Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam, by Lewis Sorley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. . Youre on the list! See the vast swaths of land to the north and south that arent Paraguay? He was killed in combat on March 1, 1870. In 1941, Graziani resigned his commission after the British counterattacked and the Tenth Army was completely defeated during Operation Compass. General William Childs Westmoreland (1914- 2005) with President Johnson in South Vietnam #1. By the way, here is the first review I have seen of Sorleys new biography of Westmoreland, which I read in galleys last summer, and enjoyed. But beyond the goals of one leader in Moscow, it is also clear that Ukraine has suffered horrors of a historic nature. But there was something that not even the factories of New York and Chicago could produce, and that was time. What can we glean from the current state of play on the battlefield? How well that would have worked can be seen when Gates was sent to command American troops in the South. General William Westmoreland. 1.
Scilit | Article - A Slow March from Social Evil to Harm Reduction 3. Most younger officers who worked around General Westmoreland, excepting only a very few among his many aides-de-camp or executive officers and the like, had no personal relationship with this difficult and distant man. Following on from our list of the greatest and most successful military commanders, we are presenting this list of the worst. Approaching his 60th birthday and exhibiting a timidity that had no place in a general about to lead an invasion, Hull also had the misfortune of facing two of the most gifted commanders ever to operate in North America. But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln and the Union expected great things. History is not a fixed set of facts. Explore the benefits of your FP subscription. In a war that saw more than its share of unskilled politically appointed generals, Pillow was arguably the worst on either side. 88,594. It's not the first time that someone thought he was smarter than his boss. For one thing, we wouldnt haveSpartacuson Netflix.
Who was the worst US general during the Vietnam War? - Quora Read More. Michael Ray oversees coverage of European history and military affairs for Britannica. The 1970s were scary times. By Lewis Sorley Best Defense Saigon bureau chief. Finally, there was MacArthur's insubordination. They dramatically upped their game, pressing the U.S. worldwide. Grenada (1983) 3. 2. Where is Carthage you ask? George Custer at the Little Big Horn and Lord Chelmsford at the Battle of Isandlwana leap to mind. Some staff officers who briefed him one-on-one at deskside were dismayed when Westmoreland occupied himself by signing photographs of himself, one after another, during their presentations. This did not, however, achieve the postulated outcome. Because he never wanted to face a superior force, he refused to fight. The Top Ten. James Jay Carafano is a leading expert in national security and foreign policy challenges. The man who appealed for Varus help was Arminius, a Romanized Germanic prince. 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. There are a number of contenders for the top places on such a roster. Westmoreland told him, "We're killing these people at a ratio of 10 to 1.". When the War of 1812 began, Hull was commissioned a brigadier general and tasked with defending Michigan and invading Upper Canada. Disobeying orders, he sailed for Cdiz instead of the Channel, allowing Nelsons fleet time to return and effectively scuttling Napoleons plans for a cross-Channel invasion. Relations between the United States and China seem to be getting frostier by the day. The latest news, analysis, and data from the country each week. Top 10 Most Underrated Military Generals.
Top 10 Worst Military Leaders in History - Toptenz.net Watch the conversation or read the condensed transcript. 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. 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. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Pillow pulled the troops back to the fort to resupply them. 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.
Judging GOFOs The Decisive Point Xi Jinpings signature foreign policy is a shadow of its former self.. This would be known as the Tet Offensive and would become a major turning point in the war.
LBJ's tragic "addiction" to Vietnam: The mistake that still - Salon Watch the conversation or read the condensed transcript. Thus, on July 1, 1916, Haig ordered his men to go over the top at the First Battle of the Somme, and 20,000 of them had the audacity to die almost immediately (there were 60,000 total British casualties on the first day of the attack).
Tortured in notorious 'Hanoi Hilton,' 11 GIs were unbreakable The General Who Lost Vietnam | TIME.com - 2 Worst: 2007 Washington Wizards. Among the most detrimental and problematic policies are the incarceration of drug users in compulsory treatment centers, and the stigmatization and abuse of consumers by the police. Eschewing a direct overland march to the Confederate capital of Richmond, McClellan orchestrated an impressive amphibious landing of more than 100,000 troops at Fort Monroe, at the southeast end of the peninsula between the James and York rivers. Delivered Wednesday. Hannibal. But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called "Young Napoleon" from whom Lincoln and the Union expected great things. After making a laughingstock of himself by ordering his men to entrench on the wrong side of fortifications at Camargo, Pillow bungled his role at the Battle of Cerro Gordo, making himself the low point of a resounding American victory. Others were experienced military men who should have known better than to take the risks they took - or not take the risks they should have. Not until 1995 did Vietnam release its official estimate of war dead: as many as 2 million civilians on both sides and some 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. 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. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died in the war. Who was the worst US general during the Vietnam War?
