Hue, Vietnam (1968 AD) The Battle of Hue was one of the centerpiece engagement of the Tet Offensive and one of the largest and most important battles of the Vietnam War. Part of an all-out surprise attack across South Vietnam, the effort to dislodge the American forces from their critical base at Hue nearly succeeded, but in the end the city was defended at terrible cost to … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF ASAL UTTAR (ASAL UTTAR BATTLEFIELD)
Khemkaran, India (1965 AD) The Battle of Asal Uttar was arguably the most important and one of the most decisive battles in the various post-independence wars between India and Pakistan. It was also one of the largest tank battles to be fought in Asia following the Korean conflict. The battle ended a Pakistani invasion of India and roughly settled the border that has existed … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF THE BAY OF PIGS (BAY OF PIGS BATTLEFIELD)
Giron, Cuba (1961 AD) The Battle of the Bay of Pigs, better known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, was an abortive attempt on the part of the United States to replace the Communist government of Cuba. It was also one of America’s greatest military blunders, and a disastrous event for the anti-communist powers during the Cold War. Carried out by a small band of Cuban … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF JADOTVILLE (JADOTVILLE BATTLEFIELD)
Likasi, East Congo (1961 AD) The Battle of Jadotville was, depending on how you look at it, one of the last battles of the Colonial era in Sub-Saharan Africa, or one of the first and most disastrous United Nations peace keeping missions in the area. Fought in the southeastern province of Katanga, one of the most isolated regions on the continent, it represented a briefly … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF DIEN BIEN PHU (DIEN BIEN PHU BATTLEFIELD)
Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam (1954 AD) The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the penultimate engagement of the Indochina War in which Vietnam, and ultimately Laos and Cambodia, gained their independence from the Frence. One of the largest post-colonial battles anywhere in the world, it ranks with the Battle of Vertieres in Haiti in terms of a disastrous loss of a former colony for … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF INCHON (INCHON BATTLEFIELD)
Incheon, South Korea (1950 AD) The Battle of Inchon was one of the major turning points of the Korean War, and arguably the greatest military victory ever organized under the auspices of the United Nations. It is also the largest amphibious assault undertaken since the end of World War II, and one of the biggest American propaganda coups of the Cold War. The Battle of Inchon … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF HUAIHAI (HUAIHAI BATTLEFIELD)
Xuzhou, China (1948 AD) The Battle of Huaihai was one of the three great Communist victories of the Chinese Civil War. Following directly after the Liaoshen Campaign in Manchuria and fought simultaneously with the Pingjin Campaign north of Beijing, Huaihai witnessed the almost total annihilation of the main Nationalist army. By the outcome of the battle, the fall of Chiang … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF IWO JIMA (IWO JIMA BATTLEFIELD)
Iwo Jima, Japan (1945 AD) The Battle of Iwo Jima was one of the few engagements of World War II, along with the subsequent Battle of Okinawa, which took place on Japanese soil. Although the smaller of the battles, Iwo Jima became the more famous of the two thanks to the enduring legacy of the famous film footage of American marines raising the United States flag over Mount … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF THE BULGE (THE BULGE BATTLEFIELD)
Bastogne, Belgium (1944 AD) The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive of World War II and the last major battle to have been fought in Western Europe ever since. Personally organized by Adolph Hitler, the Battle of the Bulge was a last desperate gamble to dislodge the American and British armies approaching the Rhineland and regain the initiative along the … [Read more...]
BATTLE OF NORMANDY (NORMANDY BATTLEFIELD)
Bayeux, France (1944 AD) The Battle of Normandy was the beginning of the Allies’ counter-offensive in Western Europe and the largest seaborne invasion landing in history. While the campaign lasted for more than month, the definitive day of the battle, June 6, is the one that is best remembered and for which the term D-Day is best associated. Thousands of ships and planes … [Read more...]
