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Mergs · 03-15-2001, 09:04 AM

Ok, here's a biggie. Mclellan's failure to exploit his complete knowledge of Lee's plans (Orders 191) and despite having the advantage still only managed a tactical draw at Sharpsburg/Antietem.

On the other hand, there's Jubal Early's failure to secure Cemetary Ridge on the first day of Gettysburg, which had the entire Union line flanked,and then turn around and fail to inform Lee that he found the end of Grant's right flank at Mechanicsburg, which by the time he did, Lee could only manage a limited attack at 4PM, oh, yeah, and then failed to press home his advantage at Cedar Creek and let Phil Sheridan snatch victory from a sure defeat. OBTW, Early was married to a Union sympathizer.

Mengarath the Dragon · 03-15-2001, 09:11 AM

Lumberg you crack me up! LOL! All this serious stuff, which is very interesting by the way, and then you.

However, the actual blunder in the Battle of Endor was not the failure to utilitize the Death Star to its full potential, but was the Emperor's order for the main fleet to hold back. He was too cocky. Also, you'll learn that if you read the books, once Vader killed the Emperor, the battle was doomed anyway. You see the Emperor used the Force to control his starship comanders. It gave him dirrect control of their actions, immediate access to informaiton, and kept each in synch with the other. When he died the web he had created disolved leaving the Imperial commanders disoriented and confused and with their two biggest weapons, the Executor and the Death Star gone. They panics and ran for it. That hesitation gave the rebels time to consolidate their position and launch a successful counter offensive. Even so, the war itself was not over for several more years. Endor was simply the turning point.

Aren't our public schools great? They leave us able to debate fictional tactics but completely ignorant about actual historical battles.

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Mengarath the Dragon

Life is too short to be ordinary.

Mergs · 03-15-2001, 09:22 AM

Amen, Mengarath, amen.

southernepee · 03-15-2001, 10:22 AM

Napoleon's invasion of Russia also turned out to be a blunder...as was Waterloo...

-Pete

EnoYls · 03-16-2001, 10:12 AM

Last year, Major OP Soerensen of the Danish Army ordered 500 bras for his female comrades. However, he ordered them all in the same size - C cup. The manufacturer had assured him that 90 per cent of Danish women were of such size. The female soldiers were unimpressed: "But we are big and small, curvy and thin, all sizes," said Lance Corporal Ulla Bekker Madsen.

Purple Fencer · 03-16-2001, 10:43 AM

Hmmm...that was only slightly off topic

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Sam Signorelli -- I'll be mellow when I'm
DEAD!

EnoYls · 03-16-2001, 12:59 PM

811 The Battle of Pliska

King Krum of Bulgaria had been a real pain to the Byzantine emperor, Nicephorus I. Krum had been raiding his territory for too long, so Nicephorus assembled 70,000 men and decided to deal with Krum permanently. For a while, he had Krum on the run, and even burned down Krum's palace. While Krum retreated to regroup, Nicephorus then arrogantly proceeded down a steep valley north of Pliska. Krum seized his moment, and, with vastly inferior numbers, surrounded the Byzantines. After a three-day stand-off, the Bulgars swept into the valley and massacred the demoralized Byzantines. Nicephorus's skull was mounted in silver and used by Krum as his favourite cup.

mango fever · 03-16-2001, 02:56 PM

attention:
i feel really great now, a lady at work just bought me a little doll from Japan! it's so cute i just put it up on my shelf, i can't believe it, she's called sachiko, can you believe it? now, i need the miss kitty goes to japan doll Soon!

03-18-2001, 10:05 AM

Ooh! Krum!

I wonder if that's where JK Rowling got the name for that Bulgarian Quidditch player in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.. Or maybe Krum's just a popular Bulgarian name or something.

arcon · 04-15-2001, 09:36 AM

[ 10-19-2001: Message edited by: arcon ]

Sabrette · 04-16-2001, 08:33 AM

I'm gonna go with Hannibal trying to cross the Alps with elephants.

Mergs · 04-16-2001, 09:13 AM

Umm. Seems to me that he did it and used them to great affect in his campaign. Don't think that it falls into the "blunder" catagory.

Arcon,

Thanks for the gauntlet. Have been on vacation and just got back online.

What exactly are we talking about here? Every conflict has blunders/mistakes/missed opportunities at all levels. Some are disasterous and some are fortuitous. I could say that going into Somalia without armor or coordinated closeair support available was a blunder (to which most who were there would agree) but the two biggest mistakes were not going in with the objective to do something to resolve the military situation as opposed to being a "humanitarian" mission, secondly was then-President Bush allowing himself to be pushed into the situation by Candidate-Clinton against his better judgement (portent of things to come!).

my $.02

Sabrette · 04-16-2001, 10:47 AM

I don't know if that was to me or not, but most of the elephants (as well as his soldiers and horses) died before getting over to the other side and fighting the war. I'm not sure why that would make him successful.

Mergs · 04-16-2001, 11:05 AM

He made it over with sufficient forces to take the war to Italy and almost completely defeat the Romans (Canne?) before ending up holed up on the Addriatic coast. He may not have been successful in destroying Rome, but he did succeed in his objective of taking the war to the Romans rather than letting them retain the initiative.

Ehren · 04-16-2001, 09:31 PM

Operation 'Market Garden' was a shocker. The allies got slaughtered because of a lack of commucation. Wasn't it something like 40,000 paratroopers?? I may be wrong...

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Mergs · 04-17-2001, 05:21 AM

That was the number involved, not the losses. Communications was only a small part of the problem. I commented on "Market Garden" in another post, I think it was over on "Discussion", but I forget the thread title. Help me out here, arcon.

Mergs, the forgetful

Scratch that, its at the bottom of the first page of the "Americans" thread (page 2 of the discussion group listing).

[This message has been edited by Mergs (edited 04-17-2001).]

Hunbabe · 04-18-2001, 11:53 PM

How about...
...being so naiv as to swing your gates wide open in front of an enormous wooden horse?

Hunbabe · 04-19-2001, 12:00 AM

Or how about this one:
Sinking a fishing boat with a submarine?

(Go Navy)

Mergs · 04-19-2001, 05:32 AM

I hear the Navy was thinking of reviving the Nimitz Award.

(Oh, bad Mergs, bad boy!)

[This message has been edited by Mergs (edited 04-19-2001).]

Hunbabe · 04-19-2001, 02:31 PM

Playing paintball, you sit in a bush--waiting. All of a sudden, you see a nearby bush move. You recognize the person and know that he can't see you. Suddenly,bursting with self-confidence, you stand up and yell: "Take that sucker!!!!" By the time you realize that the piece-of-crap p.b.gun you're holding has jammed (AGAIN), there is bright pink paint trickling down your mask.

[This message has been edited by Hunbabe (edited 04-19-2001).]