War is stupid and people are stupid so sang Culture Club in the mid 80's and most military's have had cock-ups because you know, military people are not known for their smarts which is why in the second World War America attacked an empty Japanese Island and lost over 100 men.
When the Japanese invaded the U.S. occupied island of Kiska in 1943, the Americans decided to take it back with 35,000 men, 95 ships and 168 aircraft and carnage ensued with bombs dropped and then the soldiers charged in, shooting everything that somehow still stood.
When they stopped to reload they noticed a distinct lack of Japanese corpses as they had all left two weeks earlier although they did find 122 dead Americans which is pretty stupid to lose over 100 men
fighting against no enemy although my favourite stupid war people story involves the British and the Ojibwa tribe of Indians.
In 1761, the British gained a new Fort in present day Michigan and also some new neighbors in the local tribe and it all began peacefully with just the occasional skirmish and scalping and the tribe would
play lacrosse near the entrance of the fort and the British watched them from the safety of the ramparts and then gradually coming outside to stand around the pitch watching.
Over time the rivalry between the Ojibwa and the Brits increased and they became ever more suspicious of each other and the Ojibawa, suspecting an imminent attack from the British, knew they would be slaughtered if they attacked so came up with a brilliantly cunning plan.
During one game of Lacrosse, with most of the British outside watching them, one of them 'accidentally' knocked the ball over the walls of the fort and two Ojibwa ran into the fort to fetch it, after a few minutes another few ran in to help them find the ball and then a few more and soon eventually, all the players were inside the gates and the British were still outside wondering why they were taking so long.
Meanwhile inside the Ojibwa were arming themselves from the British arsenal and locking the gate, slaughtered everyone inside.
Obviously the game had to be postponed and the Ojibwa went on to hold the fort for an entire year.
Sunday, 1 December 2024
How Stupid?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
kind of some shitty remarks about the military. i've met and worked for many brilliant generals and admirals. as well as many graduates from West Point, Annapolis, and the Air Force Academy that are incredibly intelligent. Most people in the US consider the academy educations to be equivalent to an education from the ivy league (harvard, yale, princeton, brown, penn, etc.
perhaps you confuse smarts with complexity and uncertainty caused by the "fog" of war, disinformation, and lack of information. Colin Powell is famous in the US for saying once you have 40% confidence, take action. The rationale is that "analysis paralysis" is unjustified, especially when so much war information is wrong and missing.
One of the CEOs that i served as strategist, a retired general, would start our competitor "war" games and scenario analysis by saying, "Plans turn to shit when the first boot hits ground, but going into combat without a plan is unjustifiable". He was right. He is right.
If you want to think that military leaders are stupid, i'm sure you will plod down that path of ignorance proudly, but if you underestimate the intellect of those you oppose, you are the idiot...
Post a Comment