Historical Misunderstandings That Resulted In Death

Exercise Tiger practiced for the D-Day invasion of Normandy in April 1944 at Slapton, Devon. Extensive preparations started as early as 1943; the area around Slapton Sands mimicked Normandy beaches.

Exercise Tiger also called Operation Tiger.The exercise began April 22 and planned to end April 30. By April 27, soldiers and much equipment reached the beach to simulate crossing the English Channel. The Allies did not know German E-boats were also in the area.

Late on the 27th and early morning of the 28th, Allied ships sailed around Lyme Bay to land at Slapton Sands. Their departure lagged about an hour past the start time, but some ships missed the message. Vessels leaving early entered live ammunition drills. Some 450 American servicemen died in what became 'friendly fire'.

Problems continued. Eight ships, Convoy T-4, faced danger. Only one British Royal Navy ship escorted them. Landing ship tanks (LST) knew nothing.German E-boats, also called S-boats, were in the area.Early on the 28th, nine German E-boats fired on Convoy T-4.

First, German torpedoes missed the LSTs because of their flat bottoms. This changed. The first LST was hit around 2 am. Boat LST-507 burst into flames, and about 400 men aboard died.LST-507 burst into flames, killing roughly 400 men on board.The ships burst into flames. Roughly 400 men aboard died.LST-531 was hit soon after and quickly sank.Lieutenant Eugene E. Eckstam, a medical officer aboard LST-507, later recalled.LST-507 later recalled:There was a terrible noise, metal crunching, and dust everywhere. Lights failed. I was thrown violently in the air… The screams and cries of those Army troops still haunt me… We sat and burned… gas cans and ammunition exploded, and a huge fire burned just yards away.

A terrible noise accompanied crunching metal and dust. Lights failed. I felt a violent thrust upward. The screams of Army troops inside still haunt me. We sat and burned. Gas cans and ammunition exploded; a huge fire blazed just yards away.

The LSTs scattered, fought back, and sometimes fired on each other. A third LST, LST-289, also took a torpedo hit and sustained damage. Ships were hit, forcing soldiers into the water; they lacked life-jackets or training for this.LST-289 was struck by a torpedo and damaged.Ships were hit, forcing soldiers into the water; they lacked life-jackets or training for this scenario.

The number of men who died on April 27 and 28, 1944, remains unclear. Some estimates suggest as many as 947 Army and Navy soldiers perished.Many as 947 Army and Navy soldiers perished.After the disaster, several tactical changes addressed the miscommunication and failure to prepare men for contingencies. No one faced accountability; survivors were not given leave, and what happened was covered up before D-Day.Survivors involved were not given any leave.Survivors involved were not given any leave.What took place was covered up in anticipation of D-Day.This event was covered up before D-Day.

Calling the events at Karansebes a “battle” is not intuitive. Only Austrian troops were involved, yet their Ottoman opponents could declare victory.Some historians doubt if the event ever happened.

On September 21, 1788, a group of Austrian soldiers fought the Ottomans at the Timis River in Karansebes, Romania. One group drank alcohol earlier and would not share, causing a skirmish with guns firing and shouts of, “Turks! Turks!” Nearby Austrian cavalrymen heard the guns and moved toward that direction, thinking they met Ottoman soldiers.

The Austrian cavalrymen found their counterparts but thought they were disguised Ottomans. Austrians started firing on Austrians, and the fighting ended.This resulted in 10,000 deaths.Ottoman forces found the scene several days later.

In another version, drunken Austrian forces feared approaching Ottoman troops and scattered.This action caused further events.Nearby Austrian artillery opened fire. Regardless, Austria suffered a large loss of life. Whether this was a massive “friendly fire” incident or not, this loss would have devastated the effort against the Ottoman Empire.

Thomas Becket was an esteemed churchman in England.In 1155 CE, Becket became King Henry II's Chancellor of England.Becket and Henry got along well. They hunted and traveled together, focusing on establishing order in England.When Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury died in 1161 CE, Henry replaced him with Becket. Henry made this choice because he and Becket were close. This decision caused the king substantial frustration.King Henry II of England sought to establish order in England.Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury died in 1161 CE. Henry replaced him with Becket. Henry made this choice because he and Becket were close. This decision caused the king major frustration.

After Becket became Archbishop of Canterbury, he and Henry fought over royal power and the church. Becket believed the king could not appoint people to church jobs. Henry disagreed. Also, the question arose whether priests answered to the church or the king. When Becketrefused to follow Henry's orders.The king tried Becket. The court found Becket guilty and he fled to the Continent for protection under the King of France.

