Underdogs? What are some wars or battles where they underdog won?

Question

Its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog wars or battles. When has a small country or a country with a small organized army whipped the big guys butt? Numerical ratio, technology, just plane mean? AND how bad did they beat them?

Answer 1

America wouldn't have become what it is today had it not won as an underdog against an empire.

the colonies won by fighting hard to protect there homes,... theres nothig more powerful than a man defending his home

And the rebels were an underdog against the empire in star wars and won by destroying not 1 but 2 death stars and using the force... (having han solo chebacca and a shitload of teddy bears helped to) :)

Spartucus was able to lead A group of gladiators in battle against Roman legions and won many battles, mainly based on the skillof his fighters and taking advantage of tactical mistakes by his enemies,.. ultimatly numbers would previal and he would lose,. but he put up a hell of a fight....

Rourkes Drift was a battle in which the British had about 200 men against 4000 Zulu warriors and won by setting up a solid perimeter with successive firing lines. They killed something like 2000 and only lost about 16 or so

thats just some stuff off the top of my head,... i know there are many others,.. if i think of any good ones,. ill add to this,..

Answer 2

Just a little perspective about the War of Northern Aggression.

The South never wanted to win. Their whole attitude was to show the Yankees that they were capable and willing to fight and the Yankees would leave them alone.

After the first Battle of Manassas the Yankee army was in a route. Had the Confederates continued the assault the war would have been over with before it really even started. The confederacy had numerous chances to finish off the Yankee Army yet they failed to sieze the initiative and bring the war to the North. Instead they let the North bring the war to them. Not a conducive way to wage war.

Viet Nam was another fiasco. How is it that the American Military never lost a battle yet still lost the war. The US Military was far superior to anything the Vietnamese could every have fielded, Technologically superior and yet the US still lost ?? Because of the civilian leadership and their silly rules of engagement. When you can not bring the fight to the enemy you are doomed to failure.

Answer 3

The underdog usually win some battles, but end up losing the war.
The Confederacy was made of up farmers and merchants. No money. Few arms.
But they won many battles being outnumbered, in the War of Northern Agression.
But the South could not win their freedom from the giant rich North which was exploiting them.

Answer 4

In one of the most famous battles in Asia, the Koreans, led by General Ulchi Mundok, defeated the Su Chinese army by faking a retreat and then breaking a dam. The floodwaters wiped out most of the invaders, and the remaining force was so fragmented it was easily slaughtered, a massacre so humiliating that some Chinese even lament about it today.

It is estimated that Ulchi had around 300,000 men and that Yandi (the Chinese Genreal) had around 1.1 million. The battle was a reaction to Ulchi's invasion into China in which his 310,000 strong Army faced a Chinese army of about 300,000 and just over 300,000 of Ulchi's troops returned, but only around 2700 Su Chinese troops lived.

Sounds like an underdog to me.

Answer 5

New Orleans was a prime example of underdog. Jackson's force was not even half of what the british had, his military were irregulars, pirates, farmers, and general militia. He had little naval support, and was facing off against the best troops in the world.

Answer 6

Dien Bien Phu is an example of a superior force being overwhelmed by a smaller force with better tactics.

The loss the vietnamese put ont he french was so bad, France pulled out of Vietnam altogether

Answer 7

How about the American Revolutionary War against the British, we were the underdogs and won, but we did have help though.

Answer 8

The ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite.

Answer 9

There are numerous historical examples of forces with numerical, technological, or other disadvantage triumphing over superior forces. Some off the top of my head: Battle of Marathon (490 BC) - Greek forces defeat a much larger Persian force and demonstrate that the Persians can be beaten in battle. Battle of Cannae (216 BC) - numerically superior Roman army annihilated by Carthaginians under command of Hannibal in one of the most devastatingly brilliant military victories in history. Battle of Watling Street (61 AD) - Roman forces numbering only around 10,000 annihilate an enormous Iceni/Trinovante (native Britons) force of over 80,000 by carefully choosing their battlefield and fighting with iron discipline. Battle of Courtrai (Golden Spurs-1302) - Although the forces were not dissimilar, one of the first examples of how disciplined infantry in a favorable defensive position can defeat mounted knights and men at arms, even going on the offensive against what was at the time a very rare occurrence (i.e. infantry defeating an organized cavalry charge) Battle of Bannockburn (1314) - similar to above, Scots infantry were able to defeat and rout English cavalry in one of Scotland's greatest victories. The Scots forces were outnumbered by a large margin. Battle of Crecy (1346) - another example of how disciplined infantry in a well chose defensive position can defeat cavalry and numerically superior infantry forces. One of the first battles which was largely won by longbow infantry. Battle of Agincourt (1415) - another resounding victory for the English tactical deployment of longbowmen, where they were severely outnumbered by French forces. Battle of Patay (1429) - One should not exclude this battle when demonstrating the superiority of the English longbowmen in the previous two battles, as here their drawback was highlighted when an inferior force of French knights annihilated them when they were caught without the typical tactical preparations the bowmen depended upon for victory. Vietnam War (1950s-1970s) - technologically inferior but very determined and resourceful communist forces able to defeat combined forces of South Vietnam and their allies after long and brutal struggle. Six Day War (1967) - Small nation of Israel, surrounded by enemies, able to defeat combined forces of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and many more by a pre-emptive attack. Afghan-Soviet War (1979-1989) - technologically inferior Mujahideen forces defeat primarily Soviet forces after long and bitter struggle. There are countless other examples that I missed, particularly in Asia and the Americas not to mention a huge span from the 16th-19th centuries, but you can certainly research this to come up with a very long list.

Answer 10

The Korean and Vietnamese wars.

America lost both