The article lists the 10 biggest military mistakes in history, including:
1. The driver of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's car making a wrong turn, leading to his assassination and the start of World War I.
2. The Byzantine Empire's failure to close a gate, allowing the Ottoman Empire to conquer Constantinople.
3. The German Submarine U-1206's complicated toilet system causing a chlorine gas leak and forcing the submarine to the surface, where it was captured by the British.
4. The failed Bay of Pigs invasion, where a group of Cuban exiles were sent to overthrow Fidel Castro but were unprepared and quickly defeated.
5. General Lew Wallace leading his men in the wrong direction during the Battle of Shiloh, causing them to miss the battle and allowing the Confederates to advance.
6. The U.S. military invading the island of Kiska, only to discover that the Japanese had already abandoned it, resulting in the deaths of 122 American soldiers.
7. The Battle of Solway Moss, where the Scottish army outnumbered the British but failed to take action due to a lack of leadership, resulting in their defeat.
8. The Ojibwa tribe using a game of lacrosse to distract the British soldiers at Fort Michilimackinac, allowing them to attack and capture the fort.
9. The USS William D. Porter's numerous accidents and mistakes, including forgetting to raise the anchor, accidentally launching a depth charge, and eventually sinking after being hit by a kamikaze plane.
10. Operation Barbarossa, where Adolf Hitler's invasion of Russia failed due to his lack of research on the terrain and weather conditions, resulting in the freezing of his army's equipment and their eventual defeat.
These mistakes showcase the importance of intelligence, preparation, and leadership in military operations.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. World War I could have been avoided if the driver of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's car had not made a wrong turn on June 28, 1914.
2. The wrong turn led the car to drive right into the path of Gavrilo Princip, one of the six original assassins, who then shot and killed the Archduke and his wife.
3. The city of Constantinople was the capital of the Roman Byzantine Empire from 1261 to 1453.
4. The Ottoman Empire, led by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, held a siege of Constantinople from April 6 to May 29, 1453.
5. The Byzantines forgot to close one of the main gates, allowing the Turks to discover it and flood the city.
6. The German Submarine U-1206 had a toilet flushing system that was complicated and required supervision to operate.
7. Captain Carl Adolf Schlit refused supervision and flushed the toilet, causing it to backfire and Atlantic sea water to rush in.
8. The U-1206 was spotted by an English plane and bombed, resulting in the capture of all surviving crew members.
9. The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a secret military operation set up by President John F. Kennedy and the CIA in 1961.
10. The mission was launched on April 17, 1961, but the units of Cubans sent in were unprepared, and their plan fell apart almost immediately.
11. The German Sub U-1206 was sunk after being bombed by an English plane.
12. The Battle of Shiloh took place on April 6, 1862, during the American Civil War.
13. General Lew Wallace was ordered to bring his men to the battleground as support for the right flank but got lost and marched in the wrong direction.
14. The Island of Kiska was invaded by Japanese forces on June 6, 1942, but the U.S. army was able to destroy everything and take over the island with minimal casualties.
15. However, it was later discovered that the Japanese had abandoned the island two weeks prior, and the U.S. army had been fighting against themselves.
16. The Battle of Solway Moss took place on November 24, 1542, between Scottish and British forces.
17. The Scottish commander, Robert Maxwell, was sick and unable to give orders, leading to confusion among the Scottish troops.
18. The British army was able to capture 12 hundred prisoners out of the 18,000-troop Scottish army.
19. Fort Michilimackinac was taken over by the British in 1761, but the Ojibwa tribe, who lived nearby, despised the British and planned to attack them.
20. The Ojibwa tribe used a game of lacrosse as a distraction to attack the British and seize control of the fort.
21. The USS William D. Porter was a ship that endured several accidents and mistakes, including forgetting to raise the anchor and causing damage to a sister ship.
22. The ship also launched a real torpedo at the ship Iowa, which was carrying President Roosevelt, but the Iowa was able to evade it.
23. Operation Barbarossa was a military invasion of Russia by Germany in 1941, led by Adolf Hitler.
24. The invasion was the largest military invasion force in the history of warfare, with over 4 million soldiers.
25. However, Hitler did not do his research on the terrain and conditions, and the winter of 1941 hit his forces hard, causing them to slow down and become unusable.