Favorite Battles...

[tigerclawstyle]

of all time you like to read about. Just curious to see what intrigue's people here, alot of varied and diverse minds on this forum. I am reading a book about Imperial Chinese history, and had read an interesting thing about a battle that involved painting thousands of cattle and lighting their tails on fire; made me think about starting this thread.

What are your favorite battles?
What about those battles do you find interesting?
What things about the battle, make it different from others?

Post anything. Sieges, entire campaigns,naval, air, land, ancient, modern. Whatever.

Please list as many of possible if you wish.

To get things rolling, I'd like to hear your opinions if you have any, on a particular battle. Battle of Tours, 732. I once got into a debate with a guy who stated that this particular engagement, and the man behind the Frankish victory, Charles Martel, is responsible for saving all of Western Europe from the invading Muslim armies. I'm not to familiar with it, but I've read accounts on it being just that, but also others that say it was no more then an Muslim raiding army, seeing how far they could go.

Does this battle belong up their, with some of the fights the Greeks/Persians had before this time, or did the Muslim army really pose that much of threat (as much as Attila or Genghis for example)?

Also here's alittle list from myself.
*Battle of Kapyong. Heroic defense by Aussies and Canadian battalions against an entire Chinese division during Korean War.
*Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Hard fought US Marines, Army, British Royal Marines vs much superior Chinese force.   
*Battle of Thermopylae. Don't have to explain much. One of the first ancient battles I read as a child, which began my fascination with military history.
*Normandy Campaign, Stalingrad, Kursk. Shouldn't have to explain much here
*Battle of Grunwald, 1410. One of the biggest medieval battles ever between Kingdom of Poland/Lithuania against the Teutonic Order.

Added*Battle of Ortona. Small but fierce battle in Italy between Canadian 1st Infantry Division (Loyal Edmonton Regiment, PPCLI, and afew others) against the fierce 1st German Parachute Division.

Please post as many as you like. I'd like to see some stuff I've never read before.

[Spieel]

Hi, this could actually turn into a really interesting topic.
You gave me quite the reading exercise, found the Battle of Chosin Reservoir especially interesting.

Here is a small list of mine again.
-Battle of Marathon; The messenger who ran 140 miles in just over 24 hours to request assistance from the spartans.(where the race gets it's name)
-Battle off Samar; was a big mismatch where a small US navy task force routed a much larger Japanese battle group.
-Battle of the Atlantic; not much to say.
-Battle of Cannae; Hannibal destroyed a large Roman army.

[Otto Halfhand]

Hi, this could actually turn into a really interesting topic...
-Battle of Marathon; The messenger who ran 140 miles in just over 24 hours to request assistance from the spartans.(where the race gets it's name)

A messenger, (Pheidippides) ran about 26 miles, from Marathon  to Athens, to announce the defeat of the Persians. At the end of the  march he died of exhaustion. The Battle was delayed for ten days because the Ten Strategoi of Athens wanted Miltiades to command the Athenian Hoplites, and it wasn't Miltiades turn for ten days! Probably only ~25,000 Persians had actually landed by the time the battle was fought.

[Mattdamon07]

Battle of Berlin

1. It was the last battle in WWII
2.The Battle was one of the biggest and most destructive in history.
3. the battle was intense and scary.
4. The German opposition were made up of fanatics and draftees, which made them an intresting force, while the russians were made up of regulars and guards.
5.The germans managed to hold the city with only 100,000 troops on their side against 1 million i heard, they held it for a few weeks.

That is why it is my fav battle

[Tankbuster]

Battle of Longewala

1.120 soldiers, 4 Hawker Hunters, 1 Jeep mounted M40 recoilless rifle
                                           Vs.
    2,800 soldiers, 65 tanks, 138 military vehicles, 5 field guns
2.  Indian soldiers held off superior       numbers of Pakistani troops
3.Casualties
Indians - 2 dead soldiers
 1 jeep mounted recoiless rifle destroyed
Pakistanis - 200 soldiers killed 36 tanks destroyed or captured
 100 vehicles destroyed or abandoned
You do the Math

[Otto Halfhand]

The Battle of Issus was fought in November 333 BCE between Alexander the Great and Darius King of Kings. After being out manuevered by Darius, Alexander engaged the Persians on a constricted field, denying Darius the ability to bring his superior numbers to prevail. Hammer and Anvil tactics were employed to destroy the Persian host. 

