The first recorded battle in history in reliable detail was the Battle of Megiddo on April 16, 1457 BC. It was fought between Egyptian forces under the command of Pharaoh Thutmose III and a large rebellious coalition of Canaanite vassal states led by the king of Kadesh. The result was an Egyptian victory and a rout of the Canaanite forces, which fled to safety in the city of Megiddo.
The Persian Empire counted how many soldiers in a battle died through counting the arrows that each soldier would place in a basket before a battle. When the soldiers came back, they each picked up an arrow and the remaining arrows would be counted to calculate the total amount of deaths.
In 585 BC, the Battle of the Eclipse between the Medes and the Athenians ended when an eclipse of the sun was seen as a sign of God’s disapproval.
The Ancient Romans held mock sea battles known as naumachia for entertainment. In some cases, whole amphitheaters like the Colosseum would be flooded and the ship battles would take place within them while spectators would watch from their seats.
The 1461 Battle of Townton in Yorkshire during the War of Roses saw some 50,000 engaged in the fight. As many as 27,000 died on the battlefield making it the largest and bloodiest ever fought on English soil.
The Battle of Cerignola was fought on April 28, 1503, between Spanish and French armies near Bari in Southern Italy. It is noted as the first battle in history won by gunpowder weapons, as the assault by Swiss pikemen and French cavalry was shattered by the fire of Spanish arquebusters behind a ditch.
In the early hours of July 6, 1685, King James II’s nephew, The Duke of Monmouth planned an attack on the King’s army camped at Sedgemoor, Somerset. But the weather had been very wet and local rivers and dikes were carrying away much of the excess water. Monmouth’s makeshift army spent too long trying to cross a flooded dike and was discovered. With the army raised, the well-equipped troops of the King routed the rebel in what was to be the last major battle fought on English soil.
The Battle of Almansa was fought on April 25, 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession. At Almansa, the Franco–Spanish army under the English mercenary Duke of Berwick soundly defeated the allied forces of Portugal, England, and the Netherlands led by the Earl of Galway, reclaiming most of eastern Spain for the Bourbons. It was probably the only major battle in history in which the English forces were commanded by a Frenchman, the French by an Englishman.
King George II of Great Britain and his forces defeated the French in Dettingen, Bavaria on June 27, 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession: It was the last time that a British monarch personally led his troops into battle.
During the American War of Independence, thousands of people watched the Battle of Bunker Hill take place. People in the Boston area sat on rooftops, in trees, on church steeples, and in the rigging of ships in the harbor to watch the American revolutionaries battle the British.
America's first naval battle took place on Lake Champlain near present-day Plattsburgh, New York, on October 11, 1776. The British and American vessels engaged in combat for much of the day, only stopping due to the impending nightfall. After a long day of combat, the American fleet was in worse shape than the experienced British Navy. However the battle gave American forces enough time to prepare their defenses for the Saratoga campaign.
During the 1777 Battle of Germantown, a cease fire was called due to a small terrier wandering on the battlefield.
In the most severe defeat ever suffered by U.S. forces at the hands of Native Americans, the Western Confederacy of Native Americans won a major victory at the Battle of the Wabash near present-day Fort Recovery in Ohio on November 4, 1791. Over one thousand Native Americans attacked at dawn taking the opposing force of about 1,000 Americans led by General Arthur St. Clair by surprise. Of the 1,000 officers and men that St. Clair led into battle, only 24 escaped unharmed.
Napoleon constructed his battle plans in a sandbox.
More than 20,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing in action in the battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862. This was the bloodiest one-day fight during the American Civil War.
The most American casualties in a single battle was at the Battle of Gettysburg, with 51,000.
The first day of the Battle of Albert, the opening phase of the Battle of the Somme was fought on July 1, 1916. It became the bloodiest day in the British Army's history, with 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 deaths.
The World War I Battle of Verdun started on February 21, 1916 and ended on December 18, 1916. With a duration of 303 days it is the longest battle in human history. It was also one of the most costly battles in human history with an estimated total casualty figure of 1.25 million.
