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. Even now, the easiest way to get into an argument at a V.F.W. Many have described his activities as "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in US history." 3 Nidal Malik Hasan Nidal Malik Hasan was a U.S. Army Major, and the sole suspect in a shooting at the Fort Hood military base, only weeks before he would have deployed to Afghanistan. By Lewis Sorley Best Defense Saigon bureau chief. The American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. Lincoln relieved McClellan but reinstated him after the devastating Union defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run. The resulting Peninsular Campaign (AprilJuly 1862) was a marvel of planning but something of a farce in execution. 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. Haig had largely dismissed the effect of the machine gun on the battlefield, believing that previous Allied failures owed to something other than an impenetrable wall of lead traveling at ballistic velocity. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Although he managed to escape the battle unharmed, Caepio was stripped of his Roman citizenship and exiled. 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. 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. Alas, call it the laws of probability or just cosmic karma, but every nation produces bad generals as well as good onesand America is no exception. But Franks, who commanded the invasion, made a bad situation worse. Grachev played a key role in initiating and leading the First Chechen War. 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. 5. After making a laughingstock of himself by ordering his men to entrench on the wrong side of fortifications at Camargo, Pillow bungled his role at the Battle of Cerro Gordo, making himself the low point of a resounding American victory. It's not the first time that someone thought he was smarter than his boss. A curated selection of our very best long reads. The Persians had a mixed record against the Greeks. His forces outnumbered Alexanders men by at least a 2 to 1 ratio, but Darius was still outflanked, defeated and forced to flee. 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. Gods and Generals (2003) Loss $61 million These are actually Civil War reenactors and probably the only people who paid to see the movie. I flew into Vietnam in June 1968 as a young . 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. After achieving moderate success in Libya and Ethiopia, the Butcher of Ethiopia became Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Royal Armys General Staff and of Italian North Africa at the start of World War II. Abraham Lincoln. His prestige restored by his conduct during the Pastry War with France, Santa Anna once again claimed dictatorial powers. in history from Michigan State University in 1995. 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. At this point, things somehow got worse for Hull. But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln and the Union expected great things. Feel free to mention any others you may know of in the comments. 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. In 1940, after increasing pressure from dictator Benito Mussolini and facing demotion, Graziani followed orders and invaded Egypt with his Tenth Army. Test yourself on the week of Feb. 25: Nigeria votes, Finland builds a border wall, and Israel escalates repression. Delivered Friday. Alexander, Napoleon, Rommel. If there was a saving grace for America, it was that he wasn't commanding an army. He spoke up in Honolulu, during an important U.S. planning conference in February 1966, observing that we can beat up North Vietnamese regiments in the high plateau for the next twenty years and it will not end the war. Westmorelands later dismissive comment was that Ambassador Lodge does not have a deep feel of military tactics and strategy.. After being taken prisoner (again) by the British, Villeneuve was released but committed suicide rather than face Napoleons wrath. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. Varus trust in Arminius was an obvious and terrible misjudgment. 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. 1. In considering who should receive such a dubious honor, Ive consciously excluded bad leaders. Nelsons victory at the Battle of Trafalgar was so complete that it established British supremacy on the high seas for more than a century. It would be nice if all American generals were great. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Keep up with the world without stopping yours. These American commanders have lost the battle for history. 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. A final humiliation came during Mexican-American War. 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. Ludendorff is one of historys greatest examples of a general who can win battles but still loses the war. The 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History. Watchthe conversation onFP Live, the magazines forum for live journalism, orreada condensed transcript. He is the dumb ass who gave the order to exfoliate the jungles with agent orange. Many of the charges leveled against him have also been laid at the feet of . After months of inactivity, McClellan was finally spurred to action by Pres. While there is much to criticize LBJ for in his conduct of the war, one cannot help having some sympathy for the dilemma posed by the often wildly conflicting advice he was getting from his senior aides and advisors, including those in uniform. Following on from our list of the greatest and most successful military commanders, we are presenting this list of the worst. Answer (1 of 4): The former Cham general/leader Che Bong Nga was killed in the battle against the enemy Dai Viet (old Vietnam) but Che Bong Nga was LUCKY to be mentioned by the enemy Dai Viet historians to allow people to remember him. [1] Yes, eminently. This was heeded about as well as any piece of parental advice, anywhere ever. Even if Moscow holds onto territory, the war has wrecked its future. 10. Seriously, who represents The British Empire; had the worlds greatest navy, enough cash to hire half the mercenaries of Europe, and the advantage of having a pretty pathetic-looking foe: a rag-tag army of ill-equipped rebels. Jessica Chen Weiss, formerly a senior advisor for policy planning at the State Department under the Biden administration, makes the case that the United States is becoming consumed by competition with China, a strategy that could lead to dangerous conflict. Sure, they ganged up on the Spartans at the Pass of Thermopylae. My generation would likely vote for the year exactly one-half century ago as the absolutely worst year in our lifetimes. (Photo: Warner Bros.) Roger Ebert called "Gods and Generals" a film "Trent Lott would enjoy," referring to the Senator's praise of segregationist Strom Thurmond. Fighter Aircraft of All Time). Defining that is like defining a bad meal. (You May Also Like: 5 Israeli Weapons of War ISIS Should Fear). A very significant instance was his determination to arbitrarily hold down the estimate of enemy strength during a 1967 order of battle controversy. Yes, the landing at Inchon unhinged the initial North Korean offensive. Relations between