Favorite Battle of All Time

[Goalie]

What is your favorite battle thoughout history? Mine would have to be the Battle of Britian. The British stopped Hitler and the German's conquest of Europe. It gave the Russians a chance to push back the Germans on the Eastern Front. The battle decimated the Luftwaffe and proved for the first time that the Germans could be stopped.

[matteus the inbred]

favourite? I have several.

Cannae, for lots of reasons, mainly tactical, but it stands out as a battlefield achievement.
Waterloo, the one I've read most about, and a classic example of myth and legend triumphing over what actually happened.
The Battle of Vienna in 1683 for one of the most epic and inspiring moments in military history, when Sobieski led 20,000 cavalry straight down the Kahlenburg and smashed the Ottoman lines to save the city and possibly Europe as well.

[Reverend Joe]

My favorite battle of all time? That would have to be the time my normally placid, quiet dog almost killed an enormous raccoon, almost half her size- and she weighs about 70 pounds.

...Oh, you mean- oh... oops.

[English assassin]

Depends what you mean by "favourite" I suppose, and battle. We aren't supposed to admit it but the Battle of Britain probably was a defining moment for the British national psyche (indeed many of our European friends claim with some justification that we are unable to forget it).

General Slim's liberation* of Burma in 1944/45 was IMHO one of the best conducted campaigns by any army in any theatre in WW2, so I'd nomnate that as a favourite in terms of the military skill displayed.

(* Oops. I mean reoccupation of Burma for the British Empire, which I suppose is not technically a "liberation" as such)

[Kraxis]

Interestingly I'm not much for battles with political ramifications (Battle of Britain, Waterloo ect.). I'm a sucker for tactical impressiveness.

Thus I have a few I always like to look to for that.
4th Kawanakajima for the almost outrageous losses and supreme tactical ability of both commanders.
Cannae for its revolutionary tactics.
Issus for its daring and interesting tactics of the time.

[Craterus]

Gaugamela.
Cannae.
Thermopylae.

[Strike For The South]

Yorktown

[The_Doctor]

Cannae. Just brilliant.

Waterloo. A clash of giants. Also I come from Waterloo, well the English one.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Not in any particular order:

Thermopylae - the perhaps most impressive battle fought by vastly outnumbered troops, but tactics were pretty simple.

Issos & Gaugamela - good use of the phalanx, and good ideas for how to protect the flanks

The battle of X for being the first recorded example of flanking IIRC.
Edit: replaced the battle name with an X because I think I got the wrong name...

Cannae - well the entire series of battles fought by Hannibal was impressive, but Cannae was the climax of it.

Pharsalus - keep a strong line of infantry, pressure the enemy to flank you to relieve it's own slightly weaker infantry line, then unleash an ambush you had hidden behind your line all the time, a line of spearmen perfect for catching the incoming enemy cavalry. Beautiful!

The Roman attempt to conquer Parthia in 117 AD which ended up in destruction of many roman units, broke the myth of the romans being invincible, and meant roman rule would never expand that far again. The well-coordinated rebellions of many conquered peoples in the eastern half of the empire were impressive.

Hastings, for the very simple fact that it shows that a varied troop selection with simple tactics can defeat an enemy camping on a hilltop.

Horns of Hattin - yet another example of the "locals" using the advantage of weather and almost scorched-earth like strategy to obtain a battle with the odds on their side from start. The enemy caught after a long march through hot desert with heavy armor, exhausted and unprepared for Saladin's skilled tactics.

Agincourt - just like with Cannae and Hannibal, this is the climax of a long series of battles where all where won by essentially the same principle. What makes Agincourt so interesting is that it was a situation with worse odds than in any of the previous battles, and still the English troops won.

Too bad I know too little about 1600 to 1900 and too little about Chinese and Japanese history... If I did, there would be more battles of the period in the list here...

Not really a single battle, but the British fighting in the first half of ww2 really is an exciting read. The naval battles, especially vs the legendary German battleships - Bismarck, Admiral Graf Spee and so on, then the campaign in Norway, the impressive Dunkirk evacuation, and then the battles in North Africa - a few divisions of "auxiliaries" and regulars cleverly redistributed to break the back of Italians with vastly superior numbers. The decision to send half the British tank reserve to North Africa while the threat of a German landing was imminent, and of course the air fighting over Britain and the channel.

Fall Gelb - probably the peak of German tactics in the war. While it was a mistake to not press harder at Dunkirk, who would have known better? Plus Monty did a great job coordinating the delaying rearguard actions, and particularly the French troops at Lille fought very well.

