(ORDO NEWS) — In the history of the United States, there have been a number of extremely unsuccessful attacks on other countries.
Today, the United States has the most powerful military in the world. However, this was not always the case. In the history of the country there were such invasions that ended in complete failure.
One of them was the battles with the British Empire during the Revolutionary War . At one time it was a strong military power.
The Americans had only 13 rebel colonies, which accounted for only a third of the total population of Britain. In addition, the rebels did not even have their own standing army, and the British Empire surpassed them in almost all indicators: in terms of economy, access to the sea, a powerful army, and allies.
At the same time, the Americans knew the territory on which the battles took place. Their goal was to expel the British from Canada.
First, they managed to capture Fort Ticonderoga, the city of Gainsborough and the schooner “Catherine”, which was renamed Liberty (“Freedom”). After that, the rebel army captured another British ship, renamed the Enterprise.
As a result, the Americans gained control of all waterways and could already move freely to the north. After that, the colonial army was divided into two parts. The first was to go north through Maine and into Quebec through the desert, the second through the Champlain Valley and transport residents and ammunition across Lake Champlain.
Due to the long siege of Fort St. John’s, which lay in the path of part of the troops marching towards Quebec, the timing of the invasion shifted. As a result, this fort surrendered only in November. Then the cold winter months began, and it cost the American soldiers dearly.
Some of the colonists ended up failing. First of all, they underestimated the difficult terrain they would have to cross to get to Quebec. This is 400 miles (about 640 km) of untouched wilderness.
They were also inexperienced in navigating the many fast-flowing rivers that ran between them and the British, and this resulted in the loss of many boats and ammunition. Stocks deteriorated due to dampness, the soldiers had to go through the swamps in cold weather.
By the time they eventually made it to Quebec, there were only 600 of them left. Moreover, they were all without winter clothes, without guns and food. And Quebec was well protected.
Despite the bitter cold, on December 31, 1775, the colonists began a battle with the British. The commander was killed and Benedict Arnold was wounded. After that, the British General Carlton tried to weaken the American army by sending ordinary people infected with smallpox, as well as prostitutes, from the city to the American soldiers.
As a result, smallpox engulfed the besieging army. With the advent of spring, fresh ammunition arrived in Quebec and 3,000 soldiers were sent. As a result, by almost the end of May, many American forces retreated south and held defenses already in the northern part of New York.
There was another failed invasion. This is the Bay of Pigs Invasion . And in the course of it, the American army suffered a complete defeat. It happened in 1961, when the US-USSR Cold War was in full swing.
Two years earlier, revolutionary leader Fidel Castro appeared in Cuba, who was able to overthrow the autocratic dictator Fulgencio Batista. Despite the fact that at first the local population supported Castro’s policy, after a while the residents got tired of it.
Some became disillusioned with the new ruler, began to leave the country and support the second revolutionary war. The US Central Intelligence Agency took advantage of this. At first, the Americans tried to support this revolution by secretly supplying the rebels and infiltrating the island in the form of small groups of guerrillas.
But this was not a particularly successful approach. As a result, the CIA decided to deliver one powerful blow to Cuba. In April 1960, preparations began for an operation in Cuba. Despite careful preparations, this invasion failed.
This is explained simply: Castro’s army knew about everything and the Americans failed to strike unexpectedly. As a result, 114 soldiers were killed, more than 1,100 were captured, and all military equipment of the invaders was destroyed.
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