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On October 1, 331 BC, Alexander the Great defeated Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. An excerpt from the article:
"Battle of Gaugamel
The Battle of Gaugamela (1st October 331 BCE, also known as the Battle of Arbela) was the final meeting between Alexander the Great of Macedon and King Darius III of Persia. After this victory, Alexander was, without question, the King of all Asia. Gaugamela (means "The Camel's House") was a village on the banks of the river Bumodus. The site of the battle is thought to be Tel Gomel (Hebrew - "Camels Mount") in northern Iraq.
Alexander's Campaign
Following the assassination of Phillip II, his father, in 336 BCE, Alexander and his army left their home of Macedonia for the last time and set out on a goal of conquering all of Persia. After crossing the Hellespont, Alexander traveled northward where he met and defeated the Persians under the leadership of the Greek mercenary Memnon at the Battle of River Granicus. As in future meetings with Alexander, Darius and his generals continually underestimated the abilities of the young Alexander. He was considered by many, even those in Greece, to be nothing more than an upstart.
Darius offered Alexander half of his kingdom; however, Alexander rejected the offer by simply saying there could never be two suns.
From the River Granicus Alexander moved southward along the coast of Asia Minor to Halicarnassus where he defeated Memnon for the second time. Finally, after waiting for over a year, Alexander and his forces met Darius at Issus in November of 333 BCE where, again, the Persians suffered defeat. Even more embarrassing for Darius was that Alexander captured his family - his mother, wife, and daughters. Wishing to avoid further conflict (and hoping to regain his family), Darius offered Alexander half of his kingdom and even his daughter's hand in marriage; however, Alexander rejected the offer by simply saying there could never be two suns - it would upset the world order. Alexander also challenged the Persian king to face him again in battle.
"Battle of Gaugamel
The Battle of Gaugamela (1st October 331 BCE, also known as the Battle of Arbela) was the final meeting between Alexander the Great of Macedon and King Darius III of Persia. After this victory, Alexander was, without question, the King of all Asia. Gaugamela (means "The Camel's House") was a village on the banks of the river Bumodus. The site of the battle is thought to be Tel Gomel (Hebrew - "Camels Mount") in northern Iraq.
Alexander's Campaign
Following the assassination of Phillip II, his father, in 336 BCE, Alexander and his army left their home of Macedonia for the last time and set out on a goal of conquering all of Persia. After crossing the Hellespont, Alexander traveled northward where he met and defeated the Persians under the leadership of the Greek mercenary Memnon at the Battle of River Granicus. As in future meetings with Alexander, Darius and his generals continually underestimated the abilities of the young Alexander. He was considered by many, even those in Greece, to be nothing more than an upstart.
Darius offered Alexander half of his kingdom; however, Alexander rejected the offer by simply saying there could never be two suns.
From the River Granicus Alexander moved southward along the coast of Asia Minor to Halicarnassus where he defeated Memnon for the second time. Finally, after waiting for over a year, Alexander and his forces met Darius at Issus in November of 333 BCE where, again, the Persians suffered defeat. Even more embarrassing for Darius was that Alexander captured his family - his mother, wife, and daughters. Wishing to avoid further conflict (and hoping to regain his family), Darius offered Alexander half of his kingdom and even his daughter's hand in marriage; however, Alexander rejected the offer by simply saying there could never be two suns - it would upset the world order. Alexander also challenged the Persian king to face him again in battle.
Battle of Gaugamela
Posted from worldhistory.org
Ancient History
World History
Military History
Warfare
Combat
Posted >1 y ago
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Great commanders understand their and the enemy army's capabilities. They are like puppet masters. They control the battlefield and will checkmate the enemy army.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
Obviously I was remiss for not editing before posting. My bad. Hannibal was a great commander. At the Battle of Cannae (sp) his army of 50,000 completely surrounded 80,000 Roman soldiers. The Romans were pushed into a tight circle and the congestion degraded their ability to use their short swords effectively. They had to fight a 360 battle which is contrary to their tactic of fighting frontally in mass formations.
Hannibal accomplished to execute his battle plan by hiding a reserve infantry force which would seal both flanks. His cavalry was twice the size of the Roman one, and used his cavalry to seal the rear. It was an epic slaughter. I read, and I am assuming this occurred after the outcome of the battle was decided, some Roman soldiers tried to commit suicide do to the barbarity of the situation. Hannibal’s soldiers cut the hamstrings of their enemy to prevent their escape. I will assume again. The Roman soldiers were kept alive to face more brutality. Not many Romans survived the battle.
Hannibal accomplished to execute his battle plan by hiding a reserve infantry force which would seal both flanks. His cavalry was twice the size of the Roman one, and used his cavalry to seal the rear. It was an epic slaughter. I read, and I am assuming this occurred after the outcome of the battle was decided, some Roman soldiers tried to commit suicide do to the barbarity of the situation. Hannibal’s soldiers cut the hamstrings of their enemy to prevent their escape. I will assume again. The Roman soldiers were kept alive to face more brutality. Not many Romans survived the battle.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
Patton was a military genius as well. One week after taking command of US forces in the N Africa he defeated a German armor unit with 50 tanks in Tunisia without using a single tank. He used a minefield to slow down the German tanks and hit them from the left and right flanks with tank destroyers. Thus delivering the first US victory in N Africa.
Trump is a military genius too. He wanted to trade what he called dirty and poor Puerto Ricans for Greenlanders.
Trump is a military genius too. He wanted to trade what he called dirty and poor Puerto Ricans for Greenlanders.
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