One way of feeling infallible is not to keep a diary. Looking back through the diary I kept in 1940 and 1941 I find that I was usually wrong when it was possible to be wrong. Yet I was not so wrong as the Military Experts. Experts of various schools were telling us in 1939 that the Maginot Line was impregnable, and that the Russo-German Pact had put an end to Hitler’s eastwards expansion; in early 1940 they were telling us that the days of tank warfare were over; in mid 1940 they were telling us that the Germans would invade Britain forthwith; in mid 1941 that the Red army would fold up in six weeks; in December 1941, that Japan would collapse after ninety days; in July 1942, that Egypt was lost and so on, more or less indefinitely.
Where now are the men who told us those things? Still on the job, drawing fat salaries. Instead of the unsinkable battleship we have the unsinkable Military Expert …
George Orwell, “As I Please”, Tribune, 1943-12-17.
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Pingback by Instapundit » Blog Archive » THESE DAYS, FORTUNATELY, THE INTERNET IS FOREVER: “Instead of the unsinkable battleship we have — March 27, 2026 @ 03:01
Well, the Maginot Line was essentially impregnable. It’s just that those dastardly Germans went around one end of it.
Comment by Steve Skubinna — March 27, 2026 @ 12:08
The Maginot Line wasn’t intended to be impregnable. Its purpose was to slow down the attackers to allow enough time for the French to concentrate behind the attempted breakthrough point with sufficient force to prevent further penetration. But yes, your point still stands.
Comment by Nicholas — March 27, 2026 @ 12:52