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. There are a number of contenders for the top places on such a roster.
Who is Che in NBA 2k20? - Sport-net 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. Sure, they ganged up on the Spartans at the Pass of Thermopylae. So what is the standard of shame for induction? James K. Polk. Villeneuve was then to return in secret and help establish naval dominance of the English Channel in preparation for a land invasion of Britain. This is one of the more controversial ones, but Douglas MacArthur is incredibly overrated in the annals of the US military, in my . Feel free to mention any others you may know of in the comments. Operational Culture General Training LREC SME Support Training Course Catalog Cognitive Dimension Training Additional Resources . And how might that be impacting the world? Its prewar population was reduced by more than half, and perhaps 90 percent of Paraguays fighting-age men perished. He still had his defenders, but they were in the last trench, barely holding on. Some captured Romans were placed in wicker cages and burned alive, others were enslaved or ransomed.
Today's list: The top ten reasons Gen. Westmoreland lost the war in Vietnam 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. 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. 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.
Turncoats and Traitors - Seven Americans Who Defected to the Enemy in Germanic tribes sacrificed Roman officers on altars to their gods. Delivered Wednesday. He was called the "inevitable general." A West Point graduate, he served in World War II and Korea. 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. World War I provided a forum for any number of truly horrible commanders to assert themselves.
Civil War Casualties | American Battlefield Trust Click + to receive email alerts when new stories are published on. Military greatness can most easily be defined by comparison. Darius III. How theyve practiced the art of war is immaterial, too. Tom Ricks, on his "Best Defense" blog has discussed the top 10 worst generals in U.S. history. 3. Men and material the Union could provide its armies. 4. - 4 Worst: 1990 Cleveland Cavaliers. Westmoreland was on a treadmill. 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. He was a teacher in the Chicago suburbs and Seoul, Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Michael Ray oversees coverage of European history and military affairs for Britannica.
9 Worst Generals in History | Britannica Following on from our list of the greatest and most successful military commanders, we are presenting this list of the worst. His war of attrition, search and destroy tactics, and emphasis on body count did nothing to affect the war in the hamlets and villages of South Vietnam, where the enemys covert infrastructure was left free to continue using coercion and terror to dominate the rural populace. Among them are, of course, Lyndon Johnson himself, Robert McNamara, and General Earle Wheeler. 9. George McClellan is one of those generals who really looks great on paper. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consult individual encyclopedia entries about the topics. So unused to being challenged, the United States has become so filled with anxiety over China that sober responses are becoming nearly impossible. There is no Carthage.
Black Vietnam Veterans on Injustices They Faced: Da 5 Bloods - Time The enemy simply kept sending more and more replacements to make up his losses. After only an eight-day siege, he surrendered his entire armya third of all British forces in America. 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.
LBJ's tragic "addiction" to Vietnam: The mistake that still - Salon Join in-depth conversations and interact with foreign-policy experts with. 1 Erwin Rommel Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel, popularly known as the Desert Fox, was a German field marshal of World War II. Vice President, Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute. His senior staff lacked diversity of experience and professional outlook, consisting mostly of people with backgrounds similar to his own, especially airborne. Despite Lincoln's pleas for aggressive action, his Army of the Potomac moved hesitantly, its commander McClellan convinced himself that the Southern armies vastly outnumbered him when logic should have told him that it was the North that enjoyed an abundance of resources. Informed that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor and were certain to attack the Philippines next, MacArthur failed to disperse his aircraftthe only force that could disrupt the Japanese offensive in the absence of the American fleetand to attack Japanese airfields before the enemy wiped out his air force. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great invaded the Persian Empire. Yet, Hannibal nevertheless ranks as one of the worlds epic fails. Ukraines economy and infrastructure have been dealt blows that will take decades to recover from. This might have ended okay for Germany, provided they didnt do something like provoke a previously neutral country with Allied sympathies and an effectively bottomless war chest. By the end of the conflict, America had unleashed the equivalent of 640 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs on Vietnam. But all that remains of his would-be empire today is a flaky French pastry. The latest news, analysis, and data from the country each week. But his crowning achievement was bad generalship in Korea. - 1 Best: 1996 Chicago Bulls. The alternative was to split the United States asunder.
Commanders of Chaos: The 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History HANOI, VIETNAMForty years ago, on April 30, 1975, Nguyen Dang Phat experienced the happiest day of his life . At the height of the Cold War, he dealt decisively with neither.
Who were the most feared soldiers in Vietnam? - 2023 He was indeed a capable warrior, as shown by the South Pacific campaign and the Inchon landing in Korea. 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. Hull withdrew after a series of harassing attacks by Tecumsehs highly mobile raiding parties. The man who appealed for Varus help was Arminius, a Romanized Germanic prince.
