Nelles's treatment fits a wider pattern of political and military scapegoating. Admiral Husband E. Kimmel received blame after the attack on Pearl Harbor despite being denied information needed for proper preparation. An unnamed Norwegian general fought the German invasion before his government sent him to Canada. Each case raises the gap between the responsibility assigned to a commander and the information, resources, or political support available beforehand. The comparison is an analogy rather than a claim that the three cases were identical, and it allows command failure to be judged within the system in which an officer had to act.
Notable Point · 5:32-6:31
How governments turn commanders into scapegoats
Nelles, Husband E. Kimmel, and an unnamed Norwegian general illustrate how governments can shift responsibility onto officers they failed to prepare adequately.