Posted on 09/01/2006 2:25:37 PM PDT by SuzyQ2
The idea of digging-in disgusted Patton. A victorious army, in his mind, was always on offense, never on defense. It was one of the myriad reasons Patton was such a successful combat commander. It didn’t always make him popular with his subordinates and peers, and he frequently caught hell from the media, but the man knew how to fight and win wars. He was neither a ticket puncher nor a politician. He would have scoffed at modern political correctness. And his only objective was always the combination of a decisive defeat of the enemy and the utter annihilation of his forces. All other matters were secondary.
(Excerpt) Read more at navyseals.com ...
And his only objective was always the combination of a decisive defeat of the enemy and the utter annihilation of his forces. All other matters were secondary.
Agree.
I think they are out there. But the current political climate does not allow them to surface.
Clearing a city is one thing, and many would say the glamorous job. Holding a city and winning the hearts and minds of the city's inhabitants is something else again. How was Patton at holding cities once his tanks took them?
Bump
It's true that audacity in warfare can bring victories -- but it can also lead to some exploitable weaknesses in certain situations -- such as outrunning your supply lines and then being counter-attacked.
free dixie,sw
Patton had a lot of experience in out running supply lines.
"Where are the likes of Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart, or Nathan Bedford Forrest?"
Yeah. Today we see more sissies than one could ever imagine. And those "sissies" usually find their way to the top brass, only to prevent others from being brave when the situation calls for it. Or, they trump up charges because the bravery of another outshines their sissy little self...
Heck, Southron as I am, I'll even give Bill "The Arsonist" Sherman his due in that regard. Not as great a tactical leader as many of the Confederate generals, but he didn't have to be. He had crushing superiority on his side and he had zero qualms about using it. You can say a lot of things about Sherman, but you surely can never accuse him of fighting with one hand tied behind his back.
The author references Chester Nimitz...I'll drag out another name. William "Bull" Halsey. A man whose motto was "Kill Japs, kill Japs, kill more Japs." You think a Halsey could survive in today's military?
What liberals fail to realize is that the best way to save civilian lives in a war is to end it QUICKLY. By the application of overwhelming, destructive, crushing force as needed, and yes, that includes against civilians. Civilians are going to die in war. That's been so for five thousand years and it will always be so. That doesn't mean we go out and target them (like, say, Hezbollah does?) but we cannot let civilian casualties stand in the way of victory. If we do, we only guarantee more civilian casualties down the road...theirs *and* ours.
}:-)4
Why Quantrill? You have a city full of innocent civilians you want sacked?
How would Patton have fought an army consisting entirely of hidden kamikazis?
We won the "Patton Stage" of the war in Iraq. This is reconstruction in a seething cauldron, and the people there have nothing to show for their lives other than spilling blood.
pinggg
WHO in "Sadr City" do YOU believe is INNOCENT?? even CBS NEWS (NO friend of "W" or of the USA for that matter!) describes it as "a den of thieves & violent criminals".
in point of fact, i'd like to raise "CPT Bill Anderson" from his grave & send him into that hellhole. i'd bet his "merry band" would sort things out fairly soon.
free dixie,sw
Reading Omar Bradley's book now. Patton and Ike references are interesting. I also have an appreciation for the complexity in managing a multi-national force. Amazing stuff.
Did you even read the article?
as for N-S, he cannot resist defending the INDEFENSIBLE criminals who were justly punished by the cavalry raid on Lawrence.
free dixie,sw
I did, actually.
Describes men like Quantrill, Morgan, Forrest - fast, aggressive, effective.
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