Questions tagged [battle]
Questions related to an historical battle, being a single engagement or combat in warfare between two or more armed forces.
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Why exactly did Harold Godwinson's brother Tostig help Harald Hardrada? [on hold]
I just really want to know why Harold Godwinson’s brother Tostig decided to help Harald Hardrada instead of his own blood relation.
3
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5answers
423 views
Why is a pocket-battleship large in size ?
Why is it called a pocket-battleship when it’s large in size? Isn’t anything with pocket as prefix meant to be small ?
I was reading up on Graf Spee - The German pocket-battleship.
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4answers
248 views
Has there ever been an encirclement without superior numbers or mobility
I can't find any examples. It seems like encirclement is always just a result of some other advantage, and doesn't affect the battle in itself.
For example the classic case is Cannae. The ...
3
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1answer
303 views
An American Civil War battle where a general was ordered to advance to a certain point and wait . . . so waiting was all he did?
I'm trying to pin down something I once read about what went wrong with the Union's plans for a certain battle in the American Civil War. I think I once read a few paragraphs about this in a book by ...
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1answer
114 views
Who was a Roman General for a short time?
I'm trying to remember the name and battle that a Roman General. I might be unintentionally mixing parts of it up with other historic parts. The story goes the Roman Empire need someone to lead their ...
2
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0answers
112 views
Why did General Dupont surrender in the Battle of Bailén?
General Dupont's had, from my inexpert view, quite a superior army when he fought the Spanish forces at the Battle of Bailén. This battle was in fact the first defeat in open field of the Napoleonic ...
2
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2answers
298 views
Where was the Battle of Antioch (613 CE) fought?
The Byzantines were severely defeated in this battle by their Sassanid counterparts.
But where did this battle take place i.e. what was the precise location of this battle?
According to Wikipedia, ...
2
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1answer
759 views
How did knights in full suits of armor eventually die in combat? What were the most common causes of death for soldiers in full-body plate armor? [closed]
I've heard about the battle of Agincourt that many knights probably died of drowning as they fell and their helmets filled with mud. It got me thinking: If you're going into battle on foot and in full-...
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1answer
5k views
Has any medieval army ever fought 3 or more distinct battles on the same day?
In the fantasy fiction A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of thrones, during Robert's Rebellion, three battles were fought in the same day, in the same place.
There where particular conditions that lead to ...
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1answer
188 views
Are there any contemporary references to the Battle of Badr outside of the Qur'an?
As the question reads, I'm trying to find sources for the Battle of Badr outside of the Qur'an from the same time period.
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2answers
310 views
Was the French commander in chief Gamelin such a terrible commander?
While doing some research on France's defeat in 1940 I saw that some harshly criticize the French Commander-in-chief Gamelin and blame him for its speedy downfall (of course there isn't only one ...
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1answer
1k views
What happened at the Battle (or not?) of Luding Bridge, during the Long March of Chinese Communists in 1935?
I've just finished reading Mao: The Unknown Story by Chang and Halliday. She seems very biased against Mao and revels in accusing him of lying and manipulating. If this were to be taken as a serious ...
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3answers
866 views
Why did few French and no Dutch pilots (but many Poles and Czechs) take part in the Battle of Britain?
Among the non-British pilots, at least 141 were Polish, 84 Czech and 28 Belgian, but only 13 were French and none were Dutch, Norwegian or Danish.
The reasons why there were many Polish, Czech and ...
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2answers
882 views
Why were there so many US military deaths outside of the major battles in WW2?
Recently I have started to take a huge interest in WW2. I've been researching new information everyday about it. But one of the things I've been interested in is the number of deaths each country ...
13
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4answers
1k views
Why did the Allies lose the Battle of France (1940)?
I know for a fact that Allied forces were slightly inferior to German forces on some points. I know that the Ardennes was ill-protected on the French side. The defenses were poorly constructed, and ...
2
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1answer
197 views
Was anyone blamed for Japan's defeat at Tai'erzhuang?
