History's 5 Most Useless Generals

for every great General who basks in the glory of strategic Mastery there is a terrible one whose blood soaked hands wrought nothing but death destruction and misery on those unfortunate enough to fall under their commands and today we're going to look at five of [Music] them ancient had no shortage of incompetent generals but one Quinto civilia CPO stands Head and Shoulders Above the Rest as a true Zenith of egregious military inability his actions particularly at the infamous Battle of arosio in 105 BC illuminate a blend of rash decision-making blatant disregard for military protocol and a self-serving nature which melded to precipitate one of the most devastating losses in Roman history cbo's debacle at aruo was not born out of a lack of resources or capability on the part of his troops but was directly the result of his disregard for cohesion and unity in the Roman forces the root of this was his disdain for his Superior officer conso Nas malus Maximus which morphed into a fatal disunity that would pave the way for Calamity in an explicit deviation from the Roman military doctrines of coordinated strategy in respecting the chain of command CPO declined to integrate his forces with maximus's or even in Camp jointly a decision that was the result of either deep-seated arrogance jealousy or probably both while Maximus pursued a diplomatic approach negotiating with the invasive Germanic tribe the simri in trans alpian Gore CPO acted with Reckless impulsivity on that faithful day of the 6th of October he unilaterally and precipitously launched an assault against the simur Army in Stark defs of ongoing peace parlays and without the combined strength of the unified Roman forces his actions were not only insubordinate but tactically unsound disregarding the fundamental principle principles of Roman military strategy that favored disciplined Collective actions and thorough planning cp's Force isolated and at the mercy of its leaders overconfidence was swiftly obliterated by the simur this not only resulted in a staggering loss of Roman life and morale but also emboldens the already formidable enemy the simur freshly Victorious then turns their wrath upon maximus's Camp who despite managing to mobilize his men Was Defeated due to the Amplified might of the now emboldened Sim and the decreased strength of the fractured REM forces the tragedy at aralo was cataclysmic an estimated 880,000 Roman infantry and an additional 40,000 auxiliaries and Cavalry perished total eclipsing even the horrific losses of canai it was a blow not only to the physical strength of Rome but also to its indomitable image and spirit and all the result of CPO hubris the real insult however even though cp's incompetence created a shadow that loomed large over the whole Roman Republic his own fortunes remained unphased at least in an immediate sense though he was stripped of his Roman citizenship and exiled as a repercussion of the disastrous battle CPO reportedly spent the remainder of his days enveloped in luxury worsening matters still this luxury May well have been funded by the theft of some 15,000 talents of gold the fabled gold of TSA which mysteriously disappeared under his watch Hello every I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about a fantastic gift idea for your loved ones or indeed just a gift for yourself if you're feeling generous towards you avoid giving bad gifts and get them something special from today's sponsor Ridge look if you don't know Ridge they've been redefining everyday essentials with style and practicality and this time they're turning up for heat with their new hyper lime and ceramic powder collection which I have right here it's brand new it's very bold there's pink I mean I would say for the ladies but you do you or green as you prefer it R's new hyperline collection is a burst of color inspired by high performance gear perfect for those who crave both Style and utility and that's not all ceramic powder collection 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ottoman Turks from Continental Europe but on the other hand he had absolutely no acum to be able to do so launching a series of cataclysmic military campaigns that culminated with the the disastrous Battle of nicopolis in 1396 that saw an entire Crusader Army routed and destroyed but one cannot discuss sigman's military blunders without delving into the sociopolitical landscape of the late 14th century where the aan empire under the vigorous leadership of Sut and bazid I was voraciously engulf in Balan territories thereby unsettling the European monarchies the response motivated by a mingling of fear and religious fervor was a call to arms that echoed throughout the Realms the crusade of nicopolis Sigman ascending as a pivotal orchestrator of this Crusade demonstrated an initial capacity for unification successfully amassing a coalition of European Knights consisting of Hungarian French Burgundian and other various Western European forces this amalgamation of Warriors Bound by common religion and geopolitical objective teased a shimmering Prospect of repelling ottoman advances however beneath this facade of unity and strength lurked a Bedrock of strategic inadequacy and Discord that would subsequently unravel on the battlefield sigman's first Cardinal error lay in his inability to forge genuine cohesion among the Allied Forces the crusading Army was marred by internal Rifts with the French and Hungarian knights in particular harboring a potent Brew of mutual distrust and contrasting military philosophies the French impetuous and Glory thirsty vehemently Champion for direct confrontations With the Enemy while sigismund and his Hungarian Knights cognizant of the Ottomans military prowess advocated for a more cautious and strategic approach thus the Battle of nicopolis when it finally came to pass was a cauldron where these Divergent strategies collided with disastrous consequences unable to exert authoritative control and align the Crusaders under a unified well-conceived strategy sigismond witnessed the impulsive French Knights charging prematurely against the seasoned ottoman forces negating any potential for a coordinated assault the resulting Slaughter not only diminished the Crusaders combative capability but also exposed the depth of sigman's failure to navigate the complexities of leadership with the diverse Coalition moreover sigman's shortcomings were further accentuated through his misreading of the Ottoman military capabilities and strategic