Home by Christmas: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

[[File:Harsher In Hindsight 1368.jpg|link=World War I|frame|The writing reads, [[World War I|'Day trip to Paris']] and 'See you on the boulevard'. [[Harsher in Hindsight]], indeed.]]

 

{{quote|''Months earlier, when Siétamo was taken, the general commanding the Government troops had said gaily: 'Tomorrow we'll have coffee in Huesca.' It turned out that he was mistaken. There had been bloody attacks, but the town did not fall, and 'Tomorrow we'll have coffee in Huesca' became a standing joke throughout the army. If I ever go back to Spain I shall make a point of having a cup of coffee in Huesca.'' |'''[[George Orwell]]''', ''[[Homage to Catalonia]]''}}

 

{{quote|''The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions.'' |'''Robert Wilson Lynd''' }}

 

So you're at war, and you're preparing for a big offensive that will finally turn the tide in your favour. You have [[A Simple Plan]] for the whole affair, and your [[Redshirt Army]] far outnumbers the [[Mooks]] defending the city, bridge, fortress or whatever strategical [[MacGuffin]] you're planning to seize... and you confidently announce, '[[Nothing Can Stop Us Now]]!' After all, [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]]

 

{{examples}}

== [[Film]] ==

* Discussed in the opening narration of ''[[A Bridge Too Far]]'': 'The plan, like so many plans in so many wars before it, was meant to end the war by Christmas and bring the boys back home.' See below for Operation Market Garden, the [[Real Life]] example on which this film was based.

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* In ''[[Honor Harrington|The Short Victorious War]]'', The People's Republic of Haven leaders decide to resort to war against Manticore. A short, victorious war, they believe, will both distract the proles from their current economic problems and allow them to use the riches of the Manticore system to prop up their welfare state. Needless to say, the war is a disaster for Haven and ends up lasting for almost 20 years.

** They even [[Lampshade]] this with a quote from V.K. Plehve (see the [[Real Life]] section below), providing the [[Title Drop]] for the book in the opening epigraph.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Military and Warfare Tropes]]

[[Category:Christmas Tropes]]