BecketBecket returned to England from France.He returned in 1170 CE, yet he did not obey the king. During a Christmas Day sermon, Becket excommunicated priests the king appointed. Henry heard this and said, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest.” Several knights took this seriously and went to Canterbury Cathedral to act on it.

Sir Reginald Fitzurse, Sir Hugh de Morville, Sir William de Tracy, and Sir Richard le Breton went to the cathedral on December 29, 1170 CE. They seized Becket, dragging him “roughly outside of the walls of the church so that there they would slay him or carry him from there as a prisoner.” The knights could not get Becket out of the church; they struck him. Edward Grim, a cleric.Edward Grim, a cleric present during the attack, wrote about it, detailing that,

The third knight gave the fallen man a serious wound. This blow shattered the sword on the stone and his large crown, separating it from his head so blood turned white from the brain, yet the brain turned red from the blood. The fourth knight pushed away those gathering so the others could finish the killing more freely and boldly. The fifth—a cleric, not a knight, who entered with the knights—delivered a fifth blow to the man who imitated Christ in other things. He placed his foot on the holy priest and martyr's neck and scattered the brains with blood across the floor, yelling to the others, “We can leave this place, knights, he will not get up again.”

Becket died. The knights thought they acted for the king, but their actions helped the monarch nothing. Henry likely did not want Becket dead, and the whole event shocked Europe and the Church. Becket was martyred.the king ended upwalking through Canterbury's streets barefoot before bowing and being whipped in front of Becket's shrine.

In 1889,Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia and Count Pietro Antonelli of Italy signed the Treaty of Wuchale. The agreement aimed to help trade and build friendship between the two nations.

At signing, 20 articles were included. They used Italian and Amharic, but the wording differed on what they stated. Article XVII had the biggest translation problem. In Italian, it read:

His Majesty the King of Kings of Ethiopia allows you to use the Government of His Majesty the King of Italy for all business dealings he had with other powers or governments.

Amharic, the language of the Ethiopians,it read:

His Majesty the King of Kings of Ethiopia could allow you to use the Government of His Majesty the King of Italy for all business dealings he had with other powers or governments.

TheThe difference might seem small,but the inclusion of “could” in the Amharic version showed Menelik he did not have to go through Italy for business. Italy, however, read their version and saw it as an obligation for Ethiopia to do so, viewing itself as Ethiopia's protectorate.

The mistranslation caused misunderstanding. Italy claimed no other nations could make deals with Ethiopia. As Menelik gained power in Ethiopia, Europe generally accepted Italy's view. When Menelik resisted the treaty in 1894, Italy invaded the next year. This started theThe First Italo-Ethiopian War.In 1896, Ethiopia and Italy fought at the Battle of Adwa.

Italy was surprised. Ethiopia prepared for battle and cut Italian supply lines before the fight.Sources show EthiopiaThe Ethiopian forces “massacred entire battalions, using lances especially” and killed about 5,000 Italians. Italy surrendered. Peace followed with the Treaty of Addis Ababa in October 1896.

The Charge of the Light Brigade is one of few Crimean War events people know. Its notoriety stems from the terrible result. The poem Alfred, Lord Tennyson helped make it known.Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote this.The Charge of the Light Brigade occurred on October 25, 1854This happened at the Battle of Balaklava.

British, French, and Ottoman troops fought Russia at Balaklava. AA group of British cavalrymen.Field Marshal Lord Raglan ordered the cavalry to advance with infantry support. Raglan thought the infantry would follow. But George Bingham, earl of Lucan, the cavalry leader, waited for the infantry before moving. The cavalry finally advanced toward Russian artillery instead of the Causeway Heights, contrary to Raglan's plan. One of Raglan's aides gave Bingham vague information, just saying they neededThey went to a nondescript area.

Bingham and his brother-in-law, James Brudenell, earl of Cardigan and Light Brigade commander, moved toward the Russians with sabers and lances. They were not ready for Russian guns. Bingham and Brudenell misunderstood their direction and failed to see they were walking into a slaughter because of their poor view.

The Light Brigade pressed on. Men and horses fell together in what became the “Valley of Death.” Brudenell later told Parliament:

We moved down a slope over three-quarters of a mile. Batteries fired shells and shot, round and grape, from both the right and left flanks. Russian riflemen covered all the ground between.

