History's Great Military Blunders

[Cypress]

My contribution is the Battle of Stalingrad. There was simply no strategic need for Hitler to commit himself to an ego contest in taking the city that was Stalin's namesake, and trying to win an urban battle the Soviets were destined to win by sheer superiority in resources, troops, and home field advantage.

A runner up is the disappearance of Rome's 9th legion, after it went north of Hardrian's wall into what we now call Scotland and never came back. Legend has it they were cut down and slaughtered by Pictish tribes, but this has never been corroborated by historical fact.

History's Great Military Blunders
Source credit: Professor Gregory S. Aldrete, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Green Bay

Syracuse: Athens's Second Front - 413 B.C.: From initiating a second front with a new enemy to dividing supreme command among multiple generals, failures of decision-making and leadership spelled disaster for the Greek city-state of Athens in the outcome of the Peloponnesian War, fought with Sparta.

Fourth Crusade: Byzantium Betrayed – 1204: Innocent III initiated the Fourth Crusade to recapture control of the Holy Lands from Muslim rulers, but Crusaders ultimately rampaged through Christendom, including a brutal attack and looting of the city of Constantinople, a supposed ally of the Crusaders and the seat of the Greek Orthodox branch of Christianity.

Nagashino: Taking Swords to a Gunfight – 1575: The Battle of Nagashino was the culmination of a multi-generational conflict with some of the most memorable battles and colorful figures in Japanese history. Although both armies possessed guns, only one commander employed them to maximum effect.

Russia: Napoleon Retreats in the Snow – 1812: Napoleon made many mistakes in his campaign to invade Russia, a fatal miscalculation that led to his downfall and blemished his legacy as a brilliant general.

Afghanistan: Khyber Pass Death Trap – 1842: Propelled by paranoia about Russian plots, the First Afghan War was an unmitigated disaster for the British. Their attempt to protect the East India Company's interests resulted in the entire Army of the Indus - 16,000 soldiers and camp followers - being wiped out by Afghan tribesmen.

Crimea: Charge of the Light Brigade – 1854: Although a minor incident, the Charge of the Light Brigade has gained a reputation as both a glorious moment in the history of warfare and one of the greatest military blunders of all time.

Custer's Last Stand – 1876: Military historians still argue over what happened and who was at fault in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Isandlwana: 25,000 Zulus Undetected – 1879: How could an army accompanied by cannon and rocket artillery be wiped out by Zulu warriors wielding spears, clubs, and a smattering of outdated firearms?

Tannenberg: Ineptitude in the East – 1914: The Battle of Tannenberg was a brilliant victory for the Germans - made possible by the many errors committed by the Russians.

Gallipoli: Churchill Dooms Allied Assault – 1915: With World War I bogged down in trench warfare, Britain attempted to break the stalemate - which had tragic results in the Gallipoli campaign, an infamous episode of military incompetence.

Operation Market Garden: A Bridge Too Far – 1944: Operation Market Garden is routinely listed among the great military mishaps of World War II. Investigate the Allies' numerous errors in planning, organization, and execution in this bold air/land mission, from underestimating the Germans' resistance to ignoring important intelligence to making unrealistic timetables.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Oh what happened to the 9th Legion is nothing...and I mean nothing compared to what happened to the Romans at the Battle of Arausio. When you start reading about the catastrophe that came real close to ending the Roman Empire before it got started and was a significant cause of the fall of the Republic you just start shacking your head in disbelief that no one could be that stupid. Yet Quintus Servelius Caepio was.

His having an Aristocratic snit fit that he would have to take orders from a "New Man" cost the Romans 80,000 Soldiers and 40,000 camp followers killed by the Cimbric Hordes and left Rome and all of Italy wide open to attack by over a 250,000 Germanic Invaders (and that's a conservative estimate...it's more like 800,000 with 250,000 being trained warriors). To top that off....just prior to the battle he stole the gold of Tolosa, (around 40,000 talents which is about 1,600,000 lbs) which was more gold than in the entire Roman treasury. What's really bizarre was that after stealing the gold of Tolosa, then losing the Battle of Arausio (which he survived by hauling ass when his troops were over run), the Romans didn't execute him. The first time he was tried his Aristocratic friends in the Senate saved his ass but when the Roman people heard that they had a shit fit and tried Caepio in the public assembly where he was found guilty but only banished. Made you kind of wonder how many people a Roman aristocrat had to kill to get the death penalty?

