Great Military Blunders

From ancient times to the Bay of Pigs and the Falklands War, military history has been marked as much by misjudgements and incompetence as by gallantry and glory. Such blunders have sometimes ended in tragedy, sometimes in farce - such as the English troops, supposedly marching on Cadiz in 1625, who instead got drunk in a salt marsh. And sometimes they have ended in triumph, despite all the odds. In this fascinating and entertaining collection, author Geoffrey Regan not only recounts some of the staggering stories, but also highlights the kinds of difficulties that can lead to military disaster. His anecdotes encompass every aspect of warfare from the insanity of commanders (one Prussian general believed he was pregnant with an elephant) to the provision of inadequate supplies (such as the occasion when a British force surrounded by fierce African tribesmen broke open the ammunition boxes - only to find that they contained biscuits). Incorporating 50 fascinating illustrations and laced with famous last words ('Well, don't worry about it' - American officer at Pearl Harbor observing blips on radar screen), this entertaining and instructive book will appeal to the military buff and general reader alike.