Most Notorious Military Blunders

[ReluctantSamurai]

I know General Dwight Eisenhower was in command, but some of the beach landings I can see Monety's hands on

Actually, it goes far beyond that. Monty's operational planning for 'Overlord' gave the whole invasion plan a much better chance for succeeding than the original plan he inherited from COSSAC. And Monty was in control of all Allied ground forces from the pre-landing time until Sept 1, when General Eisenhower assumed command.

However, his heroic role is, in my eyes, MUCH propaganda. A mediocre strategist, at best.

I would agree with the first part of that statement, but would ask on what do you base the second part?

I will freely admit that my already displayed error would be enough to question me

No worries mate. God knows how many times I've put my foot in my mouth while trying to make a point

Heh, I'm not sure that Overlord is much of a credit to Monty's record.

I'm not sure what you mean by that? Care to elaborate? While his plan, which was the one implemented, wouldn't win any brilliancy prizes, was certainly better than the one put forth by COSSAC, and showed, IMHO, a pretty good grasp of what the Allies were capable of doing, and what they were not. Of course, all plans go out the door once the fighting starts...........

The reality is that all the Allied commanders were dealing with overwhelming numerical superiority, among other significant advantages, and they all screwed up at one point or another despite them.

I think that statement could apply to just about any commander who has been in charge of leading troops...and in ww2, the Germans had their share of screw-ups, as well.

On the topic of military blunders...as long as Rommel has been mentioned, let's go with his biggest snafu: chasing the British into Egypt after the culmination of the Gazala battles. Gen. Rommel showed that once again he who ignores the maxims of logistics, generally loses.

[PanzerJaeger]

I'm sorry for the long response time. I'm on a boat with only an IPad anda shaky internet connection.

I'm not sure what you mean by that? Care to elaborate? While his plan, which was the one implemented, wouldn't win any brilliancy prizes, was certainly better than the one put forth by COSSAC, and showed, IMHO, a pretty good grasp of what the Allies were capable of doing, and what they were not. Of course, all plans go out the door once the fighting starts...........

If one begins from the premise that the invasion and eventual capture of France was a 'sure thing', (which Hitler ensured, starting with his middling non-decision on the competing defense plans proposed by Rommel and Von Rundstedt all the way through the campaign to the Mortain offensive), mere eventual success is not all that impressive. A more accurate assessment of Monty's performance takes into account his planning and execution of the campaign, not it's rather forgone conclusion.

And by that measure, Monty doesn't come off looking so hot. His plan may have been better than what he inherited, but transforming a poor plan into one that is less-poor really doesn't deserve high praise. Portending future failures, the airborne component's goals were overly ambitious while it's performance was ineffectual at best, only achieving its primary objective three days after DDay and with regular infantry support. Further, the beaches were weakly defended and too far apart. 21st Panzer's limited counterattacks on the 6th clearly demonstrate that the operation was vulnerable to Rommel's strategy. Had he been given free reign over the battlefield, he very well may have isolated the beaches and driven the Allies back into the sea as he originally envisioned.

His execution fared no better as the campaign progressed inland. He had an incredible advantage in numbers, mobility, and air power and what did he do? Unlike his Soviet counterparts who grew to be very adept in maneuver warfare late in the war, Monty's solution had not changed from his days in the desert - base attrition. The German positions North and South of Caen were extremely vulnerable, and yet he insisted on throwing his forces against the strongest German units, situated on the strongest defensive line Rommel had crafted, built around dense urban center. While Cobra presented a convenient excuse, Goodwood bordered on sheer negligence. And speaking of Cobra, it was Bradley, not Monty, who envisioned the mobile breakout that finally brought the campaign to a close. Who knows how long he would have kept ramming his proverbial head into a brick wall when there was a door directly to his right.

With all that being said, Monty obviosly should get credit for the eventual success of the campaign. Just as with el Alamein, he faced a scenario where victory was all but ensured and made it a reality, a trait that many Allied commanders struggled with. A description of his performance in the Normandy campaign as anything more than 'competent' is, IMO, overly generous.

[Fisherking]

When it comes to Military Blunders did the battle of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Carrhae” Battle of Carrhae[/URL] not cross anyone’s mind?

It was not just a blundering disaster for the Romans though. The winning general for the Parthians got himself executed as a potential threat to the king.

While I am skeptical of Roman Histories in general this story is surely an example of a series of blunders.

[Brandy Blue]

Here was another embarassment for the Romans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_..._Caudine_Forks