America's Disastrous First Battles

Abstract

On several occasions throughout history the US military has been ill-equipped to attain victory at the commencement of operations. While there are many examples of battles lost, this paper will focus primarily on the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812, and the Battle of Kasserine during World War II. Doctrine, policy, politics, command and control, and lack of preparedness contributed to these disastrous first battles. These root factors affected readiness and hindered the militarys ability to perform successfully during the initial stages of conflict. Todays Noncommissioned Officer must study and be cognizant of these past failures in order to achieve success in todays fast paced operational environment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 15, 2009
Accession Number
AD1112422

Entities

People

  • Mark D. Demers

Organizations

  • United States Army Sergeants Major Academy

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • American Revolution
  • Anti-Tank Weapons
  • Army
  • Command And Control
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Infantry
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military History
  • New York
  • Noncommissioned Officers
  • North Africa
  • Physical Fitness
  • Regulations
  • Second World War
  • Training
  • United States
  • Universities
  • War
  • Warfare
  • Weapons

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control