xz2) 10 Worst Military Disasters In History

 10 Worst Military Disasters In History

1: The Romans at the Battle of Cannae

In 216 BC Hannibal Barca famously crossed the Alps into Italy with only 40,000 soldiers. A vast Roman army of around 80,000 men was raised to oppose him, led by the two Roman consuls. At Cannae the majority of this huge force were lost owing to a disastrous error on the part of their Roman commanders.

The Roman generals’ plan at Cannae was to advance and punch through Hannibal’s thin battle-line, putting faith in their much larger infantry force. Hannibal, in contrast, had prepared a complex strategy.

He first ordered his infantry to feign withdrawals in the centre of his formation, drawing the eager Romans towards his crescent-shaped battle-line. The Romans, unsuspecting, thought they had the Carthaginians on the run and drove their forces deep into this crescent. Hannibal’s cavalry then drove off the horsemen who protected the Roman flank, and circled around the back of the huge Roman force, charging their rear.

2: Crassus at the Battle of Carrhae

In 53 BC Marcus Licinius Crassus and his Roman legions were utterly crushed by the Parthians at the Battle of Carrhae. Crassus made the mistake of failing to recognise the importance of terrain and the skills of the Parthian horse-archers.

Crassus had marched 40,000 legionaries and auxiliary troops into the desert in pursuit of the Parthian army. He ignored the advice of his allies and advisers who had proposed staying in the mountains or near the Euphrates to reduce the danger from the Parthian cavalry.

3: The Romans at the Teutoberg Forest

Across their long military history, few defeats left such an impact on the Romans as that of Varus’ legions at the Teutoberg Forest in 9 AD. On hearing news of the disaster, the Emperor Augustus famously cried aloud to himself repeatedly, ‘Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!’.

Varus first made the error of trusting Arminius, a Germanian chieftain serving as his advisor. When Arminius informed him that a revolt had begun nearby, Varus marched his army through the Teutoberg Forest to deal with the problem.

4: The French at the Battle of Agincourt

On the morning of 25 October 1415, the French army at Agincourt would have been expecting a famous victory. Their army greatly outnumbered the English host under Henry V, and they had a much larger force of knights and men-at-arms.

The French, however, made a ruinous mistake, miscalculating the accuracy, range and firing rate of the English longbows. During the battle, the French cavalry attempted to charge the English archers, but were unable to pass the sharpened stakes which protected them. Meanwhile the French men-at-arms moved slowly over the muddy ground separating them from the English.

5: The Austrians at the Battle of Karánsebes

On the night of 21-22 September 1788, during the Austro-Turkish War, the Austrian army under Emperor Joseph II defeated itself in a major friendly-fire incident.

Clashes between Austrian troops began when the Austrian Hussars who were serving as scouts refused to share their schnapps with some infantry. After one of the drunken Hussars fired a shot, the infantry opened fire in return. As the two groups fought, they heard shouts of ‘Turks! Turks!’, leading them to believe the Ottomans were nearby.

The Hussars fled back into the Austrian camp, and a confused officer ordered his artillery to fire upon them. In the darkness, the Austrians believed the Ottoman cavalry were attacking them unawares and turned on each other in terror.

6: Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia

The invasion force which Napoleon mustered for his campaign against Russia was the largest army ever assembled in the history of warfare. Over 685,000 men from France and Germany crossed the Neman River and began the invasion. After Napoleon’s failure to force the Russians to surrender and lengthy retreat, his army would suffer 500,000 casualties.

Napoleon falsely believed the Russians would deploy their army in a conclusive battle, but instead they withdrew deeper into Russian territory. As the Russians retreated they destroyed crops and villages, making it impossible for Napoleon to supply his huge host.

7: The Charge of the Light Brigade

Immortalised by Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem, this British light cavalry charge during the Battle of Balaclava is one of the most renowned military mistakes in history. After a miscommunication in the chain of command, the Light Brigade was ordered on a frontal assault against a large Russian artillery battery.

As the Light Brigade charged between the Fedyukhin Heights and the Causeway Heights (the so-called ‘Valley of Death’), they faced devastating fire from three sides. They reached the artillery but were driven back, receiving more fire during their retreat.

8: Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn

The Battle of the Little Bighorn is one of the most well-known engagements in America’s military history. For decades after the battle Lieutenant-Colonel George Custer was considered an American hero for his Last Stand against the forces of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.

Modern historians have documented Custer’s various mistakes before and during the battle, which led to a decisive victory for the tribal war leaders Crazy Horse and Chief Gall. Notably, Custer seriously misjudged the number of enemies camped before the Little Big Horn River, ignoring his Native scouts’ reports that the encampment was the largest they had ever seen.

9: Hitler’s Invasion of the Soviet Union

Operation Barbarossa, Hitler’s failed invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, was one of the most significant military campaigns in history. Following the invasion, Germany was engaged in a war on two fronts which stretched their forces to breaking point.

Much like Napoleon before him, Hitler underestimated the resolve of the Russians and the difficulties of supplying his forces for the Russian terrain and weather. He believed that his army could seize Russia in only a few months, so his men were not prepared for a harsh Russian winter.

10: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

In the early hours of 7 December 1941 the Japanese launched a pre-emptive strike against the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese intended the attack to be a preventative action, hoping to stop the American Pacific Fleet from halting Japanese expansion into Southeast Asia. Instead, the strike drove America to join the Allies and enter the Second World War.

Initially the Pearl Harbor attack, which coincided with other strikes on American naval bases, was a success for the Japanese. 2,400 American personnel were killed, four battleships were sank and many more suffered severe damage.

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