Acumen Sultan bars did the first a seasoned campaigner masterfully exploited the Crusaders disjointedness employing a judicious blend of feigned Retreats and devastating counterattacks that bewildered and decimated the European forces Sigman trapped in a masterr of chaos was incapable of reorientating his forces effectively to counteract the ottoman strategies there by sealing the fate of the campaign sigman's defeat and subsequent Retreat while ensuring his personal survival rippled across Europe demoralizing kingdoms and emboldening the Ottomans who continued their territorial expansion with a newfound dier this not only altered the geopolitical Dynamics of the region but also unveiled the perilous implications of ineffectual leadership and fractured alliances but at least his heart was in the right place so while he might have been an incompetent buffoon with ideas of Marshal prowess he's at least an improvement over CPO for our next incompetent General let's jump forward to the American Civil War which gave rise to one General Braxton Brig in the ranks of the Confederate Army his leadership agreed upon by historians as the worst of any Confederate general of the war is synonymous with failure and incompetence drawing a distinct image that diverges greatly from the off lionized leaders of the Confederate cause Braxton Bragg despite graduating fifth in his class from West Point Military Academy and having a substantial military experience under his belt courtesy of engagements in the second semor war and the Mexican-American War still found his capabilities as a leader rather lacking come to the Civil War and as a result he found his reputation constantly marred by issues of incompetence things got so bad had that his own men even tried to assassinate him fancying their Odds Against The Hangman's news rather than face another battle under his command but what really turned his men against him wasn't his incompetence on the field I mean after all there are plenty of incompetent generals who never have their men turn against them but what really did it in for Bragg was his unnecessarily brutal discipline simply put his soldiers hated him in reading the reflections of Sam Watkins a private under Bragg's command we Glimpse the palpable dis stain that his men had for him watkins's poignant observations portray a leader disconnected from the realities and morale of his troops an image he starkly contrasts with the reverence of the other Confederate generals like Robert E Lee and James Long Street this emotional and psychological disconnect particularly in the throws of War undeniably undermine the resilience and efficiency of his army but this could have been okay many generals are hated for overly disciplining their troops but they at least managed to successfully point that hatred toward the enemy and as a result produced some pretty fine soldiers but Bragg couldn't even manage that his discipline was only that in name in reality it was a want and cruelty that simply destroyed his men's morale and left them every bit the soldier they were when they got off the train on their first day of training the solution to this sacrifices men in futile Endeavors after all they'd get through the line eventually right well to expand further on his strategic incompetence let's zoom in on his actions in the Kentucky campaign here brag believing that significant support awaited the Confederacy within Kentucky sought to capitalize on this perceived Advantage although he just squeaked to peric victory at the Battle of perville in 1862 subsequent events unfolded as a strategic debacle faced with supply shortages of his own making and bolstered Union Army he withdrew forgoing further engagement and essentially surrendering control of Kentucky to Union forces for the remainder of the war this fateful decision and the failure of the campaign were met with vital from the southern press and dissidents within his rank severely undercutting Confederate morale and undermining the Strategic position of the Confederate Army Beyond his contentious relationship with subordinates and questionable strategic decisions he also rubbed his fellow generals the wrong way creating a toxic Dynamic that permeated the Confederate leadership the Discord between him and his subordinates most notably General Leon's pulk diminished operational efficiency and swed seeds of internal conflict which only exacerbated military failings when on campaign this dysfunctional hierarchy exacerbated by Bragg's abras of Personality effectively stifled Cooperative efforts to rectify strategic missteps or adapt to the fluidity of the battlefield despite these many failings brag was not without success and it is critical to acknowledge these in the broader assessment of his capabilities for example is aention pic victory at perville in addition to other partial victories at Stones River and chiamara but minor victories like these were ultimately few and far between for brag and by and large his reputation is one of well-deserved incompetence now when it comes to incompetent generals we really are rather spoiled for Choice with World War I a conflict that showcased a grim parade of tactical obstinacy and tragic miscalculations among the plethora of questionable leaders General Luigi kadona of the Italian Army stands Above the Rest as an Exemplar of military incompetence and pitiless Leadership a man who transformed the Italian front into a tableau of pointless offensives and needless suffering born into a military family kadona was no stranger to the Art of War but this prestigious lineage was the very thing that led to his undoing as it created a rigid adherance to outdated tactical approaches and an unyielding belief in aggressive offenses regardless of circumstance ultimately sealing his place in the history books as an incompetent General during his tenure as Chief of Staff of the Italian Army kadona orchestrated a series of 11 battles along the aanso River from 1915 to 1917 each bathed in the blood of the Italian Youth and yielding scarce strategic Advantage time and time again his young soldiers slogged through the inhospitable terrains of the Alps and cast Plateau only to be sent into the Moors of Austrian Hungarian defenses simply never to return cador's inflexibility is starkly demonstrated through his persistence in these fruitless assaults seemingly indifferent to the immense human cost in the context of trench warfare coupled with the destructive power of modern artillery and machine guns direct frontal assaults