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. He thought he could take over the war from the South Vietnamese, bring it to a successful conclusion, and then hand their country back to them and go home in triumph. Alexander, Napoleon, Rommel. When all is said and done, it doesnt matter how nice, brave, courageous, gutsy, loyal, or brilliant commanders theyve been. 4. Many historians have said Bragg was one of the worst generals of the Civil War, having lost most of his battles. According to formerly classified Army documents, an investigation disclosed that from at least March 1968 through October 1969, "Vietnamese [civilian] detainees were subjected to maltreatment" by. Explore the benefits of your FP subscription. After occupying Jerusalem and crucifying 2,000 Jewish rebels in Judaea, Varus went off to govern Germania and tame barbarian tribes. Although he eventually disavowed Hitler, by that point Ludendorff had become so deeply involved with mysticism that few took him seriously. By December 1864 Paraguay was at war with Brazil, and, when Argentina denied a request for the transit of a Paraguayan army across its territory, Lpez declared war on that country as well.
Top 10 Traitors In US History - Listverse Historian Lewis Sorley author of 1999s well-regarded A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of Americans Last Years in Vietnam now zeroes in on General William Westmoreland.
My daughter thinks 2018 was the worst year ever. I'd nominate 1968 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. They kept it as a war trophy, exhibiting the leg at. 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. How do you measure military leaders? He decided to conduct of a war of attrition, using search and destroy tactics, in which the measure of merit was body count. After months of inactivity, McClellan was finally spurred to action by Pres. Westmoreland told him, "We're killing these people at a ratio of 10 to 1.". Santa Anna would lose Texas at the Battle of San Jacinto. McClellan was a superb organizer, a West Point-trained engineer who did much to build the Union army almost from . Finally, there was MacArthur's insubordination. (You May Also Like: 5 Israeli Weapons of War ISIS Should Fear). Finally, when it comes to bad generals, let us remember Truman's immortal words about firing MacArthur: I fired him because he wouldn't respect the authority of the President. Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. Cornwallis later did redeem himself militarily. Who was the worst US general during the Vietnam War? But the award for the biggest Persian loser goes to Darius III.
This was the most fearsome army in the Vietnam War Your guide to the most important world stories of the day. Caepio was born into a noble family and became consul in 106 BC. - 3 Best: 1987 Los Angeles Lakers.
Alas, call it the laws of probability or just cosmic karma, but every nation produces bad generals as well as good onesand . 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. Darius again was the first to flee the battle, abandoning all of his soldiers and his property to be taken by Alexander. This infuriated the Marines, who viewed it as evidence that Westmoreland lacked confidence in them. Darius quickly lost everything and became nothing but a fugitive. The heavily forested, swampy terrain made the Legions maneuvers impossible. To accomplish this goal, Vietnam employs repressive policies that often contravene international human rights law. He need not be concerned, soothed Wheeler, because the weight of judgment was that the enemy cant match us on a buildup. That turned out to be one of the classic misjudgments of the war, comparable in magnitude and consequence to General MacArthurs assurances to President Truman that Chinese forces would not enter the Korean War. Once again, McClellan worked his organizational magic, restoring the morale of a shattered Union army. Scott claimed that Pillow was ''the only person I have ever known who was wholly indifferent in the choice between truth and falsehood. When talk of secession reached Pillows home state of Tennessee, he helped organize the state militia and was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate army. Evening roundup with our editors favorite stories of the day. Cue the protests from other parts of the globe: A chorus of nations are accusing Washington of fostering unfair competition. Read More. He was found guilty of 11 counts, and only the intervention by Pres. Download the new FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere. His prestige restored by his conduct during the Pastry War with France, Santa Anna once again claimed dictatorial powers. Hull had served with distinction in the Revolutionary War and was appointed governor of the Michigan Territory in 1805. Pillow faced a court-martial for stealing a Mexican cannon and attempting to spirit it home in his personal baggage, but Polk intervened to clear Pillows record. 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. 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. He continued to view attrition as the most effective strategy for defeating Germany; the British lost some 420,000 men at the Somme. rs worth well over $400 billion. 1968 takes the cake for me. Implementing the attrition strategy, Westmoreland typically employed a series of large unit sweeps conducted in the deep jungle regions along South Vietnams western borders.
Top 10 Worst World Leaders - Wonderslist He is the dumb ass who gave the order to exfoliate the jungles with agent orange. 2. Relations between the United States and China seem to be getting frostier by the day. The 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History. On the other side of the trenches in World War I was Erich Ludendorff, commanding the armies of Germany. In reality, it is a collection of ideas, images, and information that enough people have chosen to preserve and disseminate. 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. 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. 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. Casey was an Army insidera four-star general and the son of the highest-ranking American casualty of the Vietnam War, a division commander who was killed in a July 1970 helicopter crash. A very significant instance was his determination to arbitrarily hold down the estimate of enemy strength during a 1967 order of battle controversy. Thus it was under Darius rule that the Persian Empire fell and was conquered. 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. Delivered Monday-Saturday. Diem's family was one of the earliest to convert to Catholicism, a religion he took . The Romans marched right into the ambush that Arminius laid thus leading to the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Find Paraguay on a map of South America. Quintus Servilius Caepio takes the cake amongst the worst Roman generals ever to take command of a legion though. Youre on the list!
