Patton: The Glory of War and its Limitations

Toogood Reports ^ | 28 September 2003 | Nicholas Stix

[johnb838]

Perhaps the Iraqi military was no match for ours this time around, but it was far from defenseless.

In any case I have to believe that Ol' Blood & Guts would have appreciated our headlong rush to overrun Baghdad, Tikrit, and points north. No army has EVER gone so far, so fast. And moving a column is inherently a low-tech business.

[gatorbait]

In the forward De'Este says forget about the movie "Patton" as it was deeply flawed and mainly because the Technical Adviser was General Omar Bradley, who absolutely hated Patton.


Exactly,Bradley was damned clerk .If your really want a nasty little book, read Bradley's "autobiography,"A General's Life".

He and Ike were playing bridge the night the Bulge began and neither of them seemed to clue in on what was happening..

[91B]

Nice doggie, but not what I had in mind.

[johnb838]

What Gives?

I'll tell you what gives. The reconstruction of Japan was led by Douglas MacArthur. The reconstruction of Germany was led by George Marshall. 'Nuff said.

[mrustow]

I had never heard of Plevna, so I googled, and found the following article, which supports Patton's argument about the foolishness of digging in, and building a fortified position.

Plevna is a striking example of the futility of the purely passive defence, which is doomed to failure however tenaciously carried out. Osman Pasha repelled three Russian attacks and practically held the whole Russian army. It remained for the other Turkish forces in the field to take the offensive and by a vigorous counterstroke to reap the fruits of his successes.

Brittanica article on the 1877 Battle of Plevna

[gatorbait]

P.S. Rooney probably makes in one week, what Patton made in an entire year. It's a funny, old world.


Georgie was independently wealthy and weathier still with Bea. He could have bought and sold Andy Runny and not have missed the pocket change, then or now.

[archy]

Nice doggie, but not what I had in mind.

I figured not. There was also a WWII Aircraft Carrier [The Cabot?] that picked up the name after the Japs had repeatedly claimed her as sunk, and I was getting ready to check on that and grab a pic for posting when you posted the pic of the original and gave the game away.

Now I don't guess there's a [Gray] Ghost of a chance of keeping the secret....

-archy-/-

[archy]

I had never heard of Plevna, so I googled, and found the following article, which supports Patton's argument about the foolishness of digging in, and building a fortified position.

But even more so of the foolhardiness of attacking said prepared opositions, particularly after having received intelligence reports that the defenders have augmented their long-range single-shot rifles with new Winchester repeating rifles.

The Russians gclosed to within a couple hundred meters of the final firing positions, and then the real slaughter began. For days.

-archy-/-