Be that as it may Arausio was the catalyst that set of the whole chain of events that ended with the destruction of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Imperium.

But man you cannot read into the Battle of Arausio at all without shaking your head in disbelieve. An absolutely incredulous and preposterous story...but it actually happened. Arausio was Rome's greatest military blunder and one of the greatest in all of military history.

 

[Cypress]

Oh what happened to the 9th Legion is nothing...and I mean nothing compared to what happened to the Romans at the Battle of Arausio. When you start reading about the catastrophe that came real close to ending the Roman Empire before it got started and was a significant cause of the fall of the Republic you just start shacking your head in disbelief that no one could be that stupid. Yet Quintus Servelius Caepio was.

His having an Aristocratic snit fit that he would have to take orders from a "New Man" cost the Romans 80,000 Soldiers and 40,000 camp followers killed by the Cimbric Hordes and left Rome and all of Italy wide open to attack by over a 250,000 Germanic Invaders (and that's a conservative estimate...it's more like 800,000 with 250,000 being trained warriors). To top that off....just prior to the battle he stole the gold of Tolosa, (around 40,000 talents which is about 1,600,000 lbs) which was more gold than in the entire Roman treasury. What's really bizarre was that after stealing the gold of Tolosa, then losing the Battle of Arausio (which he survived by hauling ass when his troops were over run), the Romans didn't execute him. The first time he was tried his Aristocratic friends in the Senate saved his ass but when the Roman people heard that they had a shit fit and tried Caepio in the public assembly where he was found guilty but only banished. Made you kind of wonder how many people a Roman aristocrat had to kill to get the death penalty?

Be that as it may Arausio was the catalyst that set of the whole chain of events that ended with the destruction of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Imperium.

But man you cannot read into the Battle of Arausio at all without shaking your head in disbelieve. An absolutely incredulous and preposterous story...but it actually happened. Arausio was Rome's greatest military blunder and one of the greatest in all of military history.

Holy smoke, thank your for the excellent synopsis.

I am inspired to up my game in Roman history!

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Holy smoke, thank your for the excellent synopsis.

I am inspired to up my game in Roman history!

If you like ancient Roman history and and good storytelling, I strongly recommend Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series. Her scholarship is evident on page one and she weaves one hell of a story.

The first book in her series, The First Man in Rome, covers the battle of Arausio in serious detail. Caepio is one of history’s greatest villains. The asshole had a whole cohort of his own legionnaires (about 500 men) murdered when he stole the gold of Tolosa.

Caepio was also the grandfather, of one Caesars assassins, Brutus. He was also Servillia’s (Caesars mistress) father.

 

[Tranquillus in Exile]

the disappearance of Rome's 9th legion, after it went north of Hadrian's wall

I never heard of the disappearing 9th legion! I must look it up.

I see that 5 of those 11 Great Blunders were perpetrated by the British.

 

[/MSG/]

If you're taking about Rome, Crassus' campaign into Parthia is hard to top. Or the Khwarizam Shahs "diplomatic error" when engaging Ghengis Khan.

 

[/MSG/]

Oh, and of course the entire Italian campaign against Austria during the 11 battles of the Isonzo.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

If you're taking about Rome, Crassus' campaign into Parthia is hard to top. Or the Khwarizam Shahs "diplomatic error" when engaging Ghengis Khan.

Crassus campaign was certainly a blunder but it wasn't of the scale or had the consequences of Arausio. Khwarazm was certainly a stupendous diplomatic blunder. Probably the costliest in human history.

 

[/MSG/]

Crassus campaign was certainly a blunder but it wasn't of the scale or had the consequences of Arausio. Khwarazm was certainly a stupendous diplomatic blunder. Probably the costliest in human history.

I think Crassus is a better example of Hubris and the failures of the Republic at the time, even if it didn't cause too much damage to Rome itself.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

I think Crassus is a better example of Hubris and the failures of the Republic at the time, even if it didn't cause too much damage to Rome itself.

Oh he was a good example of both...but....Caepio has Crassus beat. Seriously read about the stolen gold of Tolosa and how Rome lost the battle of Arausio and you'll be gob smacked. Caepio was a villain for the ages. LOL

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Oh what happened to the 9th Legion is nothing...and I mean nothing compared to what happened to the Romans at the Battle of Arausio. When you start reading about the catastrophe that came real close to ending the Roman Empire before it got started and was a significant cause of the fall of the Republic you just start shacking your head in disbelief that no one could be that stupid. Yet Quintus Servelius Caepio was.