So long Fort Bragg, welcome Fort Liberty: The Pentagon's naming The result of his manic commitment to the war of attrition was that Westmoreland squandered four years of his troops bravery and support by the public, the Congress, and even much of the news media for American involvement in the war. The American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. How does an admiral make a list of the worst generals? 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. Seared into all who fought it and many who merely lived through it that conflict remains a bitter stew of second-guessing and recriminations. Even if Moscow holds onto territory, the war has wrecked its future. The Romans marched right into the ambush that Arminius laid thus leading to the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. 1. One-stop digest of politics, economics, and culture. Napoleon. Delivered Wednesday. 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 American Civil War was a factory for producing bad generals such as Braxton Bragg and Ambrose Burnside. The Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Memorial LectureThomas E. Ricks is a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Assuming you believe the subtitle to be accurate, who were GEN Westmorelands biggest accomplices in the loss? He bears a lot of responsibility for one the greatest reversals of military fortune ever experienced by a super power. By the end of the conflict, America had unleashed the equivalent of 640 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs on Vietnam. Army Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson put one forth in the PROVN Study, a Program for the Pacification and Long-Term Development of Vietnam. That document held that Westmorelands approach was not working and could not work because it ignored the real war in South Vietnams hamlets and villages, where the covert enemy infrastructure was through coercion and terror dominating the rural populace.
(You May Also Like: The Five Best U.S. But the inducements encourage U.S. companies to invest only at homenot elsewhere. If there was a saving grace for America, it was that he wasn't commanding an army. After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts. British Gen. Isaac Brock possessed a remarkable ability to anticipate his opponents moves and reactions, and it was not long before he had taken full measure of Hull. Yet Fredendall's solution was to order an Army engineer company to build a giant bunker a hundred miles from the front lines. 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. 9 Noteworthy Bog Bodies (And What They Tell Us), 12 Novels Considered the Greatest Book Ever Written, Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution, https://www.britannica.com/list/9-worst-generals-in-history.
Top 10 Utterly Useless Military Commanders - Listverse Who was the worst general in history? The War of the Triple Alliance devastated Paraguay. Your guide to the most important world stories of the day. Nor is being a bad battlefield commander, by itself, sufficient to make the cut. He worked under Adolf Hitler's Third Reich as a leading general and gained fame from his battles in North Africa. Gates thought otherwise, and fancied himself a better commander than George Washington. These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen.
The Worst Military Leaders in History review from Ancient Rome to Vietnam And what then? 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. Vietnam War. Pillow escaped during the night, leaving Simon B. Buckner to surrender the fort and 15,000 Confederate troops. Heres the inaugural class: 6. Maximus managed to form up his men but to no avail. A key plank in the Democratic platform that year was, appropriately, not fighting, and McClellan lost in a rout. When he made public his disagreements with President Truman, Truman rightfully fired him. Is the Biden administrations China policy too hawkish? 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. He continued on to suffer defeats at Spion Kop and Vaal Krantz, almost letting the war slip away from the British. In a war that saw more than its share of unskilled politically appointed generals, Pillow was arguably the worst on either side. Westmoreland was on a treadmill. In order, from most culpable down. After being taken prisoner (again) by the British, Villeneuve was released but committed suicide rather than face Napoleons wrath. Applications for the Gettysburg College-Gilder Lehrman MA program are open and considered on a rolling basis. You start by being the only thing that can frustrate Napoleon more than a Russian winter.