The battle of Tai'erzhuang was the first major Chinese victory in the Second Sino-Japanese war. IJA 10th and 5th divisions, aiming to take Tai'erzhuang and ultimately Xuzhou, were instead held up in ...
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1answer
239 views
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1answer
499 views
How many tons of bombs were dropped on Britain between 1940 July 10 and September 7?
1940, July 10 to September 7, was the part of the Battle of Britain before the Blitz. In other words, it was the part where the Luftwaffe primarily focused on airfields, factories, and if I'm not ...
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3answers
583 views
Would occupying Big Round Top have been a good idea for the Confederates?
A lot of attention was given at the end of the 19th century to the "what if" the Confederates occupied the Little Round Top at Gettysburg, but there's the Big Round Top nearby and the Confederates ...
5
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1answer
137 views
Which fortress east of Ancient Megiddo did Thutmose III go to during the siege?
After the ancient Battle of Megiddo, the rebels fell back to the city of Megiddo and the Egyptian army was victorious. The Egyptian army besieged the city of Megiddo by building a moat and a wooden ...
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2answers
967 views
Why weren't the Egyptians attacked on sight in the ancient Battle of Megiddo?
In 1457 BC, Thutmose III and his army had to pass the mountains to reach Megiddo. He had three passes he could go through, one in the North, called Jokneam Pass, and another pass in the South, called ...
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1answer
506 views
Were ancient (Greek) battles fought like duels between heroes? [closed]
In dramas on TV and film we are often shown a "hero" standing in front of the army, fighting alone against a "villain". Their soldier comrades don't help out much, as we would expect them to do in ...
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1answer
323 views
Who is the officer/soldier in a cave that received a morale boost from a spider?
Today on the radio, I heard about a commander or an officer who was in a cave waiting for a battle to start and he was feeling that he will be defeated because of the large enemy forces (he was in a ...
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2answers
3k views
Physics of a heavy cavalry charge?
Can someone explain a heavy cavalry charge?
A bunch of 500kg animals smashes into a dense crowd of men at speed of 40km/h. This simply cannot end good for neither side. Let's say the charge fails. The ...
9
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1answer
211 views
Which town or village in Britain lost the greatest percentage of men in WWI due to “Pals Battalions”?
The British decision to create "Pals Battalions" of men from a single town or village led to unanticipated disasters when Pals battalions ran into heavy resistance, with large numbers of men from a ...
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1answer
361 views
What's the story behind this photo from WWI?
Warning: the photograph below is very graphic and may disturb some viewers, hence the spoiler tag. Click at your own risk.
The picture shows the skeletal corpse of a dead German infantryman (the ...
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1answer
896 views
What was the largest battle fought by ancient Rome?
What was the largest battle, by number of participants, in which ancient Rome took part? Not counting sieges.
A quick Google search reveals nothing authoritative, but some discussion threads mention ...
3
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1answer
102 views
Did “el Empecinado” fight in the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1810)?
I'm writing a little piece on Juan Martín Díez, el Empecinado (the most famous Spanish guerrilla leader of the Peninsular War), and I need to know if he took part in the defence of Ciudad Rodrigo ...
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2answers
538 views
Why the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55) was “the last of the old sieges”?
During the Crimean War (1853–56), Charles George Gordon took part in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55), calling it "the last of the old sieges".
What made Sevastopol so "old fashioned" for a comment ...
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2answers
709 views
Has there ever a period in history when people were not killing each other? [closed]
Has there ever a period in history when people were nice to each other and not killing each other?
In other words, since humans arrived, have the inhabitants of this planet ever enjoyed world peace?
...
5
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1answer
449 views
Did Aetius or Attila fight in the Battle of Worms (436)?
I'm looking for information of the Battle of Worms (436). Exactly, did Flavius Aetius and/or Attila command or fight on it?
Wikipedia page on Aetius, under the "Battles/wars" column, mentions only a "...
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2answers
680 views
What were the most used drugs in battles and wars?
I have read that germans used extensively Pervitin (Methamphetamine) in WWII. So, I guess there are other drugs used in wars and battles throughout history.
What were the most used drugs in battles ...
