Biggest military blunder ever.

[Gintaras]

A lot of people in Japan.


Among the worst

Hitler invading Russia
Napoleon invading Russia
USSR invading Afghanistan
Custer at Little Big Horn

Afganistan?

Soviet Army generals didn't want to go into Afghanistan back in 1979, they - Soviet Army generals knew a History - Afghanistan was never ever conquered.
USSR Politburo pressed Soviet Army to invade Afghanistan.
Everybody know what happened.
But there were fools in White House, who thought, they could re-write a History in 2001.
Would they?

A.Hitler never learned from a History invading Russia, US never learned from a History invading Afghanistan...

On the steps on WWII, was an axis - Germany-Italy-Japan
On the steps of WWIII theres an axis - US-Israel-EU

Can anyone to re-write a History or same mistakes will be made?

Time will show...not IF...but most likely - WHEN....
After that, some will know, some - not - CAN SOMEONE TO REWRITE A HISTORY...when History just time to time repeats ITSELF....

 

[zinfamous]

I think Hitler invading Soviet Union was worse.

this

 

[rudeguy]

on a semi-related note:

Do we all agree the Bay of Pigs was the US's biggest military blunder?

 

[Pocatello]

on a semi-related note:

Do we all agree the Bay of Pigs was the US's biggest military blunder?

Not even close. The U.S have many far worse military blunders than Bay of Pigs, which thousands of lives were lost.

 

[Dari]

on a semi-related note:

Do we all agree the Bay of Pigs was the US's biggest military blunder?

How is that even a military blunder? It was pure CIA...

 

[DesiPower]

Let's go after Osama! capture him dead or alive!!!

 

[Pocatello]

Let's go after Osama! capture him dead or alive!!!

Again not even close. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are not even wars. Casualties for the U.S are extremely small, as painful as they are to families who lost loved ones.

 

[techs]

Awakening the Wraith.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Hitler getting his gas bill. D:

 

[Fayd]

None of the above got their cities firebombed and two nukes dropped on their cities.

huh? we firebombed the hell out of germany. i suggest you read (or watch) slaughterhouse 5 for an interesting view of our firebombing of dresden.

even better. we did conventional bombing first to make sure emergency vehicles couldn't get through the streets. then we followed that with firebombing for maximum effect.

 

[Fayd]

How is that even a military blunder? It was pure CIA...

it wasn't just the CIA's blunder. CIA + politicians going back and forth = bay of pigs.

 

[Pocatello]

huh? we firebombed the hell out of germany. i suggest you read (or watch) slaughterhouse 5 for an interesting view of our firebombing of dresden.

even better. we did conventional bombing first to make sure emergency vehicles couldn't get through the streets. then we followed that with firebombing for maximum effect.

Firebombs killed far more people, both Japanese and Germans, than 2 atomic bombs.

 

[Fayd]

Firebombs killed far more people, both Japanese and Germans, than 2 atomic bombs.

i know that very well. That's why I don't understand the importance placed on nuclear bombs as being "evil", and firebombs don't even get a mention. do people not understand what happens in war?

 

[Pulsar]

Afganistan?
Soviet Army generals didn't want to go into Afghanistan back in 1979, they - Soviet Army generals knew a History - Afghanistan was never ever conquered.
USSR Politburo pressed Soviet Army to invade Afghanistan.
Everybody know what happened.
But there were fools in White House, who thought, they could re-write a History in 2001.
Would they?

Here's a hint. We could have wiped Afghanistan and walked to a MILITARY victory, just as we did in Iraq.

We chose not to. We chose to try to let the Afghani people recreate their government and try to fix things in that manner. That was the blunder: our politicians should have understood in advance that the tribal bent of large portions of their population would never change into a democracy: that requires a well-connected population with ready communication avenues and a desire for central leadship. Afghanis have few of those desires. Suggesting otherwise, or suggesting that our military didn't 'win' in Afghanistan is outright ignorance. Our military won. Our politicians and their plans to 'save' people lost.

Looking back over history, there have been very few invasion style military victories that didn't result in terrorism. Retaking land and giving it back to the country's population as we did in World War II is easy in comparison to taking over a country hostile to you.

In fact, in the past, the only reason countries were successful at taking over other was because they were so brutal that they cowed the population into going along lock step - or killed them all. The population of the United States, even as backwards as we are at times, would never allow that type of barbarity by our own government on that large a scale. The outcry would be immediate and loud. The government drones are so worried by this that they know they can't try it - it would be the end of their political careers.

In summary, militaries are great at killing people. Not so good at rebuilding nations and trying to win friends.

 

[Pulsar]

i know that very well. That's why I don't understand the importance placed on nuclear bombs as being "evil", and firebombs don't even get a mention. do people not understand what happens in war?

