Think of real stupids things that have happened in real wars
Like officers sending their troops into certain death to fight a
meaningless battle for some hill. Reality is also more absurd and
much nastier in its ironic sense of humor than fiction.
As I said, I think the film version of ST was trying to bring home
just how pointless war was - look at the planets they battled for,
barren rockballs - by sending soldiers and ships in to be slaughtered
based on faulty info from leaders way back on Earth.