Embarrassing Military Fails in History

worst military mistakes the result of miscommunication overconfidence incompetence ill preparation or sometimes just pure stupidity the history of warfare is littered with embarrassing blunders atrocious mistakes and calamitous gaffes perpetrated by hopeless halfwits claiming to be commanders of men as the following events will illustrate not everyone was born to lead operation Tiger with D-Day looming on the horizon from December 15 1943 the U.S army commenced preparations for a series of rehearsals known as operation Tiger penciled in for late April and early May of 1944. slapped in Sands and unspoiled Beach situated in Lime Bay featuring a shallow Lagoon and Tall Cliffs was chosen as the practice Scythe since it was very similar in appearance to Omaha Beach in Normandy here American troops were to get a surprise Taste of the turbulence yet to come on the evening of April 26 to April 27th the main Landing Force replete with minesweepers at the front set sail across lime Bay in order to safeguard the fleet from Fast German e-boats that commonly patrolled this particular area of the English Channel some precautions had been carried out beforehand the man responsible for the safety of operation Tiger British Admiral Moon had perceptively sent out his own wave of scout vessels to loiter around the German port and E-boat base of cherborg where a lapse of concentration would soon lead to tragedy Plymouth safety measures seem to have worked at First as the bombardment of slept in Sands and the landing process went by without a hitch throughout April 27th however in the early morning of April 28th the main Convoy was suddenly peppered with missiles from a squadron of nine e-boats from shareboard that had somehow evaded detection without receiving any warning from the scouts the U.S ship LST 507 was torpedoed into Oblivion within a matter of moments while only a short while later LST 531 was destroyed and sunk in six minutes with the survivors swimming for their lives in the freezing Waters of the channel the battleship LST 289 hoveredly returned fire and rushed back to Port after also being hit while the other lsts and a British Corvette continued to fight back against the assailants using smoke to cover their tracks the German e-board zipped away as fast as they had arrived leaving in their wake 749 dead or missing servicemen hey simple history fans I've got something epic to share with you today have you ever dreamed about being a ruler of a grand civilization Leading Armies into war and carving your name into the annals of History well you can do exactly that in Rise of Kingdoms this is a truly immersive cross-platform strategy game where you can experience real-time Team battles through various historical eras with more than 60 million users online worldwide with an expansive open world environment you can enjoy customizing the architecture of your civilization even exploring and conquering new lands you can play with your friends on any platform 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at rock.games see you on the battlefield Soldier conquer with Greece rise to Greatness the Battle of Crete on Tuesday May 20th 1941 a German invasion Force consisting of 750 glider troops 10 000 paratroopers and 5 000 Mountain infantry launched an attack on the island of Crete the mission objective being to capture several airfields on the northern coast so a firm foothold could be established following an intense air bombardment the first wave of Germans were dispatched to malem in the northeast of the island over the next few hours this and other contested areas would bear witness to one of the greatest Airborne disasters in German history firstly since the Enigma code had already been cracked at this stage of the war the Allies knew every detail of German strategy before they had even deployed armed with such useful Intel thousands of additional Allied troops were sent to malem wrathamnon and heraklion to set up strategic positions in the exact places the Germans were planning to drop as a result as German gliders and paratroopers floated down most were mowed down by strategically placed Allied guns the situation was made even worse by defective German gear mainly the parachutes which had several problems the principal issue was that they had been produced without shroud lines meaning that German air Personnel had no way to control their descent or Landing this design drawback coupled with the violent swinging motion that arose as the canopy was activated caused the soldier to spin helplessly out of control meaning many of their ranks were killed as they performed wild mid-air pirouettes on the ground this situation was equally hopeless because the German's weapons had been sent down in separate containers many of which had been captured by the Allies any surviving soldiers were unable to get their hands on a gun forced to defend themselves with only pistols knives or their bare hands the Germans were so weakly armed that they started to be attacked by a local cretan civilian population wielding pretty much anything they could get a hold of as soon as they landed many German paratroopers tangled up in their harnesses were immediately knifed or clubbed to death by enraged locals equipped with an unconventional assortment of pitchforks walking sticks and outdated Turkish weaponry the glider troops fared no better being torn apart by mortar shells as soon as they hit the ground so great was the slaughter that a company of the Third Battalion first assault regiment had 112 out of 126 men killed by the end of the first day surprisingly though despite the awful start the Germans eventually went on to conquer the entire Island however with around 4 000 of their troops killed or missing by the end it would prove to be only a pyrrhic victory British Invasion of Spain a leftover from colonialism since 1704 the British have laid claim to Gibraltar a tiny Coastal exclave in southern Iberia that is historically stoked tensions between the UK and Spain however because Gibraltar itself is minuscule being only five kilometers long and 1.2 kilometers wide and because most