No More Task Force Rogue Ones: A Tactical Analysis of the Raid on Scarif

The Angry Staff Officer ^ | February 27, 2017 | PPTSAPPER

[C19fan]

Disclaimer: this should not be read as not wanting more Rogue One-type movies; we need more Star Wars films like this.

Also: SPOILERS.

There’s a common phrase that you’re apt to hear in discussions on Army readiness: “No more Task Force Smiths.” For reference, Task Force Smith was a rapidly cobbled together unit of infantry and artillery that was shipped to Korea in the opening phase of the Korean War. Intended to show the North Koreans that America wasn’t messing around, TF Smith instead demonstrated that the U.S. Army had completely misread the resolve of the North Koreans. TF Smith was literally driven over, suffering over 50% losses against the enemy armor. It was a lesson in humility – one that the U.S. Army is still struggling with to this day: how could the Army that defeated Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan in 1945 struggle against a rag-tag bunch of communists five years later?

[C19fan]

Score of 100 on the geek scale. Is there a scifi military action that would get high marks for actually following military doctrine?

[CaptainAmiigaf]

I would like to point out that it was a HIGHLY TRAINED Army that took part in the defeat of NAZI Germany and IMPERIAL Japan.
The units sent helter-skelter to Korea were units of an Army of Occupation. They were NOT highly trained nor fully war-equipped. When the USA got its act together, the Pusan perimiter held, the North Koreans were driven north. When the chinese entered the fray, we retreated then stabalized the lines.
Today a devastated South Korea is a prosporous industrial nation while the North seemingly has yet to recover.

[blueunicorn6]

I don’t think this was written as a movie review.

It’s a lesson on conducting a successful raid.