Most people choose not to.

Having the ruthlessness to pursue a complete military victory is not something most Americans have the stomach for, especially with our mass media bringing every picture of death to our doorstep.

That's why, in the '40's, they had so many propaganda movies made teaching folks about the evil Japanese and the devilish Nazis. Look them up on you-tube. Some of them are amazing in the ignorace they attempted to propagate. The drive of the nation was largely created out of fear and maintaining the population's ignorance of what actually happens in war was the only way to maintain the drive for victory.

You'll never see that again, unless we get invaded.

 

[techs]

Most people choose not to.


That's why, in the '40's, they had so many propaganda movies made teaching folks about the evil Japanese and the devilish Nazis. Look them up on you-tube. Some of them are amazing in the ignorace they attempted to propagate. The drive of the nation was largely created out of fear and maintaining the population's ignorance of what actually happens in war was the only way to maintain the drive for victory.

You'll never see that again, unless we get invaded.

Actually I think it was the experience of Japan and Germany which has mitigated Americans idea that some countries are demonic and beyond redemption. Americans have seen two of the most barbarous nations in modern history change dramatically under democratic conditions.

 

[Exterous]

Have to go with Hitler invading USSR. Having to fight on 2 fronts is what lost the war for Germany.

Eh - that is debatable. The timetable was delayed due to issues in the Balkans and Greece. The Germans had already reached the gates of Moscow with the horrid road (mud) and freezing conditions. Would the extra month have made the difference? Given their successes in advancing I believe so.

This would have interesting implications for Leningrad as well as the Moscow - Leningrad railway was a very important point of supply for the city that was re-opened in January of 1942

Of course the follow up is would the Germans then have distributed warm weather clothing and been more prepared for Winter. Then there is the questions of what would the Russians have done if Moscow had fallen?

There were too many bad tactical decisions made in the war against Russia to say that simply by having a two front war the Germans were doomed

huh? we firebombed the hell out of germany. i suggest you read (or watch) slaughterhouse 5 for an interesting view of our firebombing of dresden.

True but nothing quite compares to the firebombing of Tokyo with ~4x as many deaths as Dresden

 

[Iron Woode]

Dieppe also comes to mind. A horrific loss of Canadian troops.

 

[Nintendesert]

So you're saying we didn't have advanced knowledge of a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?

I guess you know more than Patton did:

http://www.army.mil/article/49030/Patton_warned_of_Pearl_Harbor_attack/

lol

You're no prodigy.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Here's a hint. We could have wiped Afghanistan and walked to a MILITARY victory, just as we did in Iraq.

We chose not to. We chose to try to let the Afghani people recreate their government and try to fix things in that manner. That was the blunder: our politicians should have understood in advance that the tribal bent of large portions of their population would never change into a democracy: that requires a well-connected population with ready communication avenues and a desire for central leadship. Afghanis have few of those desires. Suggesting otherwise, or suggesting that our military didn't 'win' in Afghanistan is outright ignorance. Our military won. Our politicians and their plans to 'save' people lost.

Looking back over history, there have been very few invasion style military victories that didn't result in terrorism. Retaking land and giving it back to the country's population as we did in World War II is easy in comparison to taking over a country hostile to you.

In fact, in the past, the only reason countries were successful at taking over other was because they were so brutal that they cowed the population into going along lock step - or killed them all. The population of the United States, even as backwards as we are at times, would never allow that type of barbarity by our own government on that large a scale. The outcry would be immediate and loud. The government drones are so worried by this that they know they can't try it - it would be the end of their political careers.

In summary, militaries are great at killing people. Not so good at rebuilding nations and trying to win friends.

The US goal in Afganistan wasn't to take over and run the country. It was to route out the terrorists.
As far as rebuilding nations, Germany and Japan can almost be thankful they got their beat down. Both got rebuilt on the American tax payers dime and turned into economic power houses.

I still think Custer at Little Bighorn is up at the top. He had the Gattling guns to simply mow down the Indians, but his pride got in the way and he thought they could be taken by infantry/Cavalry. Oops!!

 

[waggy]

Hitler getting his gas bill. D:

/facepalm

 

[GobBluth]

on a semi-related note:

Do we all agree the Bay of Pigs was the US's biggest military blunder?

Modagishu is right up there.

 

[OverVolt]

Gonna have to go with black hawk down. It's like something out of BF3 where people spam RPG's at helicopters and get lucky. It was stupid to fly them so low next to buildings as they ran up to the roofs to fire randomly on the helicopters. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

[techs]

My definition of the greatest military blunder means a blunder that lost a war or devastated a country.
Failed missions like Dieppe, while tragic in loss of life, are nowhere near the greatest of blunders.

 

[Tsavo]

The rebel fleet attacking a fully operational battle station.