Little Mac would prove himself to be a superb organizer who kept his army well supplied, efficiently run, and happy. Is Weiss correct? 1. He couldnt. Hull was thoroughly outclassed. He retreated to Malta but was captured when that island fell to the British. According to a Time magazine reporter who wrote about the Dak Son massacre, Viet Cong guerrillas shouted "Sons of Americans!" as they launched their assault on the village. Gates thought otherwise, and fancied himself a better commander than George Washington. He was also supremely gifted at overestimating the size of his opponents armies to a degree that beggared belief. 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. He continued on to suffer defeats at Spion Kop and Vaal Krantz, almost letting the war slip away from the British. Luckily for the colonists, the Empire also had Cornwallis, a peer of the realm and truly pitiful commander. His invasion of Canada came to an abrupt halt when he failed to capture Fort Malden, a British position that was a laughably short distance from Hulls headquarters at Fort Detroit. Persian Gulf War (1990-1991) 24. The premise was that, if he could kill enough of the enemy, they would lose heart and cease their aggression against the South Vietnamese. But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln and the Union expected great things. . 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. 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. Your guide to the most important world stories of the day. If there was a saving grace for America, it was that he wasn't commanding an army. James K. Polk. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam, This Photo Of A 94-Year-Old Widow Receiving Her Husbands Remains Will Break Your Heart, From Messiah to Hitler, What You Can and Cannot Name Your Child. 1. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig: World War I's Worst General - HistoryNet To counter these, Major General William R. Peers commenced Operation Greeley using elements of the 4th Infantry Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. - 3 Best: 1987 Los Angeles Lakers. 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. 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. Today's list: The top ten reasons Gen. Westmoreland lost the war in Vietnam And how might that be impacting the world? The initial assault resulted in very high casualties for the Russians and an almost complete breakdown of morale in the Russian forces. A dull, unfeeling, unimaginative, smug "Colonel Blimp" of the worst sort. He effectively pledged to become an agent for the U.S. but found that he had been deposed upon his return to Mexico. The American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consult individual encyclopedia entries about the topics. Feel free to mention any others you may know of in the comments. 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. Westmorelands strategy throughout the war was to win through Attrition Warfare (pounding the enemy through greater numbers and resources) which military strategists including Sun Tzu caution against using. Lyndon Johnson had no understanding of military affairs whatever, nor did Robert McNamara. Even a string of bad days does not guarantee entry. Vietnam War - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica He was certainly nave, but the Boy Scouts need to be defended here. Of course, that is what they did when Ludendorff pushed for the use of unrestricted submarine warfare against Allied shipping. They dramatically upped their game, pressing the U.S. worldwide. 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. Registration for summer courses begins March 18, 2023 and ends June 7, 2023. Assuming you believe the subtitle to be accurate, who were GEN Westmorelands biggest accomplices in the loss? Ulysses S. Grant made his Civil War debut at the Battle of Belmont against Confederate Gen. Gideon Pillow. 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. These operations were designed to seek out enemy forces and engage them in decisive battle. He was called the inevitable general. A West Point graduate, he served in World War II and Korea. 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. As a military commander, Napoleon may have thebest batting averageof all time. Defining that is like defining a bad meal. I flew into Vietnam in June 1968 as a young . Finally, there was MacArthur's insubordination. How theyve practiced the art of war is immaterial, too. My daughter thinks 2018 was the worst year ever. I'd nominate 1968 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. In fifteen thought-provoking essays, each written by a professional military historian, readers are introduced . 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.. bar is to mention Vietnam. In other words, this book is a "how-not-to" guide to leadership. Allied with Brock was the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, who was head of the most formidable pan-Indian military force the continent had ever seen. Its prewar population was reduced by more than half, and perhaps 90 percent of Paraguays fighting-age men perished. By Lewis Sorley Best Defense Saigon bureau chief. He ran as a Democrat against Lincoln in the 1864 presidential election. - 2 Worst: 2007 Washington Wizards. standing, Ukrainians are determined to keep fighting, and the West has so far stayed resolute in its support of Ukraine. Even if Moscow holds onto territory, the war has wrecked its future. 