Top 10 Historic Victories Against All Odds

Throughout History many battles were fought in the name of Conquest. Many were flawless victories to those posing the biggest armies; the sheer number of soldiers would force surrender on the opposing side less they were willing to face being slaughtered. There are however, exceptions to this rule. The following is a list of battles proving that sometimes honor, courage and superior military tactics bring the little guy a much deserved victory. After all, everyone likes to cheer for the underdog.

Some in-laws just never get along. However, the family feud between Phillip II of Spain and his sister-in-law Elizabeth I of England changed history. Phillip was married to Elizabeth’s sister, Mary I of England. When Mary I died and Elizabeth rejected his marriage proposal Phillip took it hard, really hard. He tried and failed to aid Mary Queen of Scotts in her attempt to overthrow Elizabeth. Then in 1588, 131 Spanish ships sailed for England with over approximately 25,000 men. Phillip planned to defeat his sister-in-law once and for all.

The English navy had fewer ships and men, but the ships were smaller and more maneuverable. The English met them at Calais Harbor in France and sent in fireships, old ships set on fire and allowed to draft into the enemies fleet, which scattered the Spanish. Once they were scattered the English were able to sink many of them. The Spanish then regrouped and tried to sail for home but a gale drove them into the rocks off the coast of Ireland; destroying ships and drowning sailors. Elizabeth had won.

BBC - Battlefield Britain Spanish Armada Part 1/6

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In 333 BC, in what is now modern day Turkey, Alexander the Great proved that sometimes it really is brains over brawn. Alexander, with 30,000 to 40,000 men defeated Darius III and his Persian army of approximately 100,000. He used part of his forces as a decoy; their orders were to hold Darius’ army, not try to defeat, just hold. While Darius was occupied with what appeared an easy win. Alexander personally led the rest of his army to Darius’ left flank, which consisted of younger inexperienced solders. Alexander’s more experience men, though far fewer in number routed the younger Persian troops giving Alexander access to the center of the formation where Darius was. Darius realizing his danger fled and the Persian troops were thrown into chaos. Alexander won the day and his fame continued to grow.

Battle of Issus 1/5

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Remember that last battle scene at the end of the movie Braveheart; well it was real. Sometimes, defeat is not an option. The Battle of Bannockburn was fought in 1314. Robert the Bruce of Scotland met the army of Edward II of England when Edward came to the aid of the besieged Stirling Castle. Edward saw an opportunity to regain Scottish land and destroy their army. He had approximately 18,000-20,000 men, Bruce's had 6,000- 9,000. Bruce maneuvered Edward onto a carse, an area of bad terrain giving the English army nowhere to safely move. Confusion began to set in and Bruce seizing the opportunity rushed in with his smaller force. The Englishmen fell into disarray. Bruce's camp followers, thinking the English had already been defeated, grabbed banners and ran towards the battle. The English, seeing the group of civilians coming, thought it was reinforcements for Bruce and retreated. It was a decisive victory for Scotland and Robert the Bruce.

Money can't buy everything, a lesson Marcus Licinius Crassus found out the hard way.

Crassus was the wealthiest Roman citizen of his time and a member of the Roman Triumvirate. Having money, Crassus wanted fame and honor. He amassed a force to invade Parthia. Although he had no official right to do so, Crassus forged ahead, straight into the unmovable forces of a military leader named Surena. Surena outnumbered by 5 to 1 defended Parthia territory at a small town called Carrhae, This was the first battle between Rome and a Persian empire. Surena forces gave Rome one of the worst defeats of their history. As for Crassus, he was killed and his death sparked the civil war that followed between Pompey and Julius Caesar.

History Channel - Battle of Carrhae 1/3

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In 1565 the Ottoman Empire invaded Malta and clashed with the defending Knights Hospitaller. Up until that time, the Ottoman military was famed as an unstoppable force. This last great battle involving real life Knights in shining armor changed that perception.

Control of the Mediterranean and possibly the future of Christendom were at stake, when in May 1565 the Turkish fleet consisting of approximately 20,000 sailed to Malta. There were 550 knights waiting to defend the island plus other lesser trained men totalling approximately 8,000. The battle stretched on for months. The Turks decapitated captured knights, nailed them to crucifixes, and floated the bodies in the harbor. The Knights decapitated captured Turks and used their heads as cannon balls. This was not a shy group. By the end of September, the Turks had enough and retreated. The Knights claimed victory, and all Christendom sighed in relief.

Sometimes it’s all in how you look at it. During the Winter War the Soviet Union believed its’ massive Red Army would simply roll over Finland’s much smaller forces. One Russian commander boasted that the war would take all of two weeks. The Fins however, had a different idea.