the United States and China seem to be getting frostier by the day. Its quite exclusive: combat leaders who had the fate of their people in their hands and squandered it all. Some historians are a little more sympathetic towards Percivals legacy nowadays arguing that Percival had been dealt an unusually bad hand. 9 Noteworthy Bog Bodies (And What They Tell Us), 12 Novels Considered the Greatest Book Ever Written, Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution, https://www.britannica.com/list/9-worst-generals-in-history. There are issues around killing and counting unarmed civilians (non-combatants) as enemy combatants, as well as inflating the number of actual enemy who were killed in action (KIA).For search and destroy operations, as the objective was not to . And what then? Frederick C. Weyand was a U.S. Army General who was the last commander of American military operations in the Vietnam War from 1972 to 1973. Quintus Servilius Caepio takes the cake amongst the worst Roman generals ever to take command of a legion though. In order, from most culpable down. Officially labelled a defector by the Pentagon, many suspected Nolan, an African American, changed sides after suffering a lifetime of racial discrimination. Explore the benefits included in your subscription. Because he never wanted to face a superior force, he refused to fight. Publication of the PROVN Study, whose precepts were later implemented with great success by Westmorelands successor, illustrated a matter of fundamental importance. The loss of Fort Donelson opened the door to Kentucky and Tennessee to Union forces and marked the beginning of the end of Confederate resistance in the west. Antonio de Padua Mara Severino Lpez de Santa Anna. 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. He underestimated the enemys staying power, maintaining that if he could inflict enough casualties the communists would lose heart and cease their aggression against South Vietnam. Military. And how might that be impacting the world? Feel free to mention any others you may know of in the comments. History: Military History. But its not just the United States. Allied with Brock was the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, who was head of the most formidable pan-Indian military force the continent had ever seen. Consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus was Caepios superior officer, but Caepio refused to obey Maximus or even put his forces into a shared camp with him. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died in the war. Marcus Licinius Crassus was a self-aggrandizing opportunist who started a pointless war with the Parthians, and Publius Quinctilius Varus lost three legions at Teutoburg Forest, but Proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio manages to top them both with his actions at the Battle of Arausio. Todays list: The top ten reasons Gen. Westmoreland lost the war in Vietnam. 8. 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. In the end, Chiang sacrificed more than a million Chinese soldiers and well over ten million Chinese civilians in his bid to stay in power. Here are five of America's worst generals: Great generals have great talents, and usually egos and ambitions to match. Westmorelands general mistake: severely underestimating the Communists. It was anotherhistory-changingevent, the birth of a truly exceptional nation. Persian Gulf (1988) (Oil Platforms) 2. Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama. Once again, McClellan worked his organizational magic, restoring the morale of a shattered Union army. While Muammer Al-Gaddafi isn't into the funny business in his politician reign, he most certainly is one of a highly egotistical leader and a member who represents more of the "self" rather than all else. Many historians have said Bragg was one of the worst generals of the Civil War, having lost most of his battles. Whatever its military wisdom or lack thereof, it was a decision that should not have been made by generals under the American political system. 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. By the way, here is the first review I have seen of Sorleys new biography of Westmoreland, which I read in galleys last summer, and enjoyed. Outstanding commanders such as George H. Thomas, Phil Sheridan, and William Tecumseh Sherman routinely bested their Confederate opponents. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. What is the standard of shame for induction? In 1847, U.S. troops once again surprised Santa Anna and captured his prosthetic leg. Luckily for the colonists, the Empire also had Cornwallis, a peer of the realm and truly pitiful commander. But the award for the biggest Persian loser goes to Darius III. Listing MacArthur as one of America's worst generals will be controversial. All the enemys losses were quickly made up. Despite the Union outnumbering the Confederates, McClellan was unable to crush Robert E. Lee after failing to pursue him into Virginia. Unfortunately the fates of the former Republic Vietnam (Sout. His was one of just two French ships of the line to escape the destruction of the French fleet there. Hundreds of thousands died of disease. Darius again was the first to flee the battle, abandoning all of his soldiers and his property to be taken by Alexander. A U.S. ship conveyed him to Mexico, and upon his arrivalto the surprise of virtually no onehe executed a volte-face and took charge of the Mexican troops. What can we glean from the current state of play on the battlefield? 10. 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. Ulysses S. Grant made his Civil War debut at the Battle of Belmont against Confederate Gen. Gideon Pillow. Santa Anna, a lifetime gambler, was known for his risk taking in battle, but also his brutality. Grant left politics to the politicians and did what had to be done. He was an artilleryman who missed out on the Army's great schools system, never attending the Command & General Staff College or the Army War College. Their orientation, indeed the core of Scoutings values, is selflessness and service to others. Over time Westmoreland asked for and received large numbers of U.S. troops, eventually totaling well over half a million. But the rash advance into North Korea was a blunder of strategic proportions. Nearly as many men died in captivity during the Civil War as were killed in the whole of the Vietnam War. At the Battle of Gaugamela, he helped make Alexander great by losing half his army to the Macedonian upstart. Like it or not, the U.S. military would become the governing authority. He gritted his teeth and wore down the Confederacy with incessant attacks until the South could take no more. When it came to military command, Westmoreland was everybody's all-Americanuntil he met his Waterloo. General William Childs Westmoreland (1914- 2005) with President Johnson in South Vietnam #1. Not one to let his own failings stand in the way of personal glory, Pillow submitted fanciful accounts of his actions at the Battles of Contreras and Churubusco to various newspapers, incurring the wrath of overall American commander Winfield Scott. After the war, the phrase lions led by donkeys came to be associated with the British army for what should be obvious reasons.
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