing MACV Forward had not a damned thing to do with my confidence in General Cushman or the Marines, not a damned thing. That again was not only false but, given the existing paper trail, reckless as well. Despite fresh salvos of Western sanctions, Tehran and Moscow are buddying up on defense ties. Delivered Monday-Saturday. Alas, call it the laws of probability or just cosmic karma, but every nation produces bad generals as well as good onesand . Sorley skillfully uses Westmoreland's own words to show time and again his duplicity at worst and his lack of touch with reality at best. Today's list: The top ten reasons Gen. Westmoreland lost the war in Vietnam By the way, here is the first review I have seen of Sorley's new biography of Westmoreland, which I read in galleys. But he was overly cautious by nature. He first demonstrated his ineptitude during the Mexican-American War, where he had received an appointment to the rank of major general from his friend Pres. And once again, at the Battle of Antietam, McClellans terminal case of the slows (as Lincoln called it) prevented the exploitation of a possible war-ending vulnerability in Confederate defenses. James K. Polk. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Pillow pulled the troops back to the fort to resupply them. The resulting Peninsular Campaign (AprilJuly 1862) was a marvel of planning but something of a farce in execution. At Brownstown, south of Detroit, two dozen warriors under Tecumseh routed more than 200 American militiamen escorting a supply column intended for Detroit. 3. On September 2, 1945, hours after the Japanese signed their unconditional surrender in World War II, communist leader Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam, hoping. After only 10 weeks into the Pacific War, Percival became responsible for the largest surrender of British-led forces in history.

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