Battle of Agincourt, 25 October 1415. Image from the Chronicle of Enguerrand de Monstrelet. © The Art Archive/Alamy Stock Photo
History Extra: The top 10 military blunders in history
From ancient times to the present day, battles have been lost to dire weather, insufficient weaponry and bad luck. But what about those for which poor judgment and bad planning are to blame?
Here, historian Rupert Matthews explores 10 of the worst military blunders in history.
Any fool can lose a battle. All you need to have is a weaker army than your opponent. What takes a special talent is to lose a battle when you start off with all the advantages in your own hands.
Some commanders have managed to throw away the power of greater numbers, strong positions and superior weaponry with blunders of such awesome scale that they have ended up losing a battle that, logically, they should have won with ease. Here are the most impressive military blunders in history.
WNU Editor: When you have the advantage .... and you still lose .... that is definitely a blunder. I agree with the 10 that are listed here .... but I suspect that if I am given the time, I would probably list 100 more.
I would list Isaldwana as a major blunder, similar to Little Big Horn. Chelmsford split his forces and Pullien did not setup adequate defenses.
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