Saturday, May 12, 2007

This is what defeat looks like - avoid it

Via Sgt. Mom at The Daily Brief: A Neglected But Significant Anniversary
Many military factors were involved in the defeat–obsolete doctrine on armored forces, inadequate use of radio communications, a strange and cumbersome military organization structure. But the roots of the 1940 debacle are not to be found only–or perhaps even primarily–in strictly military matters. A major role was played by certain characteristics of French society and politics of the time–and some of these factors are spookily similar to some of the things that are going on in America today.
You can't learn from the past until you know what was going on.

* Post title from S.M. Stirling's 'Marching Through Georgia'. The protagonist is an Airborne company C.O., and is musing on the aftermath of a successful attack on a village controlled by German SS troops and muses "This is what defeat looks like - avoid it."
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