WWII's Top Mistakes - U.S.A.
The Cooler King
Godfather
The Hurtgen Forrest.
tomtom22
Chief Engineer
Battlefield (i.e.specific battles, campaigns or operations)
I agree with the Cooler King here - The battle in The Hurtgen Forrest. What a waste of time and men. It churned up too many fine Divisions.
Non-Battlefield (i.e. production decisions, etc.)
Failure to improve on the M-4 Sherman Tank even when as early as 1942 it was known to have serious problems against German armor, yet nothing was done until very late in the war.
Political (alliances, promotions, demotions, etc.)
Failure to set up a unifed command in the Pacific Theatre.
I agree with the Cooler King here - The battle in The Hurtgen Forrest. What a waste of time and men. It churned up too many fine Divisions.
Non-Battlefield (i.e. production decisions, etc.)
Failure to improve on the M-4 Sherman Tank even when as early as 1942 it was known to have serious problems against German armor, yet nothing was done until very late in the war.
Political (alliances, promotions, demotions, etc.)
Failure to set up a unifed command in the Pacific Theatre.
LeEnfield
Active member
Blixs....As a Brit I think that Ike was the right man for the job, he was not a brilliant General tactically but he was a great a man manager and kept the Allies working as a team, and he picked a good team and gave them their heads to get on with planning the war. Now you say he gave Montgomery to much power for bad ideas, and what bad ideas were these?. Now what about Ike covering for Generals like Mark Clark, this General changed the orders given to the landing forces at Anzino with out telling the General in charge General Alexandra. He told the landing forces that they should not advance until they had their full strength a shore, and by then the Germans had reacted turning the beach head in to a killing zone. Then he ignored his orders to cut of the retreating German troops from Monte Casino, and decided instead to take Rome and let the Germans go and doing so prolonged the war in Italy. Now have you ever read about Mark Clark's attack on Hargimont Forest in 1944, now that was a classic.
mmarsh
Active member
5.56
1. And how was he supposed to that? The country was strongly pacifist and Isolationist, FDR simply could declare war without good reason, on the otherhand that didnt seem to stop Bush...
2. Would you have preferred that some Japanese Militarist or Communist took over instead? Remember it was Hirohito that against the advice of his generals surrendered. The estimated cost of Americans KIA was estimated as high as at 1 Million.
3. Then the Soviets would have lost, and instead 60000 green troops waiting for us at D_DAY there would have been 3 Million fully equipped Crack German veterans. Sometimes the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
4. Largely considered to be the greatest President in American history, even most Republicans would agree to that...
5. Again, in that case places like D-DAY and the Normandy campaign would have been very costly for the allies, as most of the recon and sabatoge of rail and German communications was done by DeGaulles People...
6. For you that hates commies, you ought to know this one. Had the emporer left the commies most would have certainly taken control of Japan, and with it most of Asia.
My worst American mistake opinion?, Ill vote for Tarawa. Poorly planned and executed attack based on completely false information. On top of it the Island was worthless and should have been leap frogged over it
1. And how was he supposed to that? The country was strongly pacifist and Isolationist, FDR simply could declare war without good reason, on the otherhand that didnt seem to stop Bush...
2. Would you have preferred that some Japanese Militarist or Communist took over instead? Remember it was Hirohito that against the advice of his generals surrendered. The estimated cost of Americans KIA was estimated as high as at 1 Million.
3. Then the Soviets would have lost, and instead 60000 green troops waiting for us at D_DAY there would have been 3 Million fully equipped Crack German veterans. Sometimes the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
4. Largely considered to be the greatest President in American history, even most Republicans would agree to that...
5. Again, in that case places like D-DAY and the Normandy campaign would have been very costly for the allies, as most of the recon and sabatoge of rail and German communications was done by DeGaulles People...
6. For you that hates commies, you ought to know this one. Had the emporer left the commies most would have certainly taken control of Japan, and with it most of Asia.
My worst American mistake opinion?, Ill vote for Tarawa. Poorly planned and executed attack based on completely false information. On top of it the Island was worthless and should have been leap frogged over it
I think that would be Battle of Tarawa. That battle has too many died Marines than the Japs. Naval gunfire and air bomb hasn't enough to take out the fort on Tarawa Island. Of course, the reef is too close to the suface of water. The Marines on Higgins got stuck on the reef they had to get out of Higgins and swimming to the beach but the Japs shot some Marines in water. That's my opition.
Blixs
Active member
LeEnfield said:
Indeed he was good at management,MacArthur even said of Ike:
"The best clerk I've ever had."
But he was a poor military general,he used Patton's success,like many Allied generals,to boost his fame and further his career.
As for Montgomery,an able general,but not brilliant,often glorified by the press for propaganda reasons,he fell in love with his own legend.
He was a poor general and this showed in the battlfield,most noted was Operation Market Garden and his dagger like thrust idea over the Rhine.
I personally believe that Patton was a far better general than these two combined.He foresaw the gap in the German line,that had he had the oil,would have arrived at Berlin long before the Soviets came close.He was highly feared and respected by the German High Command for his abilities as a commander and general.
Damien435
Active member
I like this. "The Generals in charge of the allied forces were incompetent." Tell me, who won the war?
All keep in mind that if Patton had his way we would have kept going over the Elbe and attacking the Soviet forces. If MacArthur had things his way we would have invaded China in 1951.
All keep in mind that if Patton had his way we would have kept going over the Elbe and attacking the Soviet forces. If MacArthur had things his way we would have invaded China in 1951.
mmarsh
Active member
Reiben said:
Patton could be daring, but his ego could make him extremely reckless. For example his entire 3rd Army ran out of gas at Meuse because he wouldnt wait for his supply lines to catch up. Had the Germans counterattacked he would have been a sitting duck. He was generally a abhorrant person distrusted by by the enlisted personnel and the senior staff.
Ike was right to put him in a broom closet, personnaly I prefer Omar Bradley.
boris116
Active member
Rabs said:
I think, this suggesstion is:
1. beyond the scope of the question (USA has not obtained the nukes until after VD-E(5/8/1945) and those few bombs had another destination. Did you forget that at that time Japan has not surrendered yet and the US needed the Soviet help(to fight in Manchjuria and, possibly, in Japan?)
2. What about the outright treachery - to nuke an ally(even as evil as it was) as soon as the common goal is achieved? And that nation just lost more than 20 million people fighting the common enemy...
3. USA didn't have enough bombs to bring the USSR to it's knees in 1945.
In the same time, Red Army, would wipe the Americans from Continental Europe within a month - so vast the superiority was in their troop strenth, tanks, artillery and front line aviation.
If Patton was serious when he was talking about starting a new war - against the Russians in 1945, then he was just a madman, IMO.