Where the course of history has been decided on the battlefield. These are the battles that made us -- a detailed, entertaining, and tangent-free program about ...
The Siege of Basra, 1982-87. Chemical Warfare. Nerve Gas. A Million Casualties.
The fighting around Basra was the bloodiest of the Iran-Iraq War, grinding through thousands of lives as both sides hurled everything they had into the struggle. It was here that Iraq unleashed chemical weapons on a massive scale, forcing the world to take notice... not out of moral outrage, but out of the cold realization that modern warfare had crossed another line.Basra. July 13, 1982 - February 27, 1987.Iraqi Forces: ~ 285,000 Soldiers.Iranian Forces: Unknown, but Hundreds of Thousands.Additional Reading and Episode Research:Wagner, A.R. The Lessons of Modern War.Yengst, William. The Iran-Iraq War: The Siege of Basra.Support the showSocial Media:www.HistorysGreatestBattles.comYoutube | TikTok Support The Show:https://covertwars.com
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The Siege of Badajoz, 1812. Total Carnage, Absolute Gore. Napoleon's Spanish Divisions Decimated by Wellington.
When the guns fell silent and the blood-soaked ruins of Badahose lay under British control, the last obstacle between Wellington and Spain was gone. The fortress had been the key, the final lock on the door that led into Napoleon’s empire. Now, the British held that key, and there would be no turning back. The invasion of Spain had begun: not as a probing raid, not as a cautious advance, but as a declaration of war against the French occupation itself. The road to Madrid lay open, and with it, the future of the entire Peninsular War.Badajoz. March 17 - April 6, 1812.British Forces: 51,000 Infantry, 52 Siege Guns.French Forces: 4,700 Infantry, 140 Guns.Additional Reading and Episode Research:Lawrence, James. The Iron Duke.Myatt, Frederick. British Sieges of the Peninsular War.Glover, Michael. Wellington's Peninsular Victories.Support the showSocial Media:www.HistorysGreatestBattles.comYoutube | TikTok Support The Show:https://covertwars.com
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The Siege of Gibraltar, 1779- 1783. The Longest Siege in British History. Key to WWII Centuries Later.
The last great effort to reclaim Gibraltar ended in defeat, sealing Britain’s hold over the gateway to the Mediterranean. The Rock remained under the Union Jack, and with it, Britain maintained the power to dictate the movement of fleets, the flow of commerce, and the balance of influence in one of the world’s most contested waterways. Every empire that challenged British naval supremacy in the centuries that followed would have to contend with the fact that this fortress, at the crossroads of Europe and Africa, was still in British hands... and with it, command over the sea that shaped the course of history.Gibraltar. July 11, 1779 - February 2, 1783.British Forces: 5,380 Soldiers and Five Ships.Spanish Forces: 21,000 Soldiers and 19 Ships.Additional Reading and Episode Research:McGuffie, T.H. The Siege of Gibraltar, 1779-1783.Russel, Jack. Gibraltar Besieged, 1779 - 1783.Bradford, Ernle. Gibraltar: The History of a Fortress.Support the showSocial Media:www.HistorysGreatestBattles.comYoutube | TikTok Support The Show:https://covertwars.com
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The Siege of Carthage, 146 BC. Rome Annihilates an Entire Civilization. A General Shames Himself Before his Wife.
Carthage... was annihilated. Its streets, once filled with merchants and soldiers, became killing grounds. Its walls, once impenetrable, were torn apart stone by stone. Its people, once masters of the sea, were either slaughtered in the ruins of their homes or marched away in chains. The war was over, but this was not a victory. It was an execution. The city that had defied Rome for over a century no longer existed, and with it, an entire civilization was erased. There would be no rebuilding, no resurgence, no legacy beyond the scorched earth where it once stood.Carthage. 149 B.C. - 146 B.C. Roman Forces: 80,000 Infantry, 4,000 Cavalry.Carthaginian Forces: City Forces: Unknown; Field Forces: ~25,000 - 30,000 Infantry.Additional Reading and Episode Research:Dudley, D.R. Rome Against Carthage.Collon Translation: Picard, Gilbert. The Life and Death of Carthage.Abbott, Jacob. History of Hannibal of Carthage.Other Pertinent Episodes:The Battle of Zama.The Battle of Metaurus River.Support the showSocial Media:www.HistorysGreatestBattles.comYoutube | TikTok Support The Show:https://covertwars.com
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The Siege of Vicksburg, 1863. The Death Knell Moment of the Rebellion. The South Reduced to Eating Rats.
With the fall of Vicksburg, the Union seized the entire length of the Mississippi River, cleaving the Confederacy in half. The South’s western states... Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas... were now isolated, their soldiers and resources cut off from the Eastern war effort. What had once been a united rebellion was now a fractured resistance, fighting a war it could no longer sustain.Vicksburg. May 19 - July 4, 1863.Union Forces: 75,000 Soldiers.Confederate Forces: 30,000 Soldiers.Additional Reading and Episode Research:Foote, Shelby. The Civil War, A Narrative.McPherson, James. Battle Cry of Freedom.Newman, Ralph. The Civil War: An American Iliad.Donald, David. The Civil War and Reconstruction.Other Episodes on the Civil War:The Battle of Gettysburg.The Siege of Fort Fisher. The Battle of Antietam.Support the showSocial Media:www.HistorysGreatestBattles.comYoutube | TikTok Support The Show:https://covertwars.com
Where the course of history has been decided on the battlefield. These are the battles that made us -- a detailed, entertaining, and tangent-free program about history's greatest battles. In this podcast we journey through the constancy of human conflict, where the fates of nations and the course of global history have been decided on the battlefield. This podcast delves into our world-history's most significant and seminal battles, exploring not just the events themselves but their profound impact on the world we live in today. Each episode is meticulously crafted by ardent and dedicated history fans with a passion for military history and an appreciation for the art of storytelling. Join us as we unravel the strategies, heroics, and consequences that have shaped civilizations and forged the destiny of entire continents.