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Military Blunders Paperback – September 6, 2000

by Michael Coffey (Author)

3 customer reviews

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From the assassination of the Archduke, through Hitler's rise and demise, to Saddam Hussein's doomed invasion of Kuwait -- Military Blunders is a blow-by-blow account of this century's most ill-fated military events. What were they and why did they happen?

Military Blunders

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Editorial Reviews

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This compendium of military mishaps (published in hardcover as Days of Infamy) makes the case that poor decision-making often leads to catastrophe. In a series of short chapters ideal for subway rides and waiting rooms, Michael Coffey shows how even relatively small misjudgments have become historical turning points. Many of his topics are familiar, such as how the Treaty of Versailles ending the World War I laid the groundwork for an even larger conflict 20 years later. Hitler's military miscalculations--thinking the British would negotiate a peace after Dunkirk, invading Russia, declaring war on the United States--receive prominent attention.

Allied leaders also committed plenty of blunders, such as the collapse of British defenses in Singapore and Malaysia, the fruitless bombing of Monte Cassino in Italy, and premature attempts to liberate Arnhem (the subject of the film A Bridge Too Far). More recent events are covered, too, including the Bay of Pigs, the disastrous mission in 1980 to free American prisoners in Iran, and Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Some sections are much stronger than others, and readers already familiar with certain wars probably won't learn much from their coverage. Yet Coffey calls attention to an important consideration: mistakes are endemic in war, and victory often goes not to leaders who execute brilliantly planned maneuvers, but to those who simply avoid error. --John J. Miller

About the Author

Michael Coffey

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Hachette Books (September 6, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786884703
ISBN-13: 978-0786884704
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,248,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #146132 in Books > History > Military
- #213862 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Engineering

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Doesn't add much to the TV series

ByA customeron January 23, 2001

Format: Paperback

It's vital to learn from mistakes of the past, of course, and no more so than in the military arena. Death and carnage are the seemingly inevitable result of soldiers' mistakes in war- or peacetime. Unfortunately, this work - which is often a verbatim transcript of the History Channel series - does little to examine the deep causes of military failures. Simply asserting that "blunders" caused military tragedies ignores the complex nature of military operations and the equally complex lessons which must be learned to avoid these problems. The book also adopts a superior, Monday-morning quarterback tone; easy to do with hindsight but annoying for the reader. Finally, Military Blunders suffers from small but irritating editing errors. For example - "Bismarck was soon sunk, sitting in port in Norway;" no, she was sunk off the coast of France after a furious battle; Tirpitz was sunk in Norway. The TV series which spawned this book is shallow but interesting, but this book itself adds little worthwhile information.

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History Channel fans will enjoy this easy to read companion.

Bywebmaster@eduquery.comon December 30, 2000

Format: Paperback

It has been said people go to watch car races in order to see the wrecks. Following that line of reasoning, the History Channel introduced a documentary series entitled Military Blunders. The companion book of the same name authored by Michael Coffey offers the same anecdotes, and the same paradigm, of the televised series.
Military Blunders examines wartime efforts that failed, beginning with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and ending with the invasion of Kuwait. The decidedly twentieth century focus of the book lends itself to the fact that wartime motion picture records came into existence following the turn of the century, and television documentaries are generally more appreciative of motion picture records than written ones.
Thus, the marketing force of presenting military history from a "blundering" point of view is a strong and visual one. Mistakes in wartime are common. Those interested in playing games of "what if" will find this tome fascinating. What if the Archduke Ferdinand's driver had not taken a wrong turn down a Sarajevo street? Also, some mistakes lend an eerie quality of mystery. Case in point: The last flight of the Lady Be Good, an American B-24 that disappeared in the Libyan desert during WWII. Its wreckage and the remains of her crew were discovered years later by a British oil exploration outfit.
Offered in short, easy to digest anecdotal chunks, the book proffers an easy to read litany of historical anecdotes. A handful of photographs in the center of the book help give visual backup to the tales inside. Fans of the History Channel and military history buffs everywhere should enjoy this well written and interesting book.

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Mostly introductory material, and not too complex

ByDavid Traillon September 10, 2001

Format: Paperback

Most of the information found in this book can be found elsewhere, but it stil provides some frame of reference for those early forays into what went wrong for the particpants of WW2. This may be useful for those folks who are simply seeking some quick stories of bad decisions and their results.

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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