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. Westmoreland: the General Who Lost Vietnam On the other hand, there was that bad day at the Battle of Salamis when most of the Persian fleet went to the bottom. At Yorktown, he allowed himself to be taken by surprise and outmaneuvered by Washington and the French fleet. Again fighting outnumbered Texans, this time Santa Anna would lose the battle stunningly. With the Little Corporal running everything, Europe might have become a very different place. Delivered Friday. 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. Click + to receive email alerts when new stories are published on. When the War of 1812 began, Hull was commissioned a brigadier general and tasked with defending Michigan and invading Upper Canada. Two of the more prominent of these mistakes, both with wide and sweeping results, were the June 22, 1941 invasion of the USSROperation Barbarossaand the December 11, 1941 unprovoked and unwarranted declaration of war on the United Statesagainst the advice of Hitler's Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop. Vietnam Communist Party Nominates Vo Van Thuong as New President - Sources Vietnam War body count controversy - Wikipedia The United States entered the war, forcing Ludendorff to accelerate his time line for a conclusive battle against the Allies on the Western Front. Armchair historians often generalize that during the American Civil War, while the Union held a clear advantage in material, the Confederacy could field superior commanders. 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. Darius III. He was indeed a capable warrior, as shown by the South Pacific campaign and the Inchon landing in Korea. These battlefield bumblers serve to provide that contrast. 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. Vast areas dotted with villages were blasted with artillery, bombed from the air. He overestimated the American peoples patience and tolerance of friendly losses. Delivered Wednesday & Sunday. Francisco Solano Lpez managed to stumble into a war with pretty much all of that. 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. More ways to stay updated on global news: By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. George Custer at the Little Big Horn and Lord Chelmsford at the Battle of Isandlwana leap to mind. Cue the protests from other parts of the globe: A chorus of nations are accusing Washington of fostering unfair competition. The American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. Alexander, Napoleon, Rommel. Lee demonstrated an immediate grasp of McClellans demeanor, and, during the Seven Days Battles (June 25July 1, 1862), Lee drove back the Union armies from Richmonds doorstep. After the Germans attacked, Gamelin was eventually removed from his post, but by then it was too late. Delivered Wednesday. Unfortunately the fates of the former Republic Vietnam (Sout. Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam, Chinas Censors Are Afraid of What Chatbots Might Say, The U.S. In a war that saw more than its share of unskilled politically appointed generals, Pillow was arguably the worst on either side. Think about how history would have been different if Hannibal had a military plan to outlast Roman might. 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. Others would say that it is not victory, but success in fulfilling a mission that counts. The Romans lost an estimated 80,000 infantry and perhaps 40,000 auxiliaries and cavalry, numbers that dwarf the staggering totals at Cannae. Alas, as a historian, he passed on the opportunity to answer Battlelands questions about what Vietnam should teach us about Afghanistan, and who, if anyone, is todays Westmoreland, during our email chat earlier this week: Whats the most important thing you learned writing Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam? 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. And, to further demonstrate progress in reducing enemy strength, Westmoreland arbitrarily and entirely on his own removed from the order of battle several categories of enemy forces that had long been carried there, including during the three years Westmoreland had already been in command of U.S. forces in Vietnam. If Putin had hoped to weaken NATO, the very opposite has happened, with Finland and Sweden on the cusp of joining the transatlantic military alliance. Santa Anna liked to call himself the Napoleon of the West. And, like Napoleon, he squandered it all in one grand campaign. 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. The Summer 2023 term begins June 1, 2023 and ends August 24, 2023. Xi Jinpings signature foreign policy is a shadow of its former self.. Who are the famous national heroes or generals in Vietnam? The General Who Lost Vietnam | TIME.com DE AGOSTINI PICTURE LIBRARY/Contributor/Getty Images, Biden Proposal Puts Climate Agenda Above Americas Defense, Russias New START Breach Means U.S. Nuclear Weapons Modernization Is a Must. Exactly. 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. HANOI, VIETNAMForty years ago, on April 30, 1975, Nguyen Dang Phat experienced the happiest day of his life . 