During the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacked and sunk the Japanese Imperial Navy light aircraft carrier, Shōhō. The battle marked the first time in the naval history that two enemy fleets fought without visual contact between warring ships.
The Second Battle of El Alamein was fought between the British Empire forces under Montgomery and Germans and Italians under Rommel between October 23 and November 11, 1942. The victory for the Allies was a turning point in World War II. Later, Winston Churchill said: "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat."
The Battle of Kursk took place during World War II when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front in 1943. It was the final strategic offensive the Germans were able to mount in the East. The resulting decisive Soviet victory gave the Red Army the strategic initiative for the rest of the war. It remains the largest full-scale battle in history, and included the world's largest tank battle at Prokhorovka village and the costliest ever single day of aerial warfare.
US Army General Anthony McAuliffe responded to the German ultimatum of surrender during the World War II Battle of the Bulge with a single word, "NUTS!"
The Battle of Leyte Gulf - the largest naval battle in history - took place in and around the Philippines between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the U.S. Third and U.S. Seventh Fleets between October 23-26 1944. It featured the first Kamikaze attack of the war.
The Siachen glacier is the highest battleground on the Earth, where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since April 13, 1984. Both countries claim sovereignty over the entire Siachen region and maintain permanent military presence in the Siachen glacier locality at a height of over 20,000 feet.
Source The Daily Mail 2/7/05
By re-establishing Egyptian dominance in the Levant, Thutmose III began a reign in which the Egyptian Empire reached its greatest expanse. The battle left such an impression on the Levantine people there that they believed the final battle of humanity would take place there as well. That's where the word Armageddon comes from.
The Persian Empire counted how many soldiers in a battle died through counting the arrows that each soldier would place in a basket before a battle. When the soldiers came back, they each picked up an arrow and the remaining arrows would be counted to calculate the total amount of deaths.
In 585 BC, the Battle of the Eclipse between the Medes and the Athenians ended when an eclipse of the sun was seen as a sign of God’s disapproval.
The Ancient Romans held mock sea battles known as naumachia for entertainment. In some cases, whole amphitheaters like the Colosseum would be flooded and the ship battles would take place within them while spectators would watch from their seats.
The 1461 Battle of Townton in Yorkshire during the War of Roses saw some 50,000 engaged in the fight. As many as 27,000 died on the battlefield making it the largest and bloodiest ever fought on English soil.
The Battle of Cerignola was fought on April 28, 1503, between Spanish and French armies near Bari in Southern Italy. It is noted as the first battle in history won by gunpowder weapons, as the assault by Swiss pikemen and French cavalry was shattered by the fire of Spanish arquebusters behind a ditch.
The painting below shows Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba finding the corpse of Louis d'Armagnac at the Battle of Cerignola.
The 1547 Battle of Pinkie Cleugh was the last full scale military confrontation between England and Scotland. It resulted in a decisive victory for the forces of Edward VI.
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| Artist Federico de Madrazo, 1835. Museo del Prado. |
The 1547 Battle of Pinkie Cleugh was the last full scale military confrontation between England and Scotland. It resulted in a decisive victory for the forces of Edward VI.
The Battle of Fukuda Bay took place on October 18, 1565, and was the first recorded naval battle between Europeans and the Japanese. A flotilla of samurai under the daimyō Matsura Takanobu attacked a Portuguese trade carrack that had shunned Matsura's port in Hirado and had gone instead to trade at Fukuda (now within Nagasaki), a port belonging to the rival Ōmura Sumitada. The battle lasted for several hours, and the Japanese were eventually defeated. The Portuguese ships suffered only minor damage, while the Japanese lost several ships and hundreds of men.