Ancient sources estimated 250,000 to 600,000 Persian soldiers. Modern historians find Arrian's count of six hundred thousand men highly unlikely, and estimate Persian numbers under Darius III  at 100,000, including 69,000 Peltasts  11,000 cavalry, 10,000 Persian Immortals, and 12,000 Greek mercenaries. The size of the Macedonian army is estimated at 40,000 men, including their other allies, led by Alexander. Alexander's army may have consisted of about 22,000 phalangites and hoplites, 13,000 peltasts, and 5,850 cavalry.
The Macedonians advanced through the Pillar of Jonah. Alexander led his Companion cavalry on the right flank and he set his Thessalian allied cavalry on the left of the phalanx with Parmenion in command.
Darius formed his line with his heavy cavalry concentrated next to the coast on his right, followed by the Greek mercenary phalanx. Next Darius spread his Persian infantry, the Cardaces, along the river and into the foothills, where they wrapped around to the other bank and threatened Alexander's right flank (the formation resembled an L). Darius positioned himself in the centre with his best infantry, the Greek mercenaries, and his royal cavalry guard.
The Persian cavalry first charged Parmenion and the allied cavalry, crossing the river to open battle. Alexander's left wing under Parmenion held the wing long enough against superior Persian numbers for the Hypaspists led by Alexander, on foot, to deliver an assault across the riverbed on the Cardaces and punch a hole through the Persian line.
Alexander then mounted his horse, Bucephalus and at the head of his Companion cavalry led a direct assault against Darius who fled from the battlefield. Alexander saw his left flank and center was in trouble, let Darius flee, and smashed into the rear of the Greek mercenaries. The Greek mercenaries broke. The Persians seeing that their Great King had fled and that the battle was being lost, abandoned their positions and fled in full rout. The Macedonian cavalry pursued the fleeing Persians for as long as there was light. It was a decisive victory for Alexander. Much of the credit for the victory was due to the superior discipline of the Phanlanx and Alexander's ability to maintain control of his cavalry after its initial success.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=ancienthistory&cdn=education&tm=32048&f=00&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/ArriCamp.html

[Cranialwizard]

The Battle of Issus was fought in November 333 BCE between Alexander the Great and Darius King of Kings. After being out manuevered by Darius, Alexander engaged the Persians on a constricted field, denying Darius the ability to bring his superior numbers to prevail. Hammer and Anvil tactics were employed to destroy the Persian host.
[...]

Wow, nice post! I was always interested in this one but never had the time to research it.

[DrRockzo1986]

My favorite battle was the invasion of Washington DC by the UK during the war of 1812. Their forces ended up capturing and torching (Gov buildings) the city, only to be devestated by a Hurricane and a Tornado in the same day . More proof of where God's allegiances lie.

[Otto Halfhand]

Operation Compass: O'Connors Desert Offensive

Italy declared war on France and Great Britain on 10 June 1940. The Italian forces in the Mediterranean vastly outnumbered those of the British. On 11 June, Hitler had learned that the Italians had bombed Malta. By 12 June the armoured cars of the 11th Hussars had conducted a series of raids over the Egyptian Frontier. Mussolini ordered Marshal Italo Balbo, to launch a full scale offensive with the goal of capturing the Suez Canal. After Balbo's accidental death on June 28, Mussolini replaced him with General Rodolfo Graziani.
Graziani had at his disposal were the Tenth and Fifth Armies which consisted of around 150,000 men, 600 tanks, 1,200 artillery pieces. Opposing the Italians Lt. General Richard O'Connor's West Desert Force had 31,000 men,  275 tanks, 60 armored cars, 120 artillery pieces. The British troops were highly mechanized and mobile, and possessed more advanced tanks than the Italians. Among these was the heavy Matilda I which no available Italian tank/anti-tank gun could penetrate. Only one Italian unit was mechanized, the Maletti Group, which possessed trucks and a variety of light armor.

On September 13, 1940, Graziani attacked Egypt with seven divisions and the Maletti Group. After recapturing Fort Capuzzo, the Italians pressed on, advancing 60 miles in three days. Halting at Sidi Barrani, the Italians dug in to await supplies and reinforcements.

O'Connor planned Operation Compass which was designed to push the Italians out of Egypt and back into Libya as far as Benghazi. On December 8, 1940, British and Indian Army units struck at Sidi Barrani. British forces attacked south of Sidi Barrani and achieved complete surprise. Supported by artillery, aircraft, and armor, the assault overran the Italian position within five hours and resulted in the destruction of the Maletti Group. Over the next three days, O'Connor's men destroyed 237 Italian artillery pieces, 73 tanks, and capturing 38,300 men. Moving through Halfaya Pass, they crossed the border and captured Fort Capuzzo.

