Posted on 07/02/2009 8:42:20 AM PDT by Schnucki
The long-awaited surge by the American military is a welcome attempt to try an inflict a decisive defeat against the Taliban in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.
This is, of course, something British forces have been struggling to achieve since they were first deployed to Helmand three years ago. But despite sustaining heavy British casualties, the Taliban remain a significant threat, both to Nato forces and the local Afghans. British commanders were hoping that they would be able to defeat the Taliban if only the government would have agreed to send an extra 2,000 troops.
But Downing Street refused to authorise the extra forces, and so we now find ourselves once more in the humiliating position where we are having to rely on the Americans to do the job for us.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...
As humiliating as bombing runs at night while the US had to do it in the day during WW2?
Britain is embarrassing to Britain.
If everyone will actualy read the article, it is quite good talking about how G Brown has failed to give his troops the added numbers to quite a particular area and now the US is making up for that failure at the political level and costing their troops in blood and dignity.
Britain was separated from the Wehrmacht by the Channel and could have sued for peace, but hung in while the U.S. dithered. Once the U.S. became involved, the U.S./British partnership was remarkably smooth and effective. The Americans believed they could use the Norden Bombsight to place a bomb in a pickle barrel (they could not) and the British believed they could hit German industrial targets just as effectively with night time bombing as by day (they could not).
I don't appreciate Americans who sow undeserved and needless rancor towards Britain.
i agree. we looked pretty bad at kasserine and some british generals never let us forget it (like alexander in italy). market garden was a gamble based on intelligence saying the german army was collapsing. it was not. the germans had a remarkable ability to reform units. a lot of dutch died because this failed and holland remained occupied. the british were out of manpower and had to disolve infantry divisions to provide reinforcements for other divisions.
since we are on the subject, while i have no love for the french, we can stop the joke “how many frenchmen does it take to defend paris?” the french lost 250,000 at the battle of the marne. that is in addition to loses up to that point. so the answer is A LOT.
rant over. think i will sit outside and start the next model project.
Market Garden was Monty’s idea. According to Cornelius Ryan, the German Army was in near collapse and that “Haar-verbrentes plan” and some extraordinary bad luck gave them breathing room. In the event, instead of trying to evade blame, Ike said, “I not only authorized Market Garden, I insisted on it.”
Actually, Monty’s focus on Market Garden prevented him from clearing the Schlecht, the peninsula guarding the approaches to Antwerp which would otherwise have been invaluable in bringing in supplies needed the Allied offensive in western Europe.
Hitler reciprocated for Market Garden with a worse plan, Wacht am Rhein, that did as much to shorten the War as Market Garden did to lengthen it. Hitler aimed the Ardennes Offensive to avoid British units, hoping to create a rift in the Anglo-American alliance. The British actually responded well and began a series of attacks on the German position north of the Bulge to take pressure off the American front by preventing the Germans from using units in that area to reinforce the attack.
The fact that some American divisions in the area of the British operation were placed at the disposal of the British commander in the area lead some British historians (and Monty) to claim that the British pulled the Americans chestnuts out of the fire. While the British help was useful, it was far from critical.
He led from the front: Lieutenant Colonel killed in Afghanistan ...
Daily Mail (UK) | 3rd July 2009
Posted on 07/02/2009 7:53:21 PM PDT by naturalman1975
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2284588/posts
You didnt HAVE to do it by day. The RAF didnt HAVE to do it by night.
Advantages and disadvantages to both.
Whereas the US never makes any tactical errors (Kasserine Pass, Omaha beach, battle of the bulge, storming the siegfried line - 100,000 casualties on that one I believe - the whole of the vietnam war, etc etc).
Nobody has a monopoly on military debacles.
Curiously enough, if you want to win wars, get the French on your side. They have by far the best military record in winning wars of any European nation (the Austrians are bottom).
Its only recent history that has tarnished their reputation somewhat.
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