of the residents identify as British this long drawn-out diplomatic Feud has never really threatened to spill out into open conflict it's pretty clear then that no side would benefit from a full-scale war over what is essentially just an occupied Rock and that it would be incredibly stupid for either power to make a move against the other yet that's exactly what happened in 2002 when the UK albeit accidentally invaded Spain the Fiasco started when 20 British Royal Marines on a training exercise disoriented by bad weather and sailing in a landing craft launched from the HMS ocean disembarked on a beach they believed to be in Gibraltar hitting the sand the platoon brandishing sa-80 assault rifles and 60 millimeter mortars took up defensive positions to prepare themselves for mock combat against fellow British soldiers yet instead of coming across a squadron of their own countrymen the men were surprised to find a startled Spanish fisherman who pointed out to them that maybe they were on the wrong Beach the Marines were then spotted by two equally perplexed policemen who informed them that they were actually on San Felipe beach in the Spanish Town of lalina and not in Gibraltar the mistake was confirmed by a quick survey of the area and the notable absence of the massive 1398-foot High Gibraltar Rock having accidentally invaded Spain for about five minutes the platoon made a hasty Retreat back onto the landing craft while the British military of Defense offered their sincerest apologies for the debacle the mayor of lalanea could only praise the citizens who staunchly defended the national sovereignty of Spain on that fateful day they landed on our Coast to confront a supposed enemy with typical Commando tactics but we managed to hold them on the beach Charge of the Light Brigade on October 25th 1854 in response to a combined British French Ottoman and Sardinian bombardment of the Strategic Port of sevastopol the Russian Commander Prince minchikov decided to storm the British base at nearby balaclava setting the scene for one of the most disastrous military blunders of the 19th century as the Russians swarmed The Ridges surrounding the port taking many Allied guns minshikov's forces began to ominously close in on the Allies who regrouped at balaclava determined to keep themselves in the battle after repulsing waves of Russian sallies Lord Fitzroy Somerset Raglan the British commander-in-chief ordered his Cavalry unit composed of heavy and light brigades to recapture the guns more specifically Raglan instructed the commander of the Cavalry George Bingham Earl of Lucan to mount an immediate charge against Russian positions with the Infantry to follow up behind for support however in the pandemonium raglan's instruction became muddled as a result instead of swooping towards the foe as required Bingham instead told his units to disengage and to wait for the Infantry perplexed that his instructions hadn't been carried out Raglan issued another directive urging the Cavalry to advance rapidly to the front causing even more confusion for Bingham could not see any Russians in the distance now completely baffled Bingham asked raglan's Aid to Camp Captain Nolan where his regiment should attack in one simple gesture Nolan sent them to their Doom by incorrectly pointing to the North Valley instead of the causeway despite expressing misgivings and concern Bingham organized 670 members of the Light Brigade for the task at hand anyway led by their eunuch Commander James brutal who was also bingham's brother-in-law like Brigade began their mile and a quarter charge and were almost instantly set up upon by Russian fire from three sides with Captain Nolan the first to fall exhibiting incredible bravery the survivors who had somehow managed to get behind the Russian guns regrouped and to the astonishment of the Russians continued to advance causing their own Cavalry to fall back the enemy were now on the run but because Bingham had already ordered his heavy Brigade to retreat the Russians soon realized that the Light Brigade were now totally isolated and outnumbered the Russians now funneled down into the valley where the remnants of the Light Brigade were gallantly making their last stand amazingly two groups of survivors managed to break free of the Russian encirclement staggering back to safety all the while being pounded by Relentless Russian Artillery in total 160 men were injured and 110 were killed meaning the casualty rate was a sickeningly high 40 percent while around 400 horses also lost their lives sadly like many other similar bloodbaths that spatter the pages of recorded history The Charge of the Light Brigade was a completely avoidable Calamity it's just one of a catalog of catastrophes that will forever be blamed on bumbling officers bungling generals and blundering Emperors that didn't have the requisite skill courage or tactical Acumen to lead their men in the proper manner battle of adwa in 1896 Keen to reassert Authority in East Africa after a disastrous Colonial campaign Italian Prime Minister Francesco crispy ordered his underperforming generalissimo or estebarrative to wage an enormous offensive against the town of Ottawa where the rebellious Ethiopian monarch king menelik II was believed to be holed up despite the Army being woefully underprepared and unable to even resupply baratieri was overruled by his other generals who were confident that the Ethiopians despite their greater numbers were inferior and could be easily defeated dividing his force of twenty thousand into four regiments baratieri made a fatal error when he instructed his Left Flank commanded by General Matteo albatoni to Rendezvous with him at a Hill Called chidambare baratieri didn't realize the map he had given to his officer was incorrect and the actual location of the Meetup point was actually five miles further the Italians couldn't even march to their own demise in the right direction after the inept General abertone accidentally headed west instead of North bumping awkwardly into the forward Brigade led by General Giuseppe armande who had to tell his men to halt in order to let albertone through reaching what he