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Leaders who on occasion excel and only want to get the "Military" job done without political interference, he was one of them, in a very tough environment, which is still a thorn in our sides!!
Lt-Col C C 'Mad Mitch' Mitchell - Telegraph
Mad Mitch and his Tribal Law - YouTube
Quite a career...
I wouldn’t call him “Mad.” His reasoning and methods seem logical to me.
The problem is very few people understand this enemy and nobody is willing to do what’s needed to defeat them.
Hulagu Khan understood them and did what was needed to defeat them. History has proven nothing else works.
Well after watching the doco I would say that A) The right tactics by the troops to redeem the situation were employed B) Pollies who sit at a desk and write foreign policies without being at the sharp end to see what the soldiers have to contend with should donate all their superannuation to the poor bl**dy widows who's husbands died because they were hamstrung by inaction.......or more rightly upsetting people!!!!
I can remember my Uncle talking to my Dad about Mitchell a lot in the 1970's and 80's, whenever he was down from Scotland visiting us, as Mitchell had been one of his officers when my Uncle had served with the Argyll's in Palestine, and my Dad had served in Palestine at the same time, and was one of the Sappers involved in the clearance op at King David's Hotel after the bomb blast.
Unfortunately, peacekeeping of this type is always political as much as military, and it didn't help that he had fallen out with the G.O.C. - the animosity was still obvious many years later when they were both interviewed (separately).
Bit like Anthill and his commanding officer their bloody feud cost the AIF dearly at Gallipoli in real blood because they were too petty to be real leaders and bury their differences instead they buried the our men.................
"...without political interference..." That's what MacArthur though too. Look how he ended up. All senior officers need to be politicians or they don't stay senior officers for long.
In the case of Gallipoli, why did they decide to stay encamped on the beach for so long contrary to any Military doctrine.
Than after months of lads getting killed, they decide to do a flanking tactic which would have been brilliant had they not again sat on the beach, further up the coast!!!
The brilliance of the German General Liman von Sanders positioning the Turks all along the coast caused the British bosses total frustration.
The only thing missing was a "young" Churchill who would have done something rather then sit making sand castles, but sadly it was his idea to go to the Dardenelles, and then he put a donkey in charge instead of a Lion!!
Had they moved off the beach, they would have flanked the Turks and won the day. How we learn from serious mistakes!!
Over half these casualties of 73,485 were British and Irish troops. Allies total was 141,113 killed and wounded and the Turks 195,000.
New Zealand suffered around 8000 killed and wounded. The Ottoman Empire paid a heavy price for their victory, an estimated 250,000 Turkish and Arab troops were killed or wounded defending Gallipoli so it wasn't all one sided.
Oooh dear! Gil I think the First Sea Lord was still smarting after the fleet failed to break through the Galipolli straits with a very considerable loss in battleships and men though they did not realize at the time that mines had been laid in the entrance only a few days before they arrived........!
But it was a near thing the campaign with Mustafa Kemal at one point saying to his troops "I do not order you to fight, I order you to die".
Of the campaign our men the Aussies on "The Great Adventure" wanted to show what they were made of and answering the call of the Old Country, but I think the Brit's getting off the River Clyde that day beggars belief in the murderous fire they endured.
Good point, I forgot about the mines!
Even the skipper was involved, running through heavy fire to tie barges together to make a pier to disgorge troops...Quote:
Originally Posted by CINDERS
Have any of you ever been through the Dardanelles on a ship? I have. In 1946 while on the USS Providence we proceeded through the
Dardanelles to visit Istanbul. Breeching them would have been almost impossible.
FWIW