His having an Aristocratic snit fit that he would have to take orders from a "New Man" cost the Romans 80,000 Soldiers and 40,000 camp followers killed by the Cimbric Hordes and left Rome and all of Italy wide open to attack by over a 250,000 Germanic Invaders (and that's a conservative estimate...it's more like 800,000 with 250,000 being trained warriors). To top that off....just prior to the battle he stole the gold of Tolosa, (around 40,000 talents which is about 1,600,000 lbs) which was more gold than in the entire Roman treasury. What's really bizarre was that after stealing the gold of Tolosa, then losing the Battle of Arausio (which he survived by hauling ass when his troops were over run), the Romans didn't execute him. The first time he was tried his Aristocratic friends in the Senate saved his ass but when the Roman people heard that they had a shit fit and tried Caepio in the public assembly where he was found guilty but only banished. Made you kind of wonder how many people a Roman aristocrat had to kill to get the death penalty?

Be that as it may Arausio was the catalyst that set of the whole chain of events that ended with the destruction of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Imperium.

But man you cannot read into the Battle of Arausio at all without shaking your head in disbelieve. An absolutely incredulous and preposterous story...but it actually happened. Arausio was Rome's greatest military blunder and one of the greatest in all of military history.

Here's a story of an event that occurred during the battle of Arausio that the Cimbri (Germanic tribe) should have taken serious note of. At this time, they weren't exactly impressed by the Romans. This incident should have showed them that they were making a serious mistake when they executed the pro-consul Marcus Aurelius Scaurus.


Marcus Aurelius Scaurus (died 105 BC) was a Roman politician and general during the Cimbrian War. After one of the consul designates was prosecuted and condemned,[1] Scaurus was made consul suffectus in 108 BC.

In 105 BC he went as a senior legate with the consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus to Gaul to battle the Cimbric invasion. Scaurus was ordered to construct a cavalry camp around 30 miles north of the consular camp. The Battle of Arausio was begun by the Cimbri and Teutones advancing on the cavalry camp, which provided little resistance. The Roman force was completely overwhelmed and the legate was captured and brought before the Cimbrian leader Boiorix. Scaurus was not humbled by his capture and advised Boiorix to turn back before his people were destroyed by the Roman forces. The king of the Cimbri was indignant at this impudence and had Scaurus executed by being slowly roasted alive in a wicker cage. Throughout the ordeal, Scaurus behaved with impeccable Roman dignity, neither crying out nor writhing. (ref; Wiki)

 

[Cypress]

I never heard of the disappearing 9th legion! I must look it up.

I see that 5 of those 11 Great Blunders were perpetrated by the British.

I assume a lot of American historians are Anglophiles, and that bias may come across in historical analysis. On the other hand, the British empire was global in scope and obviously provides a bounty of military blunders to consider.

The dissaperance of Rome's 9th legion in the wilds of Scotland north of Hardians Wall is shrouded in legend, and I am not sure there is even concrete historical documentation to confirm it. But enough rumour, myth, and legend surround it that I think it deserves to be on a list of history's greatest military disasters!

 

[Tranquillus in Exile]

The dissaperance of Rome's 9th legion in the wilds of Scotland north of Hardians Wall is shrouded in legend, and I am not sure there is even concrete historical documentation to confirm it. But enough rumour, myth, and legend surround it that I think it deserves to be on a list of history's greatest military disasters!

I've been looking it up. It seems there is no direct evidence that the 9th legion disappeared! It simply dropped out of the records. Some people speculate that it was wiped out around 110 AD, in what is now north-east England or southern Scotland. Otoh there are some indications that it was active later on the Continent.

If it was wiped out, it would certainly qualify as a modest disaster.

 

[Cypress]

I've been looking it up. It seems there is no direct evidence that the 9th legion disappeared! It simply dropped out of the records. Some people speculate that it was wiped out around 110 AD, in what is now north-east England or southern Scotland. Otoh there are some indications that it was active later on the Continent.

If it was wiped out, it would certainly qualify as a modest disaster.

Good intel.

I watched a British move that is loosely based on the legend of the disappearance of the 9th Legion. I recommend it! Plenty of battle, bloodshed, gore, treachery, and fierce Pictish warriors. The "Mad Max" of the Scottish moors, in a way!