Vietnam War body count controversy - Wikipedia But its not just the United States. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. Soon after declaring himself dictator of Mexico, rebels who opposed the Mexican dictatorship created three new republics, one of them being the Republic of Texas. Having several decades of duplicity to draw on at this point, everyone had a pretty good idea of how any such deal would turn out, and the aging general was rebuffed by both parties. Indeed they are brave and proud, but their standards, tactics, and lack of command supervision throughout their ranks requires improvement in the national interest. And, he added, I would be less than frank if I did not say that I feel somewhat insecure with the situation in Quang Tri province, in view of my knowledge of their shortcomings. History: Military History. The initial assault resulted in very high casualties for the Russians and an almost complete breakdown of morale in the Russian forces. The American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. What myths or misperceptions surround Westmoreland that you would like to clear up, if any? To say that he failed in both regards is to dramatically understate the case. The Texans only suffered 2 casualties, as opposed to hundreds of Mexican casualties. 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 Wallace Greeneboth saw Westmorelands approach as fatally flawed and agreed on a viable alternative. What will another year of war look like? All the enemys losses were quickly made up. Wrote Kevin Buckley in a scathing review, From the beginning Westmoreland probably expected to write a memoir of victory similar to Crusade in Europeand the defeat in Vietnam has not deterred him from this..
Top Ten Worst Military Commanders - The History Buff's Guide to World Although he managed to escape the battle unharmed, Caepio was stripped of his Roman citizenship and exiled. James Madison spared him from execution. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Following on from our list of the greatest and most successful military commanders, we are presenting this list of the worst. Who was the worst general in history? At the Battle of Gaugamela, he helped make Alexander great by losing half his army to the Macedonian upstart. (You May Also Like: The Five Best Generals in U.S. History). 8. Rommel is by far the greatest military general of the . A Brief History. These are the incompetents, the idiots, the bumblers who have represented armies or nations at war only to lead them to defeat or shame. He gritted his teeth and wore down the Confederacy with incessant attacks until the South could take no more. As the commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, he faced a two-front war, an insurgency in the South and an invading army from the North. Fortunately, along came Reaganif not for that, Westmorelands military reversals could well have signaled the beginning of our end. Pillow suffered slightly more casualties than Grant in the engagement, which possibly makes the Battle of Belmont the high point of Pillows military career. T he Civil War was America's bloodiest conflict. Sure, he won big at the Alamo. Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a frank discussion about the Biden administrations China policy and alternatives that it ought to consider. Watch the conversation or read the condensed transcript. Pillow escaped during the night, leaving Simon B. Buckner to surrender the fort and 15,000 Confederate troops. The Biden administration has passed landmark legislations such as theInflation Reduction Act(IRA) and theCHIPS and Science Act, which provide subsidies in clean energy and semiconductoShow morers worth well over $400 billion. The 20th century is the most violent century in history. 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. He overestimated the American peoples patience and tolerance of friendly losses. The enemy did not lose heart, did not cease aggression. A more minor case, but one revealing of Westmorelands character, stemmed from his unwillingness to level with his senior Marine subordinate at the time of the 1968 Tet Offensive. Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam, Chinas Censors Are Afraid of What Chatbots Might Say, The U.S.
Top Ten Reasons Field Marshal Montgomery is Not so Great In fifteen thought-provoking essays, each written by a professional military historian, readers are introduced .
Who are the famous national heroes or generals in Vietnam? General Westmorelands close associate, General William DePuy, later admitted the futility of the Westmoreland way of war. As for the British, they had lost the most valuable jewel of the Imperial crown. 1. Would he be upset if he were alive to read this book today? 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. Ulysses S. Grant made his Civil War debut at the Battle of Belmont against Confederate Gen. Gideon Pillow. A common view holds that 138,708 Allied personnel surrendered or were killed by fewer than 30,000 Japanese. Todays list: The top ten reasons Gen. Westmoreland lost the war in Vietnam, Want to read more on this topic or region? A key plank in the Democratic platform that year was, appropriately, not fighting, and McClellan lost in a rout.
The 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History | RealClearHistory Gamelin was commander of the French forces in World War II and is largely responsible for the fall of France into German control during the Battle of France. On September 9, 1965, Navy Cmdr. General Wheeler was often just flat wrong in what he told the President. While serving in Vietnam . Grachev publicly promised to swiftly crush the Chechen separatist forces in a couple of hours with a single airborne regiment. He led the disastrous storming of Grozny while drunk after celebrating his birthday on January 1st. Lincoln relieved McClellan but reinstated him after the devastating Union defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run. The problem begins with the fact that nobody in the chain of command was really competent to critique Westmorelands performance. But the rash advance into North Korea was a blunder of strategic proportions. 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.
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