Naval Victory Quotes
This quotation illustrated a military phenomenon whereby leading military commanders are important as long as they have and control many military assets. Therefore, they avoid serious battles where the might lose. Preserving assets becomes more important than the war objectives and honor and reputation trumps contribution to the war effort. History remembers well military leaders who battle and win. It also remembers leaders who control many assets and who do not lose or win. But the losing military leaders are consigned to the “dustbin of history”.
_0_thumbnail_47x47.jpg "Portrait of John Hawkins, National Maritime Museum, London"){kind=small}
The German naval command—without the permission of the Kaiser—at the eve of a losing war decided that the entire German navy would make a grand attack against the far superior English fleet. It was to be a virtual suicide attack on a grand scale. However, most German sailors heard about the plan and refused orders to attack in what was the largest mutiny in history. The German naval leaders then took the fleet out to sea and scuttled all the ships so that the English would not capture them. The result was the same but tens of thousands of lives were saved; many German officers felt that German naval honor had been lost.
Xerxes ignored her advice and attacked the Greek fleet at the Battle of Salamis. As Artemisia had predicted, the outnumbered Greeks routed the forces of Xerxes’ coalition preserving “The West” from dominance by “The East.” Artemisia’s fleet was the only one in the coalition to enjoy military success in the battle. See Xerxes {45633}. Artemisia is one of the first female military leaders and the only female naval commander until the end of the 20th century. She was 2500 years before her time.