 

[The Anonymous]

Mott's continued failure to wipe the state of Ohio off the map is a great disappointment.

 

[Cypress]

Mott's continued failure to wipe the state of Ohio off the map is a great disappointment.

I have told you previously that you are thread banned, because my threads are for civilized posters and do not accommodate trolls and their flaccid attempts at non-funny jokes.


Here is my latest contribution.

Red Cliffs: Cao Cao's Bad Day - 208 A.D. - Even outstanding commanders can have a bad day, as evidenced by one of the most celebrated conflicts in Chinese history: the battle of Red Cliffs. How did general Cao Cao get fooled by an obvious ploy that set his armada ablaze - particularly when he had previously used such tactics himself?
source credit: Professor Gregory S. Aldrete, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Green Bay

Battle of Red Cliffs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Red_Cliffs

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Did you know that the US Army’s first battle was a great military blunder. President George Washington ordered Gen. Arthur St. Clair to put an end to Indian fighting in Ohio and open up the Ohio frontier to settlement. Washington picked a poor man for the job. Arthur St. Clair had served Gen. Washington as one his top subalterns during the Revolutionary War. St. Clair had been serving as Governor of the Northwest territory. The 8 years after the war had seen St. Clair, who had served Washington as a competent general, aged significantly. He had grown fat, had a considerable paunch and suffered from the gout so badly he could barely walk. St. Clair was in charge of 500 US Army regulars who were poorly disciplined, poorly trained and demoralized as they had just had their pay cut.

St. Clair gathered his men and another 1,000 Kentucky militiamen at Ft. Washington (current Cincinnati, OH) were he made a series of blunders. His orders were to defeat the Shawnee nation that summer. Without adequate training, preparation, supplies or a proper line of logistics and communications St. Clair took his Army into the Ohio wilderness following the Great Miami River north. He then crossed overland and started marching due nort towards the headwaters of the Wabash River.

St. Clair was marching his men through uncharted old growth forest where his army was forced to cut a trail out of the wilderness as they marched. This was a brutal job and his Army made slow progress often less than 10 miles a day. The Native Americans kept a close eye on St. Clair’s progress but did not hinder them.

When St. Clair’s small Army of 1500 men and 500 camp followers reached the headwaters of the Wabash on a hot summer evening his men were so exhausted that they threw themselves on the ground and did not build a defensive camp. The next morning a larger force of Native Americans joined in a coalition led by Little Turtle (Miami) and Blue Jacket (Shawnee) attacked with decisive surprise. They anihilated St. Clair’s army and the Camp Followers.

Only 24 people were unhurt. Only around 200 survived. St. Clair himself fought with great personal courage in the thick of the combat. He had numerous horses shot out from him and was seriously injured but continued fighting with his sword even when his forces were completely overwhelmed. The only reason he survived was that the Indians were so impressed by his courage that the young braves dropped their weapons and counted coup on St. Clair by touching him while he was still armed with his sword. St. Clair believed they were simply tormenting when they were actually showing him a high honor.

Be that as it may St. Clair had screwed the pooch and his public career was over. The US Army had lost its first battle in the most decisive defeat in US Military history and what was the greatest victory by Native Americans over the US Army during the Indian wars.

The Americans learned their lesson. The next General that Washington commissioned to defeat the Indians was a superb choice. General Anthony Wayne. Known affectionately by his troops as “Mad Anthony” for his impetuousity and his fierce anger in combat. Anthony Wayne turned out to be the best General during the American Indian wars and one of the greatest generals this nation has ever produced. It’s a shame that now so few have heard of him as we don’t teach our frontier history anymore.

I know of Gen Wayne because after he took over from St. Clair, Mad Anthony marched his army up to the headwaters of the Wabash where St. Clair’s massacre had happened. He entered all the human remains in a mass grave. He also built a fort (there were to be no surprise attacks on an Army led by Mad Anthony Wayne.). In honor of the dead he named the Fort “ Fort Recovery”. Which still stands to this day in present Fort Recovery, Ohio...which is about ten miles from my hometown of Coldwater, Ohio (though at that time it was an English trappers village on the edge of the Great Black Swamp called Buzzards Glory.).