The reestablishment of the Soviet line after the brilliantly well-coordinated surprise element attacks that begun Operation Barbarossa. Although there were plenty of Soviet division that were encircled, those losses were understandable because of the surprise of the modern German tactics. But still morale was kept intact and already in the winter Zhukov could launch counter-attacks near Moscow. Maybe he could have achieved even more if Stalin hadn't redistributed the reinforcements evenly along the entire line instead of letting Zhukov continue his offensive to break and encircle the armored spearhead of the German Northern Army Group?

Kursk - largest tank battle ever! Too bad it's not become a movie or been depicted in a game aiming for total realism

The Vietcong in the Vietnam war, impressive action from a guerilla force against the most advanced army of the time.

Edit: I have to stop editing this post to add more battles! But I can hardly resist... So difficult to choose...

[English assassin]

The naval battles, especially vs the legendary German battleships - Bismarck, Admiral Graf Spee

I find these rather depressing. (well, Bismark and Tirpitz). Did you know the design of those two ships was so superior the admiralty issued an order Triptiz was not to be engaged by a fleet of less then two King George V class battleships and an aircraft carrier?

What we might have done with equal weaponry...still I suppose we didn't bottle it even so. The eternal lament of the british serviceman.

[KrooK]

There is some battles I really like
From polish history;

- Orsza when 20.000 Poles attacked and massacred 80.000 Russians hidden behind river.
- Obertyn - 6000 Poles massacred vs 35000 Moldavians
- Kłuszyn - 1610 - great epic battle when 6300 polish superb trained heavy cavarlymen, 200 infantrymen and 2 cannont crushed 35000 Russians, Swedens and Frenchies. Poles marched for all night in very bad terrain, fought during day and then marched to their previous position when forced to surrender another russian army ( 8.000)


And some from international history

-O'Connor's offensive in 1940
-Sedan battle
-Wiaźma 1941 - Germans teached Russians what means "surrounding"

[Beirut]

With the provision that favorite means most interesting to study. Not the most "fun".

Agincourt

Zama

T.E. Lawrence's campaign in Arabia

Vimy Ridge

The Somme & Pashendaele

[Ice]

Yorktown

I thought you were going to say this SFTS:

Appomattox Court House

=)

Lee’s army was now surrounded on three sides. Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

He secretly loves Grant and dispises Lee...

[Lord Winter]

Chancellorsville, just the tactics lees out numbered and out maneuvered force at the beginning wining. And the fact that almost every rule of tactics was broken there.

[Strike For The South]

He secretly loves Grant and dispises Lee...

I thought you were going to say this SFTS:

Appomattox Court House

=)

[Alexanderofmacedon]

Don't lie...

It'll make your boots get longer...

[Byzantine Prince]

I've become really rusty on my history as of late, but I think that:

Thermopylae - Just the amount of time they were in battle mode is extremely impressive, nevermind what happened.

Battle of Stalingrad - for being so damn brutal

Tyre - amazing in every respect

That is all I know for now. Need to read more history.

[Azi Tohak]

Mohi/Sajo/Mohi Heath whatever. I think that battle is fascinating. Battle of the Indus and the prior invasion of Kwarziam (or however you spell it) is also amazing. Scipio Africanus' counter offensive against Carthage is up there too.

More modern, I like a lot of the transitional battles from bows to guns. The Italian wars between the Spanish and French with Pavia etc were interesting.

Actually modern, Manstien's counterattack in the winter of '43 is amazing.

Azi

[King Kurt]

Interesting that a few people choose Agincourt, because I think Poiters and Crecy were more impressive. Also Waterloo - as i think the Peninsula battles were greater achievments - especially Salamanca.
The naval side of things raises some great material - The armada, anything with Nelson - but especially the Nile and Trafalgar - and the battle of the River Plate. And what about Teranto - about 20 british bi-planes smash the Italian fleet, causing it to redeploy north - and provide the blueprint for Pearl Harbour
I also admire some of the smaller individual acts within larger battles - jackson's flank march at Chancellorsville, the torpedo bombers attack at midway, the british swordfish attack on the Bismark, the british submarine penertrating the Bosphorus in WW1.
Once you start, it is difficult to stop!!

[matteus the inbred]

4th Kawanakajima for the almost outrageous losses and supreme tactical ability of both commanders.

i was just reading about that one, absolutely agree. there was even a brief fight between the two leaders, apparently!
Okehazama is one that's always interested me as well.