In the early hours of July 6, 1685, King James II’s nephew, The Duke of Monmouth planned an attack on the King’s army camped at Sedgemoor, Somerset. But the weather had been very wet and local rivers and dikes were carrying away much of the excess water. Monmouth’s makeshift army spent too long trying to cross a flooded dike and was discovered. With the army raised, the well-equipped troops of the King routed the rebel in what was to be the last major battle fought on English soil.
 |
| Battle of Sedgemoor Memorial |
The Battle of Almansa was fought on April 25, 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession. At Almansa, the Franco–Spanish army under the English mercenary Duke of Berwick soundly defeated the allied forces of Portugal, England, and the Netherlands led by the Earl of Galway, reclaiming most of eastern Spain for the Bourbons. It was probably the only major battle in history in which the English forces were commanded by a Frenchman, the French by an Englishman.
King George II of Great Britain and his forces defeated the French in Dettingen, Bavaria on June 27, 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession: It was the last time that a British monarch personally led his troops into battle.
During the American War of Independence, thousands of people watched the Battle of Bunker Hill take place. People in the Boston area sat on rooftops, in trees, on church steeples, and in the rigging of ships in the harbor to watch the American revolutionaries battle the British.
America's first naval battle took place on Lake Champlain near present-day Plattsburgh, New York, on October 11, 1776. The British and American vessels engaged in combat for much of the day, only stopping due to the impending nightfall. After a long day of combat, the American fleet was in worse shape than the experienced British Navy. However the battle gave American forces enough time to prepare their defenses for the Saratoga campaign.
During the 1777 Battle of Germantown, a cease fire was called due to a small terrier wandering on the battlefield.
In the most severe defeat ever suffered by U.S. forces at the hands of Native Americans, the Western Confederacy of Native Americans won a major victory at the Battle of the Wabash near present-day Fort Recovery in Ohio on November 4, 1791. Over one thousand Native Americans attacked at dawn taking the opposing force of about 1,000 Americans led by General Arthur St. Clair by surprise. Of the 1,000 officers and men that St. Clair led into battle, only 24 escaped unharmed.
Napoleon constructed his battle plans in a sandbox.
More than 20,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing in action in the battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862. This was the bloodiest one-day fight during the American Civil War.
The most American casualties in a single battle was at the Battle of Gettysburg, with 51,000.
The first day of the Battle of Albert, the opening phase of the Battle of the Somme was fought on July 1, 1916. It became the bloodiest day in the British Army's history, with 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 deaths.
The World War I Battle of Verdun started on February 21, 1916 and ended on December 18, 1916. With a duration of 303 days it is the longest battle in human history. It was also one of the most costly battles in human history with an estimated total casualty figure of 1.25 million.
During the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attacked and sunk the Japanese Imperial Navy light aircraft carrier, Shōhō. The battle marked the first time in the naval history that two enemy fleets fought without visual contact between warring ships.
The Second Battle of El Alamein was fought between the British Empire forces under Montgomery and Germans and Italians under Rommel between October 23 and November 11, 1942. The victory for the Allies was a turning point in World War II. Later, Winston Churchill said: "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat."
 |
| British infantry advances through the dust and smoke of the battle of El Alamein. |
The Battle of Kursk took place during World War II when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front in 1943. It was the final strategic offensive the Germans were able to mount in the East. The resulting decisive Soviet victory gave the Red Army the strategic initiative for the rest of the war. It remains the largest full-scale battle in history, and included the world's largest tank battle at Prokhorovka village and the costliest ever single day of aerial warfare.
US Army General Anthony McAuliffe responded to the German ultimatum of surrender during the World War II Battle of the Bulge with a single word, "NUTS!"
The Battle of Leyte Gulf - the largest naval battle in history - took place in and around the Philippines between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the U.S. Third and U.S. Seventh Fleets between October 23-26 1944. It featured the first Kamikaze attack of the war.
The Siachen glacier is the highest battleground on the Earth, where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since April 13, 1984. Both countries claim sovereignty over the entire Siachen region and maintain permanent military presence in the Siachen glacier locality at a height of over 20,000 feet.
Source The Daily Mail 2/7/05
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