 

[Cypress]

Did you know that the US Army’s first battle was a great military blunder. President George Washington ordered Gen. Arthur St. Clair to put an end to Indian fighting in Ohio and open up the Ohio frontier to settlement. Washington picked a poor man for the job. Arthur St. Clair had served Gen. Washington as one his top subalterns during the Revolutionary War. St. Clair had been serving as Governor of the Northwest territory. The 8 years after the war had seen St. Clair, who had served Washington as a competent general, aged significantly. He had grown fat, had a considerable paunch and suffered from the gout so badly he could barely walk. St. Clair was in charge of 500 US Army regulars who were poorly disciplined, poorly trained and demoralized as they had just had their pay cut.

St. Clair gathered his men and another 1,000 Kentucky militiamen at Ft. Washington (current Cincinnati, OH) were he made a series of blunders. His orders were to defeat the Shawnee nation that summer. Without adequate training, preparation, supplies or a proper line of logistics and communications St. Clair took his Army into the Ohio wilderness following the Great Miami River north. He then crossed overland and started marching due nort towards the headwaters of the Wabash River.

St. Clair was marching his men through uncharted old growth forest where his army was forced to cut a trail out of the wilderness as they marched. This was a brutal job and his Army made slow progress often less than 10 miles a day. The Native Americans kept a close eye on St. Clair’s progress but did not hinder them.

When St. Clair’s small Army of 1500 men and 500 camp followers reached the headwaters of the Wabash on a hot summer evening his men were so exhausted that they threw themselves on the ground and did not build a defensive camp. The next morning a larger force of Native Americans joined in a coalition led by Little Turtle (Miami) and Blue Jacket (Shawnee) attacked with decisive surprise. They anihilated St. Clair’s army and the Camp Followers.

Only 24 people were unhurt. Only around 200 survived. St. Clair himself fought with great personal courage in the thick of the combat. He had numerous horses shot out from him and was seriously injured but continued fighting with his sword even when his forces were completely overwhelmed. The only reason he survived was that the Indians were so impressed by his courage that the young braves dropped their weapons and counted coup on St. Clair by touching him while he was still armed with his sword. St. Clair believed they were simply tormenting when they were actually showing him a high honor.

Be that as it may St. Clair had screwed the pooch and his public career was over. The US Army had lost its first battle in the most decisive defeat in US Military history and what was the greatest victory by Native Americans over the US Army during the Indian wars.

The Americans learned their lesson. The next General that Washington commissioned to defeat the Indians was a superb choice. General Anthony Wayne. Known affectionately by his troops as “Mad Anthony” for his impetuousity and his fierce anger in combat. Anthony Wayne turned out to be the best General during the American Indian wars and one of the greatest generals this nation has ever produced. It’s a shame that now so few have heard of him as we don’t teach our frontier history anymore.

I know of Gen Wayne because after he took over from St. Clair, Mad Anthony marched his army up to the headwaters of the Wabash where St. Clair’s massacre had happened. He entered all the human remains in a mass grave. He also built a fort (there were to be no surprise attacks on an Army led by Mad Anthony Wayne.). In honor of the dead he named the Fort “ Fort Recovery”. Which still stands to this day in present Fort Recovery, Ohio...which is about ten miles from my hometown of Coldwater, Ohio (though at that time it was an English trappers village on the edge of the Great Black Swamp called Buzzards Glory.).

Outstanding.
I never heard of this military blunder, and it was interesting to read about it.

This is the kind of crap that makes it worth wading through the racism, ignorance, petty grievances, slander, and girlish gossip that jpp dot com is mostly known for.

Nice work, chap!

 

[Cypress]

Adwa: Italy’s Fiasco in Ethiopia—1896

The Battle of Adwa was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. Led by Emperor Menelik II, Ethiopian forces defeated an invading Italian and British force on March 1, 1896, near the town of Adwa in Tigray.

The decisive victory by Ethiopian forces thwarted the Kingdom of Italy's campaign to expand its colonial empire in the Horn of Africa and secured the Ethiopian Empire's sovereignty for another forty years. As the only African nation to successfully resist European conquest during the scramble for Africa, Ethiopia became a preeminent symbol of the pan-African movement and international opposition to colonialism

Overconfidence, lack of clarity, pigheadedness, miscalculation and stupidity were all amply displayed by the Italian forces -- the net result was one of the greatest victories of an indigenous people over an imperial power during the era of colonization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adwa

 

[Cypress]

The Charge of the Light Brigade
BY Alfred Lord, Tennyson

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.