44 Declassified Vietnam War Photos The Public Wasn't Meant To See Critics say that Franks and senior officials, such as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, concocted an invasion plan that used too few troops. Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a frank discussion about the Biden administrations China policy and alternatives that it ought to consider. Santa Anna liked to call himself the Napoleon of the West. And, like Napoleon, he squandered it all in one grand campaign. Alexander went on to march halfway across Asia, creating an empire, albeit short-lived, that changed the history of three continentsnot bad for an ancient millennial. Vast areas dotted with villages were blasted with artillery, bombed from the air. 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. 5. That may have been true in the east (the worst of the Union generals in that theater rates his own entry on this list), but in the west it was a much different affair. Westmorelands devotion to advancing his own interests, even when necessary by misrepresentation, was fundamentally at odds with what Scouting is all about. Only recently have those in the defense and military complex begun to look at how we rate generals. The pandemics outbreak brought rare reporting freedoms. 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. Westmoreland was on a treadmill. At the height of the Cold War, he dealt decisively with neither. 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. A final humiliation came during Mexican-American War. They kept it as a war trophy, exhibiting the leg at. However, not even they managed to get themselves court-martialed and sentenced to death for ineptitude on the battlefield.
Battle of Dak To in the Vietnam War - ThoughtCo To counter these, Major General William R. Peers commenced Operation Greeley using elements of the 4th Infantry Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Gen. Charles Cornwallis. Years later, when Marine Corps historians were at work on their history of the war, Westmoreland met with them. Gods and Generals (2003) Loss $61 million These are actually Civil War reenactors and probably the only people who paid to see the movie. Here is a list of the 10 most famous Chinese generals in history. In considering who should receive such a dubious honor, Ive consciously excluded bad leaders. Routed by U.S. forces under Winfield Scott, Santa Anna was again driven into exile. He was responsible for coming up with the idea of using force to restore constitutional order in Chechnya. In 1940, after increasing pressure from dictator Benito Mussolini and facing demotion, Graziani followed orders and invaded Egypt with his Tenth Army. While there are plenty of books that analyze the keys to success, The Worst Military Leaders in History offers lessons of failure to avoid. Download the FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere. After months of inactivity, McClellan was finally spurred to action by Pres. Russias war is receiving critical assistance from authoritarian regimes around the world. 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. Hull was thoroughly outclassed. But for whatever reason, some American commanders have lost the battle for history. But he was overly cautious by nature. Darius quickly lost everything and became nothing but a fugitive. Lebanon (1982-1984) 240. Creighton Abrams was an U.S. Army General who commanded American military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1972. Essential analysis of the stories shaping geopolitics on the continent. America, the Middle East and the rest of the world are still reaping the consequences of those omissions. 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. Follow him on Twitter:@Mipeck1. Caepio reportedly lived out the remainder of his life in luxury, however. I flew into Vietnam in June 1968 as a young . But all that remains of his would-be empire today is a flaky French pastry. What can we glean from the current state of play on the battlefield? But the argument is unbalanced. Watchthe conversation onFP Live, the magazines forum for live journalism, orreada condensed transcript. During the darkest days of the rebellion, when Washington's army had been kicked out of New York and King George's star seemed ascendant, the "Conway cabal" of disgruntled officers and politicians unsuccessfully schemed to out Washington and appoint Gates. He is the dumb ass who gave the order to exfoliate the jungles with agent orange. What defines Santa Anna is his utter failure to subdue the Texican rebels and block American expansion. A monthly digest of the top articles read by FP subscribers. Rommel is by far the greatest military general of the .
The 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History | RealClearHistory A U.S. ship conveyed him to Mexico, and upon his arrivalto the surprise of virtually no onehe executed a volte-face and took charge of the Mexican troops. Thus, almost by default, Westmoreland was left to go his own way, year after bloody year. All rights reserved. His was one of just two French ships of the line to escape the destruction of the French fleet there. 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. Is the Biden administrations China policy too hawkish? Yes, the landing at Inchon unhinged the initial North Korean offensive. Even now, the easiest way to get into an argument at a V.F.W. He effectively pledged to become an agent for the U.S. but found that he had been deposed upon his return to Mexico. 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 Join FPs Ravi Agrawal for a frank discussion about the Biden administrations China policy and alternatives that it ought to consider. 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. How theyve practiced the art of war is immaterial, too. In 1847, U.S. troops once again surprised Santa Anna and captured his prosthetic leg. After only an eight-day siege, he surrendered his entire armya third of all British forces in America. Varus placed his legions in a position where their fighting strengths would be minimized and that of the Germanic Cherusci tribesman maximized. Consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus was Caepios superior officer, but Caepio refused to obey Maximus or even put his forces into a shared camp with him. The Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) Extract Files contains records of 58,220 U.S. military fatal casualties of the Vietnam War. Best Defense: Others would say that it is not victory, but success in fulfilling a mission that counts. Haig was cruelly mocked, first in the satirical musical Oh! Villeneuve lost 20 ships, while Nelson lost none. Little Mac would prove himself to be a superb organizer who kept his army well supplied, efficiently run, and happy. Instead he simply sent more and more replacements to make up his losses. Over time Westmoreland asked for and received large numbers of U.S. troops, eventually totaling well over half a million. Once again, McClellan worked his organizational magic, restoring the morale of a shattered Union army. Many historians credit Benedict Arnold and others with being the real victors of Saratoga. Lyndon Johnson had no understanding of military affairs whatever, nor did Robert McNamara. In fifteen thought-provoking essays, each written by a professional military historian, readers are introduced . 9. Sun Wu Sun Zi, or Sun Tzu, was a prominent military general during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) who is always regarded as one of the greatest military strategists in China and even the World.
