A military disaster is when one side in a battle or war is unexpectedly and soundly defeated, and often changes the course of history. A battle where two forces meet and one side loses without making a major mistake is not a military disaster, that is simply warfare. Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... For other uses of War, see War (disambiguation). ...

A military disaster can range from a strong army losing a major battle against a clearly inferior force, to an army being surprised and decimated by a clearly superior force, to a seemingly evenly matched conflict with an extremely one sided result. A military disaster could be due to bad planning, bad execution, bad weather, general lack of skill or ability, the failure of a new piece of military technology, a major blunder, a brilliant move on the part of the enemy, or simply the unexpected presence of an overwhelming enemy force. Look up Blunder in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Ancient era

• The Athenian expedition to Syracuse in 415 BC.
• The Battle of Salamis in 480 BC where a huge Persian fleet is defeated by a united Greek force.
• The Battle of Cannae in 216 BC, where Hannibal destroyed the sixteen Roman and Allied legions, led by Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro. In all, perhaps more than 80% of the entire Roman army was dead or captured (including Paullus himself).
• The Battle of Teutoburg Forest, where German warriors destroyed three Roman legions
• The Battle of Adrianople, in which the emperor Valens was killed while Gothic heavy cavalry ambushed and decimated his Roman heavy infantry.
• The Battle of Guan Du, which the more powerful Yuan Shao army failed to guard its supplies, and was defeated soundly by Cao Cao.

The Sicilian Expedition was an Athenian expedition to Sicily from 415 BC to 413 BC, during the Peloponnesian War. ... Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 460s BC 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC - 410s BC - 400s BC 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC Years: 420 BC 419 BC 418 BC 417 BC 416 BC - 415 BC - 414 BC 413 BC... Combatants Greek city-states Persia Halicarnassus Commanders Eurybiades of Sparta Themistocles of Athens Adeimantus of Corinth Aristides of Athens Xerxes I of Persia Ariamenes † Artemisia Strength 366-380 ships 1 1000 - 1207 ships [1]2 Casualties 40 ships 200 ships 1 Herodotus gives 378 of the alliance, but the numbers... Events King Xerxes I of Persia sets out to conquer Greece. ... For other uses of this term see: Persia (disambiguation) The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... For the 11th-century battle in the Byzantine conquest of the Mezzogiorno, see Battle of Cannae (1018). ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC - 210s BC - 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC Years: 221 BC 220 BC 219 BC 218 BC 217 BC - 216 BC - 215 BC 214 BC... Hannibal, the son of Hamilcar Barca, (247 BC – c. ... Lucius Aemilius Paullus (d. ... Gaius Terentius Varro was a Roman consul and commander. ... Battle of the Teutoburg Forest Conflict Roman-Germanic wars Date 9 Place Teutoburg Forest Result German victory In the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (AD 9) an alliance of Germanic tribes led by Arminius (also known in German as Hermann), the son of Segimerus of the Cherusci, ambushed and wiped... Motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent, c. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Combatants Eastern Roman Empire Goths Commanders Valens† Fritigern, Alatheus, Saphrax Strength 15,000 to 30,000 ca. ... An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. ... Solidus minted by Valens in 376. ... Invasion of the Goths: a late 19th century painting by O. Fritsche, is a highly romanticized portrait of the Goths as cavalrymen. ... Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat are commonly known as cavalry (from French cavalerie). ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... The Battle of Guandu (官渡之戰) was a battle in Chinese history. ... Yuan Shao (? – 202) was a major warlord occupying the north of ancient China during the massive civil war towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era. ... For other uses, see Cao Cao (disambiguation). ...

Medieval era

• The Battle of Yarmuk in 636. The Monophysite Ghassanid contingents in the Byzantine army, brutally persecuted by the Orthodox authorities, defected en masse to the Muslim side thus guaranteeing a Muslim victory.
• The Battle of Hattin in 1187, where overconfident Crusader forces from Jerusalem became trapped in a waterless desert area, and thus became easy prey for the Saracen forces of Salah-ud-din (Saladin)
• The Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. English Earl John de Warenne's well-equipped army were trapped on a narrow bridge by William Wallace's 15,000 unarmored, lightly-armed Scots, bearing long pointed stakes. The bridge had been chosen as the point of engagement by Warenne, even though the river could easily have been forded just a few miles upstream.
• The Battle of Agincourt in 1415 - A large force of French knights could not operate effectively in muddy conditions, and were therefore mown down by English longbowmen.

