Dunkirk was a disaster. D-day was a disaster (in terms of fatalities). The Battle of the Bulge was a disaster. Sure Iraq is a tough go, but a disaster? I think not.
I disagree with two of your three “disasters”.
D-Day was remarkably cheap. Battling for a foothold along so many miles of well defended coastline against a well-experienced enemy easily could have been far more costly.
The Battle of the Bulge, too, was cheap. The casualties sustained the Allies, almost exclusively US in this case, bought the complete emasculation and demoralization of the only strong elements that remained of the German war machine, and the subsequent total collapse of that machine.
Dunkirk was definitely a disaster with no redeeming qualities other to be able to say at least some soldiers escaped with their lives, instead of all captured and killed, which certainly could have occurred.
Whatever, though, this VDH article is definitely one of the best articles I’ve read in analysis of both a book, and as a side effect, the BASH* itself, that I’ve yet seen.
(* BASH = Battle Against Saddam Hussein, part of the WOT)