The first recorded instance of a major catastrophy in a national defence procurement contract caused by confusing metric and imperial measures was in 1941 when the Japanese Army ordered new band instruments in anticipation of a rash of victory parades.
The second resulted in a large number of what were called "midget submarines" in order to save face.
The subsequent hara-kiri suicides among the Imperial MoD procurement staffs provided sufficient kamikazi personel for the remainder of the war.