92. Bombs away! Here are the 13 worst military movies in Hollywood history Darius again was the first to flee the battle, abandoning all of his soldiers and his property to be taken by Alexander. When he made public his disagreements with President Truman, Truman rightfully fired him. 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. Tom Ricks, on his "Best Defense" blog has discussed the top 10 worst generals in U.S. history. This strategy inevitably failed as the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong maintained control over how the war was fought which was through guerilla warfare. Hulls nerve was shattered. Gen. Charles Cornwallis. In order, from most culpable down. Top Ten Reasons Field Marshal Montgomery is Not so Great Hull, convinced that he was hopelessly outnumbered (he wasnt), surrendered Fort Detroit and its 2,000-man garrison without firing a shot. General and presidential candidate Douglas MacArthur (1880 - 1964) at his headquarters in Yokohama, Japan with US Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright (1883 - 1953) (right), and British Lieutenant-General A E Percival (1887 - 1966) (left) who were taken prisoner by the Japanese after the US retreat in the Bataan peninsula and released in 1945. 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. Percival surrendered Malaya to Japanese forces in early 1942, defying Winston Churchills own instructions for prolonged resistance. Washington also suffered his share of defeats. Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama. His bad luck didnt end at San Jacinto. Tortured in notorious 'Hanoi Hilton,' 11 GIs were unbreakable What can we glean from the current state of play on the battlefield? 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. 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. Like it or not, the U.S. military would become the governing authority. (The leg did get a state funeral). 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 Caepio reportedly lived out the remainder of his life in luxury, however. 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. Its quite exclusive: combat leaders who had the fate of their people in their hands and squandered it all. Would he be upset if he were alive to read this book today? But Franks, who commanded the invasion, made a bad situation worse. But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln. What a Lovely War and then in the 1989 television comedy series Blackadder Goes Forth. General Westmoreland had complete freedom of action in deciding how to prosecute the war within South Vietnam. Civil War Casualties | American Battlefield Trust Over time Westmoreland asked for and received large numbers of U.S. troops, eventually totaling well over half a million. 3. After gaining ground trying to cut an escape path for the Confederates during the February 1862 siege of Fort Donelson by Union forces led Brig. (You May Also Like: 5 Israeli Weapons of War ISIS Should Fear). Alas, call it the laws of probability or just cosmic karma, but every nation produces bad generals as well as good onesand . Here are five of America's worst generals: Great generals have great talents, and usually egos and ambitions to match. Nearly as many men died in captivity during the Civil War as were killed in the whole of the Vietnam War. Some 15,000 talents of gold (the so-called Gold of Tolosa) had vanished under his watch, never to be recovered. If pressed to rank the miscreants, I would place Wheeler first, then LBJ, and then McNamara, with all entitled to recognition as important accomplices in dooming the endeavor. Who was the worst general in history? 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. How do you measure military leaders? Listing MacArthur as one of America's worst generals will be controversial. Westmoreland is often described as a Boy Scout, usually implying, it appears, that he was well-intentioned but nave. 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. Is the Biden administrations China policy too hawkish? In the summer of 1967, the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) initiated a series of attacks in western Kontum Province. Maximus managed to form up his men but to no avail. Caepio may have been a terrible general, but he was apparently an exceptional thief. 1968 takes the cake for me. On the other side of the trenches in World War I was Erich Ludendorff, commanding the armies of Germany. Publication of the PROVN Study, whose precepts were later implemented with great success by Westmorelands successor, illustrated a matter of fundamental importance. The Cimbri destroyed Caepios force and, emboldened by their success, marched on Maximuss camp. Instead the enemy proved willing to absorb horrifying losses and keep fighting. My generation would likely vote for the year exactly one-half century ago as the absolutely worst year in our lifetimes. 336 pages | 16 halftones | 6 1/4 x 9 1/4. 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. Evening roundup with our editors favorite stories of the day. But his crowning achievement was bad generalship in Korea. While this century witnessed many great leaders, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dr. Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi . What can we glean from the current state of play on the battlefield? Follow him on Twitter:@Mipeck1. The Russian president got many things wrong about invading Ukrainebut not everything. A very influential visitor, Senator "Fritz" Hollings from Westmoreland's home state of South Carolina, had warned him about reliance on such ratios. Yet Fredendall's solution was to order an Army engineer company to build a giant bunker a hundred miles from the front lines. Todays list: The top ten reasons Gen. Westmoreland lost the war in Vietnam. Their orientation, indeed the core of Scoutings values, is selflessness and service to others. Read More. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great invaded the Persian Empire. Worst US General of all time? | O-T Lounge - TigerDroppings 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. Innumerable battlefield commanders have had disastrous days at the office. Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. (You May Also Like: The Five Best U.S. He lacked the schooling and relevant experience to understand the war and devise a viable approach to prosecuting it. FPs Ravi Agrawal spoke with two of the very best Russia experts:Angela Stent, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author ofPutins World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest, and Michael Kofman, the research program director of the Russia studies program at the Center for Naval Analyses. What does that mean for trade and globalization? America, the Middle East and the rest of the world are still reaping the consequences of those omissions. Creighton Abrams was an U.S. Army General who commanded American military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1972. NEW FOR SUBSCRIBERS: 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. These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen. Fortunately, along came Reaganif not for that, Westmorelands military reversals could well have signaled the beginning of our end. Not only is Sorley a third-generation graduate of West Point a Vietnam veteran and a historian, but he worked for Westmoreland as well. George McClellan is one of those generals who really looks great on paper. What is the standard of shame for induction? Reviews - Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam Turncoats and Traitors - Seven Americans Who Defected to the Enemy in Is your subtitle The General Who Lost Vietnam fair? There is no Carthage. Lincoln relieved McClellan but reinstated him after the devastating Union defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Although he eventually disavowed Hitler, by that point Ludendorff had become so deeply involved with mysticism that few took him seriously. Many historians have said Bragg was one of the worst generals of the Civil War, having lost most of his battles. That dubious distinction falls to William Hull, the only general officer in American history to be ordered before a firing squad for cowardice and dereliction of duty. As military professionals, we should think about more . Lpez, possibly in a fit of madness, ordered the execution of hundreds of people, including some of his own family members. Woefully inexperienced U.S. soldiers found themselves against Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps veterans. 10 Redvers Buller Fifty years ago today, President Lyndon Baines Johnson announced his fateful decision to double the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam. General Earle Wheeler was essentially a staff officer with virtually no troop leading experience, much less combat acumen. 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. When it came to military command, Westmoreland was everybodys all-Americanuntil he met his Waterloo. After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts. Pillow suffered slightly more casualties than Grant in the engagement, which possibly makes the Battle of Belmont the high point of Pillows military career. Implementing the attrition strategy, Westmoreland typically employed a series of large unit sweeps conducted in the deep jungle regions along South Vietnams western borders. Lpez was the son of Carlos Antonio Lpez, a dictator who had done much to modernize Paraguay in the mid-19th century. 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. Best Defense: Yes, Westmoreland was the general who lost Vietnam. 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 His was one of just two French ships of the line to escape the destruction of the French fleet there. The 20th century is the most violent century in history. The Americans lacked sufficient troops, supplies and air cover (when was the last time an American general had to fight a battle while being pounded by enemy bombers?). The enemy simply kept sending more and more replacements to make up his losses. Military. 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. Many historians credit Benedict Arnold and others with being the real victors of Saratoga. 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. Youre on the list! Once again, McClellan worked his organizational magic, restoring the morale of a shattered Union army. 15. He continued to view attrition as the most effective strategy for defeating Germany; the British lost some 420,000 men at the Somme. The world over, countries are embarking on ambitious projects of industrial policy. But then MacArthur thrived on controversy like bread thrives on yeast. Brock, sensing an opportunity, advised an immediate march on Fort Detroit.