T @ 196: Longstreet said, “no 15,000 men ever arrayed for battle can take that position”.

Oh fooey. Of course that was before PGM, but give those 15,000 men even cheap Russian RPGs (1000 yard range) and they could force it. Even in the day they could have attrited each other on an equal basis over a week, but no, they were in a hurry. Could 15,000 guys on foot charge across open ground and then uphill at sheltered cannon? Nope. But that’s not much of an insight. 15,000 swordsmen couldn’t do much better against a prepared phalanx of spearmen.

Yes the technology was just changing, and nobody knew exactly what the capabilities were of the different forces, not exactly, but it was a heck of an expensive way to find out. Though apparently the lessons didn’t take even fifty years later, viewing the horribly misconceived battles of WWI.

So maybe I shouldn’t be so appalled at the poor tactical ROE in Afghanistan, huh, at least it has many historical precedents on the slow learning and poor judgements of the military, at the expense of the front line troops.