Outnumbered: Incredible Stories of History's Most Surprising Battlefield UpsetsFourteen dramatic stories of troops outnumbered but not outmatched—from Hannibal’s Carthaginians to the English at Agincourt to the Red Army in WWII. Even a commander as fearless, self-assured, and battle-hardened as Alexander the Great, leading 40,000 Macedonian troops, must have quailed at the sight that met him as he neared the village of Issus, Asia Minor, in 333 BCE: an unexpectedly and unimaginably vast Persian force of some 100,000 men, spanning the Mediterranean coastal plain as far as the eye could see. For warfare had already demonstrated, and has confirmed ever since, that numerical superiority consistently carries the day. And yet, every once in a while, such lopsided engagements have had an unexpected outcome, and proved to be a crucible in which great leaders, and history, are forged. Outnumbered chronicles fourteen momentous occasions on which a smaller, ostensibly weaker force prevailed in an epochal confrontation. Thus, Alexander, undaunted, devised a brilliant and daring plan that disoriented and destroyed the Persian force and, consequently, its empire. Likewise, during the US Civil War, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, despite being out-positioned and outnumbered more than two to one by Union forces at Chancellorsville, Virginia, hatched an audacious and surprise strategy that caught his enemy completely unawares. Other equally unexpected, era-defining victories are shown to have derived from the devastating deployment of unusual weaponry, sheer good fortune, or even the gullibility of an enemy, as when Yamashita Tomoyuki, commander of 35,000 ill-supplied Japanese troops, convinced the 85,000-strong British Commonwealth army to surrender Singapore in 1942. Together these accounts constitute an enthralling survey that captures the excitement and terrors of battle, while highlighting the unpredictable nature of warfare and the courage and ingenuity of inspired, and inspiring, military leaders who, even when the odds seemed insurmountable, found a path to glory. “There are similar titles about decisive battles and interesting campaigns, but none quite like this . . . an appealing choice for many military history enthusiasts.” —Library Journal Includes color illustrations and maps |
Contents
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Alexander the Great Leads a Martial Storm into Mighty Persia | 26 |
Hannibals Masterpiece Thrashes Rome and Creates a Legend | 44 |
Roman Arms Become Trapped Between the Scorching Sun and the Wrath of Parthia | 64 |
Caesar Shows His Enemies the Meaning of Roman Tenacity | 82 |
Byzantiums Finest Take on the Germanic Corsairs of North Africa | 98 |
French Chivalry Endures the Flight of the Bodkins on St Crispins Day | 114 |
Frances Iron Marshal Avenges the Disaster of Rossbach | 174 |
Hooker Came He Saw He Got Conquered | 190 |
Modern Arms and Raw Nerve Achieve the Incredible | 212 |
Russia Is Impaled on the Spike of the Pickelhaube | 230 |
A Brilliant Japanese Gambit Steals the Gibraltar of the East | 248 |
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About the Author | 266 |
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A Kings Coming of Age Meets Swedens Finest Hour | 134 |
Frederick the Great Steals Victory from the Jaws of Defeat | 152 |
Other editions - View all
Outnumbered: Incredible Stories of History's Most Surprising Battlefield Upsets Cormac O'Brien No preview available - 2013 |
Outnumbered: Incredible Stories of History's Most Surprising Battlefield Upsets Cormac O'Brien No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
advance Alesia Alexander Alexander’s allies archers armored army’s artillery assault attack Austrian battle battlefield began Belisarius Belisarius’s Bridgeman Art Library British Caesar camp campaign Cannae Carthage Carthaginian cataphracts cavalry Chancellorsville Chard Charles clash command Companion cavalry Corps Crassus Darius Darius’s Davout day’s defeat defense division east East Prussia Eighth Army empire enemy English fight fire flank force fought Frederick French front Gallic Gaul Gelimer German Greek guard guns Hannibal Hannibal’s Harfleur Hassenhausen Henry’s Hindenburg Hooker hoplites horsemen II Corps infantry Isandlwana Jackson Japanese Justinian king king’s Lee’s legions Leuthen Macedonian Malaya miles military Napoleon Narva numbers o’clock oblique order officers outnumbered Parthian Persian phalanx prepared Prince proved Punic ranks river Roman Rome Rome’s Rorke’s Drift Russian shields Singapore soldiers soon Strait Surenas Swedish tactics Themistocles triremes troops Vandal Vercingetorix victory wall warriors weapons wing wounded Xerxes Zulu