The Light Brigade caused some Russian disorder but paid a high price. Of the 670 men in the Light Brigade, 110 died. Another 160 men were wounded, and 370 horses died. Russia paraded captured guns in victory. Balaklava was mostly a standoff; Russia surrendered the area about a year later.

During China's Great Leap Forward, Mao Zedong started the “Four Pests Campaign.” This campaign, starting in 1958, targeted creatures believed to hurt crop production.The four creatures.These four pests were thought to hurt farming. China also sought to remove them to boost hygiene.

Fleas, mosquitoes, rats, and sparrows were the four pests. To clear China of sparrows, who ate grain, everyone took action. Destroying nests...They made noise until the birds could not land. Other tactics also served a propaganda campaign.Getting rid of fleas, mosquitoes, and rats supposedly stopped disease spread. The campaign showed results. They eliminated 1.5 billion rats, 100 million kilograms of flies, and 11 million kilograms of mosquitoes.

Getting rid of fleas, mosquitoes, and rats aimed to stop disease spread. This seemed to work. They removed 1.5 billion rats, 100 million kilograms of flies, and 11 million kilograms of mosquitoes.Chinese agriculturalists and public health officials, plus Mao, missed that sparrows ate locusts. Without sparrows, locusts swarmed China, destroying crops and causing a nationwide famine. Between 1959 and 1961, about twenty million people died from falling rice and wheat yields.About 1 billion sparrows also vanished. Killing the sparrow population brought unexpected, terrible results.

Chinese agriculturalists...Chinese agriculturalists and public health officials, plus Mao, ignored that sparrows ate locusts. Without sparrows, locusts flooded China, ruined crops, and caused a national famine. From 1959 to 1961, about twenty million people died from low rice and wheat yields.

Fertility counts dropped during this time, affecting future generations. Harsh treatment of the Chinese people also caused more death.A plane heading to Gran Canaria also diverted to Tenerife North Airport, Pan Am Flight 1736, and went to its destination.This happened during the Great Leap Forward. An estimated 45 million people died between 1958 and 1962.

By 1960, the Chinese government dropped sparrows from the pest list, swapping them for bed bugs. The government admitted its error and brought in 250,000 sparrows to replace the dead ones.

On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747s prepared for takeoff from Tenerife North Airport (Los Rodeos Airport then) in the Canary Islands. The KLM 4805 crew wanted to fly again after the airport was shut down by a bombing near Gran Canaria.

What happened next caused the worst plane crash in history. At Tenerife, the KLM flight let passengers off while refueling. When takeoff time came, Captain Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten of the KLM flight received taxi instructions from the tower but lacked takeoff clearance.The KLM crew did not hear...The KLM crew did not hear that they needed to wait for the tower to give them clearance.

The Pan Am flight was taxiing. Tenerife had only one runway, causing heavy congestion that stopped flights from using taxiways. Planes used the runway instead. The KLM flight used the runway's length. The Pan Am flight followed instructions to use the third exit and return via the taxiway. This action would have kept the Pan Am flight off the runway, letting the KLM flight take off. The Pan Am flight crew did not hear the tower clearly, and visibility was low. The Pan Am flight missed its exit, and the two planes collided.

The KLM 4805 captain's takeoff decision confused the tower. Still, the plane started down the runway. Pan Am 1736's captain did not see the KLM plane until it was too late. He could only turn slightly. Recordings from the Pan Am cockpit show Captain Victor Grubbs and co-pilot Robert Bragg saying this:

[Grubbs says], ‘There he is ... look at him! [expletives deleted] is coming!’ His copilot yells, ‘Get off! Get off! Get off!’

The collision was deadly.All 248 people on the KLM flight, crew, and passengers died. Three hundred thirty-five of the 396 passengers on the Pan Am flight lost their lives.

The KLM crew caused the collision. The report stated,

The tower did not expect the aircraft to take off because it had not given clearance. The tower heard the transmission as, ‘We are now at take-off position,’ and the controller replied, ‘Okay, ... stand by for take-off ... I will call you.’ The Pan Am crew did not see ‘We are now at take-off’ as a definite take-off signal. They told the tower they were still taxiing down the runway to clarify their position. This transmission matched the ‘Stand by for take-off ... I will call you,’ which made the tower transmission sound whistling. This reduced the clarity of the signal in the KLM cockpit, though it did not make it unintelligible.

Low visibility and the KLM crew's sense of urgency also affected the crash.