100 Decisive Battles: From Ancient Times to the Present - Softcover

Davis, Paul K.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195143663 ISBN 13: 9780195143669

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2001

Synopsis

From the ancient Egyptian battle at Megiddo in 1469 BC to the recent military actions in Iraq, great battles have had an enormous impact on the shaping of history. Now, in this fully illustrated book, one hundred of the world's most important military confrontations are described in detail. 100 Decisive Battles gives us the facts about the battle and also explains where it fits in to the scope of world history.

In each entry we are given the name and date of the battle, the commanders, the size of the opposing forces, and casualties. An account of the battle plan and the military action are strategically discussed, and each description closes with a valuable consideration of how history was affected by the outcome of the conflict. Among the battles presented are the Battle of Thymbra (546 BC), the Battle of Chalons (451 AD), the Battle of Cajamarca (1532), the Battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954), and the Tet Offensive (1968). Accompanying maps and sidebars help further orient us with each military action.

Global in scope, with excellent coverage of American, Central American, European, Asian, and Middle Eastern battles, and with its stirring accounts of familiar battles and many lesser known military conflicts, 100 Decisive Battles is essential reading for military buffs and anyone interested in how the modern world came to be.

About this title

Review:

Sometimes a battle, such as the one that raged along France's Marne River in 1918, involves hundreds of thousands of soldiers and costs many lives. Sometimes, as in the case of Tippecanoe, a battle involves only a few hundred fighters. Great or small, as historian Paul Davis notes, history has turned on clashes such as these.

In this well-researched compendium, Davis examines battles that have had far-reaching historical consequences. The first entry covers the Battle of Megiddo, which delivered unto the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III an uneasy dominion over Palestine and broadened his empire into Asia; the final entry, set not far from the first, describes the Allied victory over Iraq in Desert Storm, which "denied control of a large portion of the Middle East oil reserves to dictator Saddam Hussein and showed the ability of a multinational coalition to succeed in the post-Cold War world, perhaps setting an example of future international military action." In between Davis considers similarly fateful but often forgotten contests, such as the Battle of Chalons, when another coalition--this one of Visigoths, Romans, and Gallic and Germanic tribes--turned back the huge Mongol army of Attila in A.D. 451, and the Battle of Shanhaikuan, when, in the spring of 1644, China's Ming dynasty fell to Manchu invaders. Davis sometimes prefers sweeping themes to mundane realities (the fact, for instance, that the Battle of Adrianople turned on the recent invention of the stirrup), and his compendium tends heavily toward Europe at the expense of other parts of the world. The illustrations are also of uneven quality and usefulness.

Still, readers with an interest in military history will find this to be a handy reference and overview, and they'll enjoy second-guessing the author, nominating battles that didn't make his hundred while learning from the obscure, but nonetheless critical, ones that he does address. --Gregory McNamee

From the Inside Flap:

A handy reference work that spotlights 100 of the world's most important military confrontations, from 1469 B.C. to A.D. 1991, offering the following information on each:

The historical context of the conflict, the countries involved, and their goals

A description of the battle plan, the action, and the winner

Name and date of the battle, the commanders, the size of their forces, and their casualties

How history was affected by the outcome of the battle The battles were chosen because they brought about important political or social changes or had the potential to do so, or marked a major turning point in warfare. A sampling of the conflicts:

546 B.C.—Thymbra. Cyrus's defeat of Lydians leads to the creation of the Persian Empire.

A.D. 451—Châlons. Attila's defeat marks the end of Hun power.

1099—Jerusalem. Crusader victory brings European rule to the Holy Land.

1276—Hangchow. Establishes Mongol Yuan Dynasty in China.

1346—Crécy. Ends dominance of cavalry in land warfare.

1532—Cajamarca. Defeat of the Incas solidifies Spanish power in Central America.

1847—Mexico City. Establishes U.S. dominance in North America.

1940—Battle of Britain. Saves England from German invasion.

1954—Dien Bien Phu. Ends French colonial presence in Southeast Asia.

1968—Tet Offensive. Turning point in U.S. effort in Vietnam.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0195143663
• ISBN 13: 9780195143669
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 480