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6answers
1k views
Battles under the influence (of alcohol)
I'm looking for documented antecedents that describe the use or abuse of alcohol in the historical context of battles. Not necessarily well known battles.
I remember watching (many years ago) a ...
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3answers
2k views
Did medieval commanders exchange words before battle?
Random question for anyone who reads accounts of medieval battles. Was it customary for European medieval commanders to exchange words before battle, not merely for diplomatic reasons but more out of ...
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7answers
10k views
Why did trench warfare accept deadlocks?
As someone who has never studied military history or strategy I find it very hard to understand how and why both sides got locked into relatively short lines of heavily defended trench warfare with ...
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12answers
7k views
Lost battles - under which conditions does the losing party actively commemorate a battle?
I am trying to understand under which conditions battles are predominantly remembered and commemorated by the losing party (who acknowledge their defeat), not the victors. This is not who gets to ...
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0answers
179 views
Help me recognize this naval action
I recall reading a Wikipedia article about an Age of Sail naval combat incident between two vessels, the smaller one being attacked by the larger one. I don't remember anything about the participants ...
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0answers
371 views
What are the top 5 bloodiest battles in terms of British casualties?
I have done a bit of research and it seems the Somme, Towton and maybe Bannockburn are up there? Any more to throw into the mix?
Great site by the way!
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1answer
236 views
Historical use of air guns in major battle?
In the 18th century some European armies had air guns at their disposal.
I remember that during some major battle sharpshooters from Tirol used air guns to deadly effect on the troops of the opposing ...
4
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3answers
518 views
Why was Luodian important in the Battle of Shanghai?
In the middle of the 3-month long Battle of Shanghai, the small town of Luodian on the outskirts of Shanghai saw some of the heaviest fighting. After Japanese troops made successful amphibious ...
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4answers
406 views
Magic armies examples in history?
Are there any examples of attempting to use magic in history?
Note that I don't mean magic is real. I mean that some crazy commanders could THINK it is real and try to utilize it in battle.
For ...
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3answers
304 views
Battle which has been decided by an epidemic plague
Well i think the title say's all but here some necessary details to make some focus:
I would like to know if there's a record of a Battle or a Siege (or War, but only optional) which have been ...
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5answers
1k views
Battles that ended with a disaster for all the parties
Have there ever been (recorded) battles (in the middle-ages) which ended badly for all parties?
I would like to explain what could be meant by disaster giving to possible scenarios:
by disaster I ...
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4answers
669 views
Why is the battle of Hampton Roads known as the Monitor vs the Merrimack?
The American Civil War battle of the ironclad warships which took place on the Elizabeth River in Virginia has several common names. One way which it is commonly referenced is as simply the "Monitor ...
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1answer
965 views
How thick was late medieval horse armor?
Do you know how thick was late medieval horse plate armor?
Was it as thick as its rider's armor? Good horses were expensive and valuable, especially during a battle, so it makes sense to protect them. ...
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1answer
1k views
When was the first airborne combat drop?
I know that airborne troops became famous in WWII, but was that the first time they actually fought after parachuting into the combat zone?
What was the first instance in which paratroopers in an ...
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2answers
2k views
Which was the last pitched battle fought by Western powers? [closed]
If we define a pitched battle as
a fierce military engagement on close combat on the ground between two armies at war. Both intending on fighting the other and not retreating or escaping before ...
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1answer
494 views
Are there any battles that have been extensively studied across the world? [closed]
Has there been any historical battle which became so universally well regarded, that military academies from across the world would would study it? Or are most military academies inherently biased ...
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1answer
596 views
Does any evidence exist that suggests Hitler’s primary reason for declaring war on America was an attempt to draw Japan into his war with Russia?
During the first few months of the Nazi invasion of Russia, Stalin feared a Japanese attack from the east would create a two front war. In August, he was finally convinced by intelligence reports that ...
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2answers
1k views
How did galleys battle?
Until the late 16th century, galleys were the main battleships. They were then started to be replaced by larger galleons, as the galleons could carry much bigger cannons with the developed technology.
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