6. Worst. Military. Leaders. Ever. | The Heritage Foundation This infuriated the Marines, who viewed it as evidence that Westmoreland lacked confidence in them. Some historians are a little more sympathetic towards Percivals legacy nowadays arguing that Percival had been dealt an unusually bad hand. After the war, the phrase lions led by donkeys came to be associated with the British army for what should be obvious reasons. The Summer 2023 term begins June 1, 2023 and ends August 24, 2023. When it came to military command, Westmoreland was everybodys all-Americanuntil he met his Waterloo. 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. Considering some militants as instruments of regional influence while fighting others has had disastrous consequences. General Earle Wheeler was essentially a staff officer with virtually no troop leading experience, much less combat acumen. Fifty years ago today, President Lyndon Baines Johnson announced his fateful decision to double the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam. 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. Click + to receive email alerts when new stories are published on There was no warmth, no apparent interest in his associates as people.
Who are the famous national heroes or generals in 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. After only 10 weeks into the Pacific War, Percival became responsible for the largest surrender of British-led forces in history. How do you measure military leaders? Argentina, Brazil, and the Brazilian puppet government in Uruguay formed an alliance, and on May 1, 1865, they declared war on Paraguay. A very influential visitor, Senator "Fritz" Hollings from Westmoreland's home state of South Carolina, had warned him about reliance on such ratios. 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. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Instead the enemy proved willing to absorb horrifying losses and keep fighting. Thus it was under Darius rule that the Persian Empire fell and was conquered. He deprived the South Vietnamese of modern weaponry, giving U.S. and other allied forces priority for issue of the new M-16 rifle and other advanced military wherewithal. These operations were designed to seek out enemy forces and engage them in decisive battle.
The Vietnam War, as Seen by the Victors - The Atlantic Weekly update on whats driving U.S. national security policy.
Top Ten Worst Military Commanders - The History Buff's Guide to World The curation of this content is at the discretion of the author, and not necessarily reflective of the views of Encyclopaedia Britannica or its editorial staff. Germanic tribes sacrificed Roman officers on altars to their gods. What a Lovely War and then in the 1989 television comedy series Blackadder Goes Forth. The enemy simply kept sending more and more replacements to make up his losses. Sorley skillfully uses Westmoreland's own words to show time and again his duplicity at worst and his lack of touch with reality at best. When all is said and done, it doesnt matter how nice, brave, courageous, gutsy, loyal, or brilliant commanders theyve been.
Top 10 Greatest Generals of Chinese History | ChinaWhisper He was an artilleryman who missed out on the Army's great schools system, never attending the Command & General Staff College or the Army War College. 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. Despite fresh salvos of Western sanctions, Tehran and Moscow are buddying up on defense ties.
7 Of The Worst Military Leaders In History, That You Didn't Know About Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. What was your impression of the man when you were working for him? Delivered Thursday. As Lincoln well knew, the only way the Union could lose the war was if the North eventually grew tired and agreed to allow the South to secede. Although he managed to escape the battle unharmed, Caepio was stripped of his Roman citizenship and exiled. Still, he choked in the big game. World War I provided a forum for any number of truly horrible commanders to assert themselves. For its part, Washington has made a series of policy choices over the last few years that can be summed Show moreup as tough on Beijing, even seeking to contain the rise of the worlds second-biggest economy. 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. The alternative was to split the United States asunder. 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. 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. History: Military History. 4.
Top 10 Worst World Leaders - Wonderslist He graduated second in his class at West Point (well ahead of classmates Stonewall Jackson, George H. Gordon, and George Pickett).