It's Not All Heroics

When talking about military history, epic battles, heroic triumphs, and examples of utter strategic genius come to mind. However, even leaders that we associate with great military prowess had their off days, their overconfidence swiftly changing the course of history. The most formidable and fearsome-looking armies have been defeated by much smaller, ill-prepared forces, and the most well-laid plans have gone terribly wrong. Here are 20 of the most epic military blunders in history. 

Albrecht Adam on Wikimedia

1. The Battle of Little Bighorn

During the Great Sioux War, the Seventh Cavalry Regiment, led by Lieutenant Colonel George Custer, was tasked with overthrowing a Native American village. Custer split his battalion into various groups with the plan of attacking from all sides, but this ended up backfiring. He vastly underestimated the strength and tactical ability of the villagers, and he and all of his men were annihilated. 

Charles Marion Russell on Wikimedia

2. The Battle of Cannae

In a brilliant display of strategic genius on one side and extreme overconfidence on the other, the Carthaginians and their allies, led by Hannibal, almost completely annihilated a much larger Roman army. Hannibal feigned retreat from the 80,000-strong forces, luring them in and surrounding them. The bloodiest battle in Roman history, it's estimated that 60,000 to 70,000 Romans died that day. 

Jean, Duc de Berry on Wikimedia

3. The Battle of Carrhae

In another display of Roman audacity Battle of Carrhae saw Marcus Licinius Crassus leading 40,000 troops into Parthian territory, ignoring advice to stay near supply lines. The heavily-armored mounted Parthian archers easily fended them off, and the event went down in history as one of Rome's most humiliating defeats. 

Unknown author on Wikimedia

4. The Pancho Villa Expedition

During the Mexican Border War, in retaliation for attacks on Americans, President Woodrow Wilson ordered the capture of Pancho Villa. However, this proved to be a tall order as Villa continuously outwitted and outran the army of 10,000 soldiers tracking him. Eventually, the American troops just gave up the chase. 

The evening herald on Wikimedia

5. The Spanish Armada

In 1588, a Spanish naval fleet tried to invade England with the goal of reinstating Catholicism and overthrowing Queen Elizabeth I. However, it failed horribly as England's superior navy with faster ships and better cannons easily defeated them. The Spanish ships that weren't destroyed by England were forced to sail the rough seas of Scotland and Ireland until shipwreck and disease overwhelmed them. 

anonymous  on Wikimedia

6. Napoleon's Invasion of Russia

Napoleon's attempt to invade Russia was the perfect display of his extreme overconfidence. The combination of the harsh Russian winter, superior Russian strategy, and France's logistical failures led to the near annihilation of Napoleon's Grande Armée and the Little Corporal's downfall. 

Rijksmuseum on Wikimedia

7. The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest

The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest saw nearly 20,000 Romans slain by Germanic tribesmen. The defeat was the result of the Romans vastly underestimating the military capabilities and strategic intelligence of the "barbarians," ignoring warnings, and venturing audaciously into unfamiliar forested terrain. 

Peter Janssen on Wikimedia

8. The Battle of the Golden Spurs

The Battle of the Golden Spurs was an altercation between France's Royal Army and Flemish rebels in Flanders. Armed with unconventional homemade weapons, the rebels managed to gain the upper hand over their much superiorly armed French opponents. They kept the golden spurs of the royal army as trophies. 

Georg Lemberger on Wikimedia

9. The Battle of Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt was England serving France its greatest lesson in humility yet. The heavily-armed French cavalry encountered the unprepared and vastly outnumbered English infantry led by Henry V marching across Northernrn France. Muddy conditions trapped the mounted French cavalry, and English archers made fast work of them, emerging victorious.

John Gilbert (1817–97) on Wikimedia

10. The Gallipoli Campaign

The Gallipoli Campaign was an attempt by the Allied forces during WWI to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula from the Ottoman Empire, securing a sea route to Russia, but it was plagued by poor planning and slow decision-making. The battle ended in a stalemate with no strategic gain, the loss of over 250,000 soldiers, and the eventual withdrawal. 

The National Archives UK on Wikimedia

11. The Somme Offensive

What started as an ambitious plan by Allied forces to break German lines during WWI ended up being one of the bloodiest battles in history. The Allied forces launched a huge artillery bombardment, followed by an excruciatingly slow walk across No Man's Land, which resulted in 60,000 British casualties on the first day alone, the worst day in British military history. 

John Warwick Brooke on Wikimedia

12. The Sicilian Expedition

During the Peloponnesian War, Athenian forces tried to invade Sicily, which only resulted in a two-year-long losing battle. Almost as soon as Sparta got involved, it marked the end of the Athenians in Sicily as fearsomely skilled Spartan warriors burned their fleet and swiftly killed or captured them.

Unknown author on Wikimedia

13. The Battle of Adwa

With its colonial interests set on Ethiopia, Italy tried to invade in 1896, expecting an easy victory. However, their lack of understanding of the terrain made them accidentally advance straight into the hands of Ethiopians, who easily decimated the invading army. 

A. Davey on Wikimedia

14. Battle of Caporetto

The Battle of Caporetto was one of the biggest blows Italy experienced during WWI. It saw Austro-German forces launching a huge offensive, using innovative infiltration tactics that caught the overstretched Italian force off guard, resulting in 300,000 Italian casualties and the loss of huge swaths of territory. 

German official photographer on Wikimedia

15. Operation Barbarossa

Hitler didn't pay attention in history class when he decided to invade Russia, just like Napoleon. He vastly underestimated the Soviet Union's manpower, failed to prepare adequately, and was caught off guard by the harsh winter. History really does repeat itself. 

US War Department. on Wikimedia

16. The Fall of Singapore

Winston Churchill's worst defeat in WWII, the Fall of Singapore, saw British forces in Singapore fall to a much smaller Japanese army. Under the assumption that their fortress was impenetrable, the British army was completely caught off guard when they were attacked by Japanese troops from the supposedly impenetrable jungle. It was the largest British surrender in history. 

Adam Jones on Wikimedia

17. The Bay of Pigs Invasion

The Bay of Pigs was a covert operation by the US meant to overthrow the communists in Cuba, but it was poorly planned and executed, and was based on the assumption that the Cuban people would support the US invasion. It ended up being a colossal failure and a huge embarrassment for the Kennedy administration. 

Unknown author on Wikimedia

18. Disbanding the Iraqi Army

Following the initial invasion of Iraq, US-led coalition forces decided to disband the Iraqi Army, leading to the forced unemployment of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. This had the unintended consequence of further destabilizing the country and pushing ex Iraqi soldiers towards extremism.

U.S. Marine Corps on Wikimedia

19. The Tet Offensive

The Tet Offensive was a series of surprise attacks carried out by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War. While not technically a victory for the Communists, it signified a turning point in the war, fueled American anti-war sentiments, and ultimately influenced the US's decision to withdraw. 

United States Marine Corp on Wikimedia

20. Operation Market Garden 

Operation Market Garden was a flailingly bold, overly optimistic, and desperate attempt by the Allies to capture a series of bridges in the German-occupied Netherlands. It failed to achieve its objectives and resulted in 15,000 to 17,000 Allied casualties. 

U.S. Army soldier on Wikimedia