O'Connor wished to move on Tobruk; however he was forced to halt when the 4th Indian Division was withdrawn for operations in East Africa. It was replaced on December 18 by the Australian 6th Division, marking the first time Australian troops saw combat in World War II. Pushing into Libya, the Australians captured Bardia (January 5, 1941), Tobruk (January 22), and Derna (February 3).

Unable to stop O'Connor's Offensive, Graziani made the decision to abandon Cyrenaica and ordered the Tenth Army to fall back through Beda Fomm. O'Connor improvised a new plan to destroy the Tenth Army. While the Australians pushed the Italians back along the coast, the 7th Armoured Division turned inland,  and crossed the desert, traveling via Mechili, Msus and Antelat.

Creagh's tanks found the rough terrain of the desert difficult to cross. Falling behind schedule, Creagh made the decision to send a "flying column" forward to take Beda Fomm. Combe Force consisted of around 2,000 men, with limited armor support of light and Cruiser tanks. It occupied Beda Fomm on February 4. Establishing defensive positions facing north up the coast, they came under heavy attack the next day. Desperately attacking the Italians repeatedly failed to break through. For two days, Combe's 2,000 men held off 20,000 Italians supported by over 100 tanks. On February 7, 20 Italian tanks managed to break into the British lines but were defeated by Combe's field guns. Later that day, with the arrival of 7th Armoured Division and the Australians pressing from the north, the Tenth Army began surrendering en masse.

In two months, the XIII Corps/Western Desert Force had advanced over 800 miles (1,300 km), destroyed an entire Italian army of ten divisions, taken over 130,000 prisoners, 400 tanks and 1,292 guns at the cost of 494 dead and 1,225 wounded. The British failed to exploit the success of Operation Compass. Churchill ordered the advance stopped at El Agheila and began withdrawaling troops to aid in the defense of Greece. Later that month, the German Afrika Korps began deploying to the area radically changing the course of the war in North Africa. On 6 April O'Connor was captured by a German patrol near Martuba.


Campaign Map:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/AfricaMap1.jpg

Detailed account:
http://militaryhistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=militaryhistory&cdn=education&tm=446&f=00&tt=11&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_compass1.html

[tigerclawstyle]

Great posts Otto.

Just wanted to add amother to the mix that hopefully gauge peoples interests.

*Battle of the Kalka River. 1223, Mongol's vs serveral Rus' principalities. What I find interesting is that until the Mongol's were literally on their doorstep, the Kings/Dukes of Eastern Europe didn't believe the rumors of them coming. The Mongols were usually outnumbered but were facing mostly light heavy infantry, and small cavalry forces (Knights) that they either never faced or had forgotten anything close to nomadic horse tactics. The shock of this must have been what the French and Polish felt in 1939-1940. The classic "Feigned Retreat" was used many times by the Mongols.

[250.Inf. Div.]

I have several, thanks to British historians are not well known.

-Battle of Cartagena de Indias, in 1741 27,400 british soldiers and sailors, 29 ships of the line, 22 frigates against 4,000 spanish soldiers and 6 ships defending a fortress, result spanish victory with 11,500 british dead and lost several ships.

-Battle of Bailén , in spain during the napoleon army invasion, Pierre Dupont army was defeated by a Spanish army and taking 17,635 french prisioners and being the first defeat of the imperial army in the open field.

-Battle of Krasny Bor, in ww2 in leningrad front the blaue division with 5,900 soldiers armed with pak 36, mines and light weapons and the 4 ss police division resisted and rejected a Soviet offensive more than 33,000 soviets infantry supported by 100 tanks and 1000 Artillery and Mortars, the soviets have 10,000 killed, wounded and missing,the spaniards have 3,945 killed, wounded and missing and 300 prisioners but the offensive failure.

[Tico_1990]

The raid on the Medway, early june 1667. A Dutch naval force sailed up the Thames, dropped groups of marines, sailed through the chain which was placed across the Thames for defensive purposes, sank several British ships, and took their flagship as a trophy of war.
It is considered to be one of the, if not the greatest, naval defeat suffered by the British.

[Chancellor]

Battle of Myeongnyang, October 26, 1597

13 Korean ships vs 133 Japanese warships and 200 logistical ships

Korean victory, none of their 13 ships were destroyed, 5 casualties.

Japanese suffered 123 ships destroyed / disabled, and 8,000 casualties.

Fucking epic.

[GodlikeDennis]

Were these turtle ships?

[Chancellor]

Were these turtle ships?

No they were "Panokseon" type ships.