[Rodion Romanovich]

I find these rather depressing. (well, Bismark and Tirpitz). Did you know the design of those two ships was so superior the admiralty issued an order Triptiz was not to be engaged by a fleet of less then two King George V class battleships and an aircraft carrier?

What we might have done with equal weaponry...still I suppose we didn't bottle it even so. The eternal lament of the british serviceman.

I know they were considered well-made, but not that there was ever an order like that. Anyway, that's what made them so interesting to read about IMO - otherwise the British fleet would have gained naval superiority sooner. Of course it delayed the war so it made life worse for those who lived then , but that's pretty much the case for all these battles...

===

It looks like I'm missing out on a lot by not reading more about 1600 to 1900 and east Asian history...

[Beirut]

Interesting that a few people choose Agincourt, because I think Poiters and Crecy were more impressive.

Feel free to elaborate. I would enjoy to hear your thoughts on the matter.

[King Kurt]

Feel free to elaborate. I would enjoy to hear your thoughts on the matter.

I do think that Agincourt has benefited over the years from better PR - that Shakespere fellow has a lot to answer for - there is no doubt that it was a magnificent victory, but it had more to do with the crass stupidity of the french repeating the mistakes of Crecy and Poitiers - i.e. frontally charging the well supported longbowmen - and doing it across a muddy swamp. I suppose it was the strategic outcome of the 3 battles which I am judging the battles on. Crecy set the tone for the English dominance of the majority of the Hundred years war, poitiers lead to the financial ruin of france and the english dominance for the following years, whereas the outcome of Agincourt was inconsequential - admittingly in part due to henry 5 dying - so Agincourt feels like a swan song whereas the other 2 battles had significant lasting impacts.

[Goalie]

Another one of my favorite battles is the Battle of Alesia. Caeser and the Romans were vastly outnumbered against Vercengetorix and the gauls. Caeser and his bodyguard fought bravely and turned the tides and won the battle. It pretty much ended any organized resistance from the Gauls.

[Beirut]

I do think that Agincourt has benefited over the years from better PR - that Shakespere fellow has a lot to answer for - there is no doubt that it was a magnificent victory, but it had more to do with the crass stupidity of the french repeating the mistakes of Crecy and Poitiers - i.e. frontally charging the well supported longbowmen - and doing it across a muddy swamp. I suppose it was the strategic outcome of the 3 battles which I am judging the battles on. Crecy set the tone for the English dominance of the majority of the Hundred years war, poitiers lead to the financial ruin of france and the english dominance for the following years, whereas the outcome of Agincourt was inconsequential - admittingly in part due to henry 5 dying - so Agincourt feels like a swan song whereas the other 2 battles had significant lasting impacts.

Excellent. Good points. But do you base you "appreciation" of Crecy and Poitiers on the battles themselves or their consequences?

Mind you, you have inspired me to read up more on those two battles. A trip to the book store will soon be in order.

[Rodion Romanovich]

I do think that Agincourt has benefited over the years from better PR - that Shakespere fellow has a lot to answer for - there is no doubt that it was a magnificent victory, but it had more to do with the crass stupidity of the french repeating the mistakes of Crecy and Poitiers - i.e. frontally charging the well supported longbowmen - and doing it across a muddy swamp. I suppose it was the strategic outcome of the 3 battles which I am judging the battles on. Crecy set the tone for the English dominance of the majority of the Hundred years war, poitiers lead to the financial ruin of france and the english dominance for the following years, whereas the outcome of Agincourt was inconsequential - admittingly in part due to henry 5 dying - so Agincourt feels like a swan song whereas the other 2 battles had significant lasting impacts.

I second Beirut's comment - good points. But didn't the naval battle at Sluys in 1339 perhaps have an even more important role than Crecy? Wikipedia isn't 100% trustworthy and even wikipedia says casualty data from Sluys is probably exaggerated, but even so Sluys IMO appears to have had a greater impact than any of the land battles. Can anyone with better sources than unreliable sources reported through wikipedia comment on that?

[Orda Khan]

Kalka and Legnica but would probably choose Kalka as 1st choice. Jebe and Subedei, the 2 greatest generals ever in a tremendous display of tactical genius

.......Orda

[Afonso I of Portugal]

1 - Aljubarrota.
2 - Salado.
3 - Las Navas de Tolosa.
4 - Alarcos.
5 - Az-Zallaqah (Sagrajas)
6 - Ourique.
7 - Uclés.

[Marcellus]

Cannae - just brilliant.
Battle of Britain.