If you could go back in time and observe one battle?

Question

( you can not change the outcome or participate, merely observe) ( battle not a war, you can't observe ww2 for example )

Answer 1

Nycrat,
great question. For me it would be a toss up between:

a) Battle of Peleliu (09/15/44 - 11/25/44) with the 1st Marine Division and U.S. Army's 81st Infantry Division. The famed Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller spread his lines too thin while battling the Japanese Imperial Army. This battle costed a total of 12,000 lives (total to both American and Japanese forces) and was in the view of some "unnecessary". The controversy begins when FDR travels to Pearl Harbor and listens to Gen. MacArthur and Adm. Nimitz both present opposing strategies to FDR on the direction of the South Pacific Campaign(s). MacArthur's presentation wins out. I would merely like to see and judge for myself on how thin "Chesty's" lines were. Additionally, 8 U.S. Marines received the Congressional Medal of Honor, 5 were presented posthumously.

b) The Battle for the Korean Punchbowl in September of 1951 (the 10th, 11th, and 12th specifically). A 2nd Lt. George Ramer would receive the Medal of Honor posthumously, I would lose a cousin during this battle - currently buried at Arlington National Cemetary (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Platoon of "Item" Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines). The battle was not anticipated and the area was considered to be within the confines of a general "safe" region. Unknown at the time is that Stalin had authorized "more" advisors to be sent to support the Chinese.

Great question...star is coming

Gerry

Answer 2

Probably Crecy, Agincourt, or Rourke's Drift.

I always have been fascinated by the battles that should have gone one way and went the other. All three of those were huge upsets.

Crecy - 50K French and mercenaries against 20K English. English killed more than they had and lost only a few hundred.

Agincourt - 3K French (mixed infantry and mounted knights) against 200 English infantry. The French were nearly wiped out.

Rourke's Drift - 120 British troops against 4000 Zulu warriors. Just one day after 1,800 heavily armed British troops were massacred by 10K Zulus. The 120 (mostly engineers) held their fortification and killed over 1K Zulus before the Zulus gave up.

Answer 3

The heralds were not international - each side had their own (though you may be sure that the heralds of each side compared notes with each other as necessary). The job of the herald was to convey challenges etc before the battle and to identify casualties (well, high-ranking casualties, anyway) afterwards. They were not referees in any sense - it was usually pretty obvious at the end of the day who'd won and who'd lost. As for names of battles - these have sorted themselves out over the centuries without too much outside help. Usually the winner chooses.

Answer 4

the battle for New Orleans in the war of 1812
cause I like this song

Battle Of New Orleans
In 1814 we took a little trip, Along with Colonel. Jackson
down the mighty Mississip. We took a little bacon, and
we took a little beans. And we fought the bloody British near
the town of New Orleans.

Chorus I: We fired our guns and the British kept a comin'
There wasn't quite as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began a runnin
on down the Misissippi to the Gulf of Mexico

Answer 5

i would be with the ALEXENDAR THE GREAT
when Alexander's army crossed the Cilician Gates, met and defeated the main Persian army under the command of Darius III at the Battle of Issus in 333 BC. Darius was forced to leave the battle and left behind his wife, his two daughters, his mother Sisygambis, and much of his personal treasure. Later afterwards he offered a peace treaty to Alexander of 10,000 talents of ransom for his family, and a great deal of territory. Alexander replied that since he was now king of Persia, it was he alone who decided who got what territory. Proceeding down the Mediterranean coast, he took Tyre and Gaza after famous sieges (see Siege of Tyre).

Answer 6

The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Although I would have a job stopping myself from telling Nelson to take his uniform and medals off before he got shot. Note that we British are interested in watching battles where we whipped our old enemy, the French. Also RORKE'S Drift is spelt like this.

Answer 7

since this a fantasy question, I'll give you a fantasy answer...instead of going back in time, i'd go to the future, and observe the battle over planet earth. Good Luck!

Answer 8

Little Bighorn
The Alamo
Sable-Surthe Farm
Gettysburg

Answer 9

Little Big Horn. It would be great to have a modern observer watch the leadership of the Sioux and allies. And film it all, of course. What an epic!

Next, I would watch Thermopylae and the standoff of the Spartans.

Answer 10

Dien bien phu, Khe Sahn, Stalingrad, Themopylae