Combatants Byzantine Empire Muslim Arabs Commanders Theodore the Sacellarius Baänes Khalid ibn Walid Strength About 200,000 About 24,000 Casualties Very Heavy,About 50,000 Unknown,Relativly low The Battle of Yarmuk (also spelled Yarmuq or Hieromyax) took place between the Muslim Arabs and the Byzantine Empire in... Events April 20 - Battle of Yarmuk - Byzantine Empire loses Syria to the Arabs The Arabs invade Persia Rothari marries queen Gundeparga, becomes king of the Lombards city of Basra Iraq founded by caliph Omar on a canal. ... Monophysitism (from the Greek monos meaning one and physis meaning nature) is the christological position that Christ has only one nature, as opposed to the Chalcedonian position which holds that Christ has two natures, one divine and one human. ... The Ghassanids were Arab Christians that emigrated in 250 CE from Yemen to the Hauran, in southern Syria. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Combatants Ayyubids Kingdom of Jerusalem Commanders Saladin Guy of Lusignan Raymond III of Tripoli Strength Est. ... // Events May 1 - Battle of Cresson - Saladin defeats the crusaders July 4 - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin. ... The Crusader states, c. ... Official language Latin, French, Italian, and other western languages; Greek and Arabic also widely spoken Capital Jerusalem, later Acre Constitution Various laws, so-called Assizes of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 by the First Crusade. ... In older Western historical literature, the Saracens were the people of the Saracen Empire, another name for the Arab Caliphate under the rule of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. ... Artistic representation of Saladin. ... Combatants Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of England Commanders Andrew Moray William Wallace Surrey Cressingham† Strength 7,000 infantry and 150 cavalry 18,000[] infantry and 750 cavalry Casualties  ? Over 7,000 killed The Battle of Stirling Bridge was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence. ... Events 8 January - Monaco gains independence. ... John de Warenne (1231? – September 27, 1304), 7th Earl of Surrey or Warenne, was prominent during the reigns of Henry III and Edward I. During his long life he fought in the Barons War and in Edward Is wars in Scotland. ... For other persons named William Wallace, see William Wallace (disambiguation). ... “Scot” redirects here. ... Combatants Kingdom of England Kingdom of France Commanders Henry V of England Charles dAlbret Strength About 6,000 (but see Modern re-assessment). 4/5 longbowmen, 1/5 dismounted men-at-arms. ... Events Friedrich I Hohenzollern (b. ...

16th century

• The Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The Holy League's fleet defeated the Ottoman fleet in the largest naval battle of human history. The Ottomans lost 240 ships (out of about 300), while the Europeans lost 12 of their 210 ships.

• The Spanish Armada in 1588. An English fleet sends fire ships into the Spanish invasion fleet destroying some and scattering the rest effectively ending the invasion threat.

• The Battle of the Yellow Ford in 1598. An English force of 4000 is ambushed by Irish defenders under Hugh O'Neill and defeated.This temporarily put Ireland out of English control allows the rebellion to spread throughout Ireland. Nine Years War (Ireland)

// Combatants Holy League: Republic of Venice Spain Papal States Republic of Genoa Duchy of Savoy Knights of Malta Ottoman Empire Commanders Don John of Austria Ali Pasha † Strength 206 galleys, 6 galleasses 230 galleys, 56 galliots Casualties 9,000 dead or wounded, 12 galleys lost 30,000 dead or wounded... Events January 11 - Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. ... The Holy League was formed between several Catholic maritime states in the Mediterranean in 1571 in attempt to break Ottoman Turks control of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... The French battleship Orient burns, 1 August 1798, during the Battle of the Nile A naval battle is a battle fought using ships or other waterborne vessels. ... For the navy of Spain, see Spanish Navy. ... 1588 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... Battle of the Yellow Ford - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Events January 7 - Boris Godunov seizes the throne of Russia following the death of his brother-in-law, Tsar Feodor I. April 13 - Edict of Nantes - Henry IV of France grants French Huguenots equal rights with Catholics. ... Hugh ONeill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone (c. ... The Nine Years War (Irish: Cogadh na Naoi mBliana) in Ireland took place from 1594 to 1603 and is also known as Tyrones Rebellion. ...

