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History What-If: Could Custer Have Survived the Battle of Little Big Horn? [June 25, 1876]
nationalinterest.org ^ | June 16, 2019 | Staff

Posted on 06/25/2019 7:36:18 AM PDT by Red Badger

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To: Red Badger

From Saturday Night Live skit:

What if Napoleon had a fully loaded B-52 with nuclear weapons at the Battle of Waterloo?

What if Superman had landed in Germany during WWII

Both were classic skits


41 posted on 06/25/2019 9:04:47 AM PDT by shotgun
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To: shotgun
What if Superman had landed in Germany during WWII

Uber-Man: I am... Uberman! I have superhuman powers, and I fight for untruth, injustice, and the Nazi way! And I have X-ray vision!

Lois Laneoff: X-ray vision? Can you see through my clothes? [covers herself]

Uber-Man: Ja. And through his, too. [points at Jimmy Olstein] He's a Jew!

Jimmy Olstein: No! No, it’s not true! My parents were just very advanced in hygeine, that’s all..!

Hitler: Silence! Guard, take this Jew away!

Uberman: No need! I’ll drop him off at the camp on my vay to the Eastern front!

42 posted on 06/25/2019 9:07:47 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: centurion316

What would you have done if your scouts had come in and reported “huge herds of horse”?

What would you have done if one of your chief Indian scouts reported, “I’ve been with these Indians for 30 years and this is the largest village I’ve ever seen.”?

Would you have at least taken a pause and eyeball’d the battle space?

If you were advancing on an enemy’s position and you started hearing a firefight to your flank and BEHIND you.

Wouldn’t you at least try to figure out what going on?

Because Custer didn’t do any of that.

Custer underestimated his enemy and overestimated his abilities. The Gods of War will punish you every time for that.


43 posted on 06/25/2019 9:12:07 AM PDT by PanzerKardinal (Some things are so idiotic only an intellectual would believe it.)
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To: Williams

“There was a TV movie called The Trial Of General George Armstrong Custer.”

I remember that movie. There was also a book by the same name. Both were excellent.

I can’t remember the outcome of the trial but I think it was a hung jury. I wonder if the jury deadlocked because they saw that Custer was essentially mentally and career-wise washed up and decided not to punish him further.

I’d love to see that movie again.


44 posted on 06/25/2019 9:12:10 AM PDT by MplsSteve
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To: dfwgator

LMFAO


45 posted on 06/25/2019 9:16:13 AM PDT by shotgun
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To: MplsSteve

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYHukXhL28A


46 posted on 06/25/2019 9:23:22 AM PDT by READINABLUESTATE (Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution - Judge Jeanie Pirro)
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To: shotgun

What if Custer would have had close air support during the battle of the Little Big horn...???

He could have used a few of these.

47 posted on 06/25/2019 9:25:06 AM PDT by seawolf101 (Member LES DEPLORABLES)
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To: Red Badger

Yes, but the Western Way of War STILL could have prevailed-—however, it takes concentrated fire and unlimited ammo.

This was the same, more or less, situation at Isandlwana, where the Brits overextended their lines and lacked ammo. But at Blood River, some 40 years earlier, Boers with far more primitive weapons, in a laager, defeated a higher ratio of Zulus.

Western firepower is absolutely unbeatable against more primitive foes IF it is concentrated.


48 posted on 06/25/2019 9:27:44 AM PDT by LS ("Castles made of sand, fall in the sea . . . eventually" (Hendrix))
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To: Leaning Right

“They were completely unsuited for the terrain.”

I visited that battlefield, and was amazed at the terrain. I had imagined mountains and deserts; it was rather gentle rolling prairie.

The wheeled guns were not nearly as heavy to haul as the ammunition boxes.


49 posted on 06/25/2019 9:28:21 AM PDT by odawg
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To: LS

When confronted by firepower, you...

“Grab their belts to fight them.”
- General Giap PAVN


50 posted on 06/25/2019 9:35:55 AM PDT by PanzerKardinal (Some things are so idiotic only an intellectual would believe it.)
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To: Boogieman

“I’ve never heard an explanation as to why Custer wasn’t issued repeating rifles.”


Repeaters were expensive and somewhat unreliable. A number of units were issued repeaters and they were given bad reviews by soldiers as well as officers. The subject was dropped and they continued to use the Springfield Trapdoor

One of the problems was the repeaters used much lighter rounds than the 45-70 and were less effective at longer ranges.

The investigation after the battle led the Ordinance Dept to replace all copper jacketed 45-70 with brass jacket. The copper jacket had expanded in the rifle as heat increased to the point that the fired round could not be ejected. Brass expands less.


51 posted on 06/25/2019 9:37:12 AM PDT by buffaloguy (MSM: Wind up dolls of the DNC.)
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To: NFHale

Well, yeah, but think of all the ammunition they would have wasted. /S


52 posted on 06/25/2019 9:37:31 AM PDT by OKSooner (Shoot the coyotes.)
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To: Red Badger
The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer by Douglas C. Jones
53 posted on 06/25/2019 9:37:57 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: seawolf101
This is what I had in mind!
54 posted on 06/25/2019 9:45:39 AM PDT by shotgun
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To: Don Corleone

That’s right. It was an impossible situation.


55 posted on 06/25/2019 9:48:17 AM PDT by laplata (The Left/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: Yo-Yo; Boogieman

Thanks for the good info.


56 posted on 06/25/2019 9:49:44 AM PDT by laplata (The Left/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: shotgun

brrrrrrrrrtttt.

- The sound of freedom raining down on you


57 posted on 06/25/2019 9:50:35 AM PDT by PanzerKardinal (Some things are so idiotic only an intellectual would believe it.)
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To: Political Junkie Too

I remember seeing that episode. Thanks.


58 posted on 06/25/2019 9:51:03 AM PDT by laplata (The Left/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: PanzerKardinal

Your analysis is spot on.


59 posted on 06/25/2019 9:53:13 AM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: PanzerKardinal
Perhaps I overstated with the word "battles", skirmishes may have been more appropriate.
60 posted on 06/25/2019 9:54:08 AM PDT by Michael.SF. (California: knowingly give someone aids: misdemeanor. Give them a straw, go to jail.)
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