The Soviet Union had approximately 700,000 men, the Fins had 350,000 men. But they were fighting to keep their country. Stalin’s purges had depleted the Red Army of its’ best and in many cases highest ranking commanders. The Fins used logs and crowbars to stop tanks. They came up with the Molotov cocktail, a bottle filled with flammable liquid using anything that would burn as a fuse and thrown at the target. The Fins used snow-camouflage to make their ski soldiers nearly invisibility in the snow. This allowed them to use guerrilla attacks against the Soviets. By 1940, the Soviets had enough and were ready to pull out. The Fins gave up 11% of their territory and 30% of their economic assets to the Soviet Union, but kept their country and their self-rule.

The Finnish movie "Talvisota" is about this war.

Scene of the Finnish Movie Talvisota

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The 2007 movie; The 300, is loosely based on fact. The Spartan leader Leonidas and most of his force died at the Battle of Thermopylae. King Xerxes of Persia gathered a huge force to invade Greece. Some ancient observers said it numbered in the millions; others estimated it at 80,000 and 290,000. Leonidas had aproximatelly 7,000 men. It was Aug. 480 BC when Leonidas set out to meet Xerxes at Thermopylae. Leonidas forces killed approximately 20,000 Persians and suffered a loss of 2,500 of their own men. A traitor showed the Persians a secret path that allowed them to get behind the Greeks. Leonidas then made his famous decision and sent the rest of the army away, keeping a force of approximately 1,900 including the 300 Spatans. They held the pass at Thermopylae until every one of Leonidas’ Spartans was dead. The 300 Spartans have become a symbol of valor.

The Historic Version

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There are battles that capture land or put Kings on thrones but very few battles can be said to have influenced the development of a civilization.

At the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC, 378 Greek ships called “triremes” met between 800 and 1200 Persia triremes. This battle was fought after the battle of Thermopylae, Xerxes should have learned by now that the Greeks were fearsome fighters. King Xerxes’ fleet sure of victory with their greater numbers sailed into the straits near Salamis island. He positioned his fleet to block and hold both sides of the straits, but bigger is not always better. There were so many Persian ships that they had no room to maneuver and lost any formation they may have had. This gave the Greeks a chance to attack and sink or capture approximately 200 Persian ships. Seeing his fleet falling apart Xerxes retreated. The Greeks were victorious, stopping any future attempts by the Persians to attack the Greek mainland.

Some historians believe this actually gave the Greeks a chance to develop their culture and from it Western civilization.

Ancient Greece 1/5

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Turkish Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, was a conqueror who wanted land and lots of it. Unfortunately for Hungary, part of the land the Sultan wanted was theirs. By 1552 when his army marched toward Eger, everyone thought his victory was a foregone conclusion; that is everyone except the Hungarians. The Fort at Eger was built on the ruins of an older fort, which meant the foundation was stronger than usual. The Ottoman army that arrived at Eger was a well-oiled machine of 80,000 soldiers plus another 70,000 support personnel including entertainers. Eger defenders numbered 2,000 including untrained peasants and women. The Hungarians withstood everything the Ottoman army threw at them.

On October 18, 1552, after sustaining heavy losses due to everything from mill wheels loaded with gunpowder being rolled into their troops to women pouring hot water on them as they tried to climb the fortress walls; the Ottomans left Eger. That gave the Hungarians a victory that is still talked about with national pride to this day. "Egri Csillagok" is a movie about this battle, it translates to "Stars of Eger".

Epic Hungarian Movie Egri Csillagok – Stars of Eger

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Never underestimate the home field advantage.

The Han Dynasty had ruled China for nearly four hundred years but by 208 AD it was falling apart. The Emperor had no real power and warlords ruled the country. One of the strongest was Cao Cao, his rivals were Liu Bei and Sun Quan . Cao Cao, controlled the north and planned to conquer the south. Their armies met at Red Cliffs. Cao Cao sailed his massive army of approximately 240,000 ( The movie “Red Cliff” about this battle shares Cao Cao’s version of 800,000 but this is considered an exaggeration) into the Yangtze River near Red Cliffs. His opponents had 50,000 men but they were on their home ground. Cao Cao’s army fell prey to the diseases the southerners were immune too. The northerners also battled sea sickness. The southern commander feigned surrender and sent fireships into Cao Cao’s fleet, destroying ships, sailors, and horses. In complete disarray, he tried to retreat but the southern rains had left nothing but mud where roads once were. Hundreds drowned in the mud or were trampled. The Southern armies pursued and won the battle. Cao Cao was contained, never again amassing as huge an army or posing as big a threat.

Red Cliff - Official Trailer

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