thought was chidan Murray albertoni didn't realize that armandi was now seriously behind after the delay meaning his own unit was now isolated from the others in the wrong position completely cut off and exposed on both flanks albertone foolishly ordered his men to assault a 30 000 strong arm of the Ethiopian Army finding themselves outnumbered seven to one and unable to call for assistance within a matter of moments they had been decimated by the enemy artillery and skirmishers and albertone had been taken prisoner the forward flank under armande fared no better with the general himself killed and the majority of his comrades massacred by Ethiopian Horsemen and Sharpshooters as baratieri ordered an immediate Retreat the third Brigade overseen by General Vittorio de bromide miles from the action and unaware of the situation had some success repulsing enemy assaults until the next morning in the afternoon however Deborah romita and most of his 4 000 comrades were slaughtered after being encircled and set upon by 50 000 Warriors in total six thousand Italians were slain and three thousand were taken prisoner the Battle of Karan sebes following a series of great military victories by the Prussian King Frederick the great in 1788 the Austrian Emperor Joseph II pledged to outdo his rival on the battlefield opting to choose the Turks of Transylvania as his Target Joseph rode there with his army the hapless Austrian Monarch's first mistake was to set up camp in a malaria-ridden swamp against the advice of local guides leading to the deaths of 33 000 of his Entourage over six months his contingent now weakened Joseph would next have to face a Turkish Army heading straight for him mustering what was left of his disease-stricken forces Joseph LED them to the town of Karan sebes setting in motion a series of events so unbelievable they almost defy belief it all started when a brigade of Austrian hussars crossing a bridge decided to reward themselves for their long Trek by buying liquor but when the Infantry joined them to wet their whistle they were driven Away by The Arrogant Horsemen who did not want company Furious by being deprived of much-needed alcohol the infantrymen pretended they were being attacked by firing their weapons in the air and crying tortsi tortsi in the hopes that the hussars would scatter and leave their booze behind instead the hussars were roused from their drunken stupor and taking the threat seriously started firing off rounds themselves the setting off a fatal chain reaction startled by the gunshots in the distance the rear regiments panicked and began shooting at each other in the dark officers ran up and down the lines desperately shouting halt but in the noisy chaos their orders sounded like Allah only adding to the Hysteria convinced that the entire Turkish Army was upon them the baggage handlers and transport workers to the rear drove their wagons right through the heart of the brawling Mass running stampeding men over and knocking them into the river like bowling pins the emperor Joseph was among those bumped into the water as his crazed men shouted forlornely the Turks are here All Is Lost save yourselves by morning dozens of Austrian servicemen had either been killed or wounded in an orgy of self-inflicted Carnage that had been set off without an enemy Turk in sight the Battle of Red Cliffs during the late 2nd and early third centuries as a result of nomadic invasions and the outbreak of the yellow turban Rebellion a general Uprising against rampant social inequality the Han Dynasty disintegrated causing ancient China to fracture into a series of Warring Regional States in the North after many successful military campaigns the Chinese warlord south of the way Clan became the greatest power in the region and casting his eyes avorously on Southern China he vowed to unify the country once again under his Overlord ship to achieve this though Southall would have to cross the Yangtze River and Vanquish a coalition of Southern leaders consisting of the shoe and Wu Clans with an army of close to 250 000 soldiers loaded into ships behind him sausal followed the Han River down until he reached the Waters of the Yangtze coming across the famous Red Cliffs zaozau tied his Fleet together with chains ordering them to wake her up Stern to stern for stability thus forming a near solid wall of vessels as many of his men unaccustomed to the swampy terrain of the South succumbed to disease South Sal commanded his regiments to establish a Bridgehead across the Yang sea but the battle was indecisive it was after this that the southerners cooked up a dastardly plan that would take advantage of the unusual way saozau had parked up as flotilla soon afterwards a u- officer by the name of huangai pretended to defect to South South Side his surrender accepted guy came to meet sausau at the other side of the river with a group of ships jam-packed with a highly combustible mix of dry Reeds wood and oil and about halfway guy and his crew aligned them so that they were directly in South South's path set the ships on fire and jumped into boats behind them to escape the burning vessels smashed into souse Armada and ignited his stationary Naval Force unable to move because of the chains the ships were incinerated one by one as the Flames Blaze through the floating huddle causing men to jump into their watery Graves many of the land positions and horses were also satellite in the Bedlam the southern Clans pounced finishing off the remnants of the northern Army who were forced into an ignominious Retreat along the hwarong road during which many of the fleeing infantrymen were crushed under the Hooves and heels of their own horses and comrades

Channel: Simple History

Views: 2,044,087

Keywords: simple history, animated history, educational, education, military blunders, medieval history, blunders, military, ancient history, history, mistakes, documentaries, worst mistakes, biggest mistakes, historical, documentary, teutoburg forest, facts, top 5, crete, spanish coast, royal marines, silly, fails

Id: tjcpZoyOlzg

Length: 20min 15sec (1215 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 21 2023