18th century

• Charles XII of Sweden's disastrous wintertime march on Moscow during the Great Northern War marked the beginning of the end of the Swedish Empire.
• The Battle of Karansebes in 1788. A fight broke out between hussars and infantrymen of the Austrian army campaigning against the Ottomans in Wallachia. An officer shouting "Halt! Halt!" was misheard as "Allah! Allah!" causing a mass panic which ultimately resulted in the death or wounding of over 10,000 Austrian soldiers.

Carl XII, Karl XII or Carolus Rex, (June 17, 1682 – November 30, 1718), the Alexander of the North, nicknamed in Turkish as DemirbaÅŸ Åžarl (Charles the Habitué), was a King of Sweden from 1697 until his death in 1718. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ... It has been suggested that Charles XII invasion of Russia be merged into this article or section. ... Sweden between the years 1611 and 1718 is known as the Swedish Empire. ... The Battle of Karansebes took place on the evening of 17 September 1788, between different portions of an Austrian army which was supposed to be fighting the Turks. ... 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Polish Hussars. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ...

19th century

• The Charge of the Light Brigade. A British officer misinterpreted an order and led a suicidal charge against the Russian guns. ("Not tho' the soldier knew, someone had blunder'd" — Tennyson)
• Battle of the Little Bighorn. General George Custer attacks a superior force of armed Native American warriors, gets himself and his entire command killed, the only survivor being a lone horse.
• Battle of Isandlwana. A Zulu impi armed mostly with spears destroys two British battalions armed with rifles in a Pyrrhic victory.
• Napoleon's Invasion of Russia in the summer and winter of 1812 where Napoleon lost almost all of his troops; it was the turning point of the Napoleonic wars.
• William Elphinstone's disastrous retreat in 1842 during the First Anglo-Afghan War led to the loss of almost his entire command.
• Both the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Cold Harbor become horrible one-sided battles in which Union advances on entrenched Confederate units result in horrendous casualties during the American Civil War.
• Pickett's Charge by the Confederates in the Battle of Gettysburg was easily repulsed and, along with the cost of the previous two days of the battle, permanently crippled the Army of Northern Virginia.
• HMS Victoria collided with HMS Camperdown and was sunk with the loss of 358 lives after the fleet commander George Tryon ordered a sudden turn during maneuvres in 1893.
• The Battle of Adowa fought between the Italians and Ethopians in 1896. The Italians were completely defeated and the battle confirmed the independence of Ethopia.

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Combatants Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho United States Commanders Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse George Armstrong Custer â€ , Marcus Reno, Frederick Benteen, James Calhoun Strength 949 lodges (probably 950-1200 warriors) 31 officers, 566 troopers, 15 civilians, ~35-40 scouts Casualties ~138 killed ~168 wounded (according to Sitting Bull and Red Horse) ~268... George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 - June 25, 1876) was an American cavalry commander in the Civil War and the Indian Wars who is best remembered for his defeat and death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn against a coalition of Native American tribes, led by... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Combatants Britain Zulu Nation Commanders Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Henry Pulleine. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... An Impi is an isiZulu word for any armed body of men. ... A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with devastating cost to the victor. ... Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow were built to commemorate the Russian victory against Napoleon. ... Napoleon I Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, Mediator of the Swiss Confederation and Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... Combatants Allies: Austria[1] Portugal Prussia[1] Russia[2] Spain[3] Sweden United Kingdom[4] Ottoman Empire[5] French Empire Holland Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Bavaria[6] Saxony[7] Denmark [8] Commanders Archduke Charles Prince Schwarzenberg Karl Mack von Leiberich Gebhard von Blücher Karl... Major-General William Elphinstone Major-General William George Keith Elphinstone (1782-April 23, 1842) was an officer of the British Army during the 19th Century. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The First Anglo–Afghan War lasted from 1839 to 1842. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Ambrose E. Burnside Robert E. Lee Strength Army of the Potomac ~114,000 engaged Army of Northern Virginia ~72,500 engaged Casualties 12,653 (1,284 killed, 9,600 wounded, 1,769 captured/missing) 5,377 (608 killed, 4,116... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Ulysses S. Grant George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 108,000 62,000 Casualties 13,000 2,500 The Battle of Cold Harbor, the final battle of Union Lt. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Map of Picketts Charge, July 3, 1863. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders George Gordon Meade Robert Edward Lee Strength 93,921 71,699 Casualties 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured/missing) 23,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured/missing) The Battle of... The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War in the eastern theater. ... HMS Victoria was one of two Victoria class battleships of the Royal Navy. ... HMS Camperdown was an Admiral class battleship of the UK Royal Navy. ... Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon (4 January 1832- 22 June 1893) was a British admiral who died when his flagship HMS Victoria collided with HMS Camperdown during manoeuvres off Tripoli, Lebanon. ... Combatants Ethiopia Kingdom of Italy Commanders Ras Makonnen Oreste Baratieri Strength ~100,000 (80,000 with firearms), Unknown number of artillery and machine guns 17,700 (all with firearms), 56 artillery guns Casualties 4,000-6,000 killed, 8,000 wounded[1] 7,000 killed, 1,500 wounded, 3,000... Look up Ethiopia on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Relief Organizations The Denan Project - Provides Qualified Medical Relief For The People Of Denan Government Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington DC information about the Ethiopian government Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia Ministry of Information of Ethiopia The Crown Council of Ethiopia...

