Quote:
Originally Posted by *Buzzsaw*
Fact: Hitler ordered Goring, the leader of the Luftwaffe, to lay the groundwork for a successful invasion by gaining air superiority over the English Channel and southern England. The means to this end was the defeat of the RAF.
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I agree with the point. Although it is highly unlikely that Sea Lion could have ever taken place. Air superiority was just out of reach and naval superiority would have been even more difficult. Only a psychological or political victory could have
actually worked (despite the dreams of the Nazi leadership).
If you can find a scenario where it could have come about, I'd be very happy for the "beachhead defense" Lysander fieldmods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Former_Older
Failing to achieve your goals in battle never results in your victory. Never.
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This statement is clearly flawed. This isn't directed at you sir, but at the whole room as many may share you're opinion. I might even say it is naive and dangerous. For one thing one doesn't always know what the prerequisites for or impact of a victory may be. In the second Iraq war we recently achieved our goals and it did not bring victory, in Vietnam we achieved goals for body count numbers and those goals did not bring victory.
Lets take one example: If Germany had failed in the battle of France it is much more likely that the Allies could have made peace. If the Allies had done this than Nazi Germany could have continued trading with the United States, and, even if an embargo appeared, traded directly with smaller supplying countries. There would even have been a strong group of sympathisers for the fight against the Bolsheviks. Such a position would have moved Germany much closer to victory once the Great Patriotic War started.
So one can go from an apparent strategic failure to a strategic victory (if one doesn't understand or can't control for all of the factors this is always possible). There are certainly many other cases of tactic failures leading to strategic victories.