Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast Episode 211 - The War of the Triple Alliance Part 2: Man Vs Cactus
Jun 6, 2022
In a playful dive into the War of the Triple Alliance, hosts blend humor with history. They recount the absurdity of Paraguayan President Solano Lopez’s extravagant birthday amidst war. Misguided military strategies and outdated equipment reveal the chaotic reality of the Paraguayan army's struggles. The challenges of logistical failures lead to malnutrition and poor morale, creating a tragicomic scene. The episode highlights the surreal juxtaposition of leadership decisions and the chaos of wartime, making for a captivating exploration of this historical conflict.
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Handle Captives Carefully
- Treat political prisoners humanely to avoid diplomatic blowback and reputational catastrophe.
- Neglect or send captives to die and you escalate conflicts and provoke foreign outrage.
Quantity Destroyed Paraguayan Quality
- Paraguay had a small professional core but diluted it with massive untrained conscripts, destroying unit quality and cohesion.
- Rapid promotions of loyalists left many commanders inexperienced and unable to lead large formations effectively.
Cactus Assault Fiasco
- Paraguayan troops assaulted a Brazilian river fort and had to sprint through fields of cacti, suffering from spines and disarray.
- They repeatedly attacked without ladders, formed human pyramids, and were mown down by point-blank cannon fire.