proved to be not only Antiquated but devastatingly dangerous the general nonetheless remains oblivious or apathetic to the transformation of warfare sending wave after wave of inadequately equipped men into the infernos of enemy fire his Mantra that the spirit of aggressive assault would triumph over the enemy was proven absolutely and catastrophically wrong over and over again moreover cador's tactical and strategic blunders were accompanied by his complete disregard for the morale and well-being of his soldiers executions for perceived cowardice or insubordination were frequent and merciless often conducted without you process the Draconian policies intended to instill fear and compliance among the ranks but instead they sowed seeds of resentment and despair critically eroding the fighting Spirit of the Italian Army but his greatest failure of all however would be his conduct or lack thereof in the leadup to the Battle of caporetto in 1917 in a striking example of his leadership Folly gadon ignored or perhaps was oblivious to the telltale signs of the looming battle and as a result made absolutely no preparations consequently and despite several indicators of an immediate offensive by the Central Powers kadona was caught unawares when wave after wave of Austrian and German forces smashed the Italian lines his troops demoralized and fatigued from the Relentless unsuccessful isonzo campaign and his brutal discipline rapidly disintegrated in the face of enemy Onslaught the defeat a capar was an absolute disaster the Italian forces were sent into disarray retreating approximately 100 Mil and losing 35,000 men primarily to surrender the city of Venice was even threatened a concern so great that it sent shock waves through the Italian military hierarchy and government kadona mismanagement and dismissal of the human element in Warfare now threatened to hand one of the jewels of Italy to the enemy but every cloud has a silver lining and in this instance it was the end of cador's tenure as Chief of Staff cadorna to this end scapegoated his soldiers attributing the calamitous defeat to their alleged cowardice and treachery sidestepping any semblance of personal accountability when General Amando Diaz replaced him he was greeted with the Herculean task of rebuilding an army that had been shattered not just by the enemy but also by its own bungled leadership Diaz in stark contrast to his predecessor approached his command with a mix of strategic caution and genuine concern for his soldiers gradually restoring the integrity and fighting capacity of the the Italian Army as the ravagers of World War II imprinted permanent scars across the Landscapes and psyches of Nations one man Gregory KCK accentuated the Soviet Union's agonizing Journey with a Litany of military blunders and obstinate resistance to crucial advancements in Warfare technology Kulik whose Beginnings in the Imperial Russian army were notably undistinguished carved a path of opportunism through aligning himself closely with Joseph Stalin during the Russian Civil War this affiliation rather than his military Acumen bolstered his career to no end allowing him to shoot up through the ranks of the Soviet hierarchy during times when political purges were rampant in 1937 he assumed the role of head of the Soviet artillery directorate given his complete aversion to Innovative military strategies and Technologies his appointment to this position raised a fair few eyebrows across the Red Army not that anyone would dare tell Stalin that of course during the subsequent periods of military confrontations and campaigns notably the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 and the winter war against Finland Kix impracticalities and incompetence began to unfold on a catastrophic scale for example despite commanding a significantly larger force during the winter War his leadership contributed to over 350,000 Soviet casualties against a Finnish Army that numbered nearly 300,000 in total this did little to damp in his upward trajectory however owing largely to his relationship with Stalin which allowed him to gain the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union prior to the German betrayal of the molotov ribbon drop pact as time went on kulick's staunch opposition to Modern military strategies and Technology cast a prolonged Shadow over the Soviet Armed Forces during a period when adaptability was Paramount his denial of combined arms divisions and a relentless insistence on segregating military branches according to weapon types hindered the evolution of the Soviet military into a force that could effectively counteract the sophisticated Strategies employed Ed by its adversaries despite a glaring display of the effectiveness of combined arms during the Battle of K kingal under General zukov kullick clung to his outdated principles with perilous treachery further still his disparagement towards armored fighting vehicles and sabotage of tank production capability notably ensuring initial variant of the t34 and KV series were outfitted with substandard guns played into the hands of the German Panzer cord during the initial stages of the invasion Kix medling even extended to small arms and artillery where he resisted the implementation of submachine guns light machine guns and notably the katucha rocket artillery all of which were later emblematic of the Soviet military might that helped turn the tide against the Germans ultimately when The Crucible of the Eastern Front beckons kulik's ineptitude was glaringly exposed in command of the 54th Soviet Army on the Leningrad front his mismanagement and lackluster strategic deployments facilitated German Army Group North in encircling Leningrad by September 194 1 initiating one of the most brutal sees in human history it took the intervention of zukov to relieve Kulik and bring a semblance of stability to the deteriorating situation after this point his incompetence had reached such glaring levels that even Old Reliable nepotism couldn't keep his career duct taped together enough and he found himself relieved of his commands and relegated to the rear for the remainder of his career his life wouldn't last much longer than his career as he eventually found himself on The Gallows for treason in 1950 a short sharp drop and the life of what was undoubtedly one of history's most incompetent [Music] generals

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Id: Mb3LNGLSx8g

Length: 20min 43sec (1243 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 10 2023