20th century

• The Battle of Tsushima - the Russian Baltic fleet was sent halfway around the world in a suicidal attack on the Japanese in the Tsushima Straits in 1905.
• The Battle of Gallipoli in 1915 and early 1916. A combined British,Commonwealth and French attempt to capture Istanbul fails completely at the Gallipoli peninsula with an estimated 250,000 Allied casualties.
• The Maginot line - although from a strictly technical viewpoint the line itself functioned as designed, it was emblematic of a deeply flawed defensive strategy.
• The Battle of France in 1940 - the French Army moved to meet the Germans inside Belgium, believing the Maginot Line would force the Germans to rerun the Schlieffen Plan, but was cutoff by a German advance through the Ardennes, which the French had believed was impassable for tanks.
• The Battle of Taranto in 1940. A small number of British aircraft more or less eliminated the Italian navy by knocking out three battleships with torpedoes as they lay at anchor in the harbor of Taranto.
• The British Operation Compass proved a disaster for the Italian forces in Libya. In the end the British force of 36 000 men captured 130 000 POWs ultimately forcing Germany to dispatch troops of her own to North Africa to save Mussolini from defeat.
• The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 rendered the US Pacific fleet unable to act for six months during which Japan conquered much of the Pacific.
• The sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse (two battleships) in December 1941 shocked the British and once more showed that aircraft posed a serious threat to even the largest of warships.
• Operation Typhoon, the failed German drive towards Moscow in 1941 was exacerbated by the German decision to not bring along any winter clothing and vehicle antifreeze.
• The fall of Singapore (believed to be an impregnable fortress) in February 1942 to two Japanese division was the largest surrender of British-led troops in history and destroyed the linchpin of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command.
• The naval Battle of Midway. Admiral Yamamoto of the Imperial Japanese Navy attempted to invade the American navy base at Midway Island. US navy intelligence broke his codes and anticipated the attack. The Imperial Japanese Navy lost four fleet carriers in three days.
• The allied Dieppe Raid on German-occupied France in 1942 ended with ~60 % of the attacking force being lost in battle without any of the major objectives of the raid achieved.
• The Battle of Stalingrad in the winter of 1942/43 was one of the turning points of World War II. The German troops in Stalingrad surrendered even though Hitler had promised that they would never leave the city.
• The allied Operation Market Garden in 1944 failed and resulted in the destruction of the British 1st Airborne Division.
• The Battle of Dien Bien Phu, which forced the French to withdraw from northern Vietnam in 1954.
• The Bay of Pigs Invasion, a 1961 attempt to overthrow Cuban President Fidel Castro with 1,500 Cuban exiles. Not only were the exiles heavily outnumbered when they reached the bay, but the US-promised air support never came to aid the exiles.
• The Battle of Longewala, a pivotal battle of the Bangladesh Liberation war where a 2000 strong Pakistan Infantry Brigade and Armoured Regiment comprising 60+ tanks failed to take a lone Indian outpost manned by a company of just 120 soldiers before being finally decimated by the Indian Air Force.
• Operation Eagle Claw, a US attempt to rescue hostages in Iran. This operation was marked by a series of mechanical and communication failures that lead to the deaths of 8 American servicemen, and failed to rescue the hostages.
• Argentinian bombing of Royal Navy ships during the Falklands War. The Argentines flew so low that their bombs hit their targets before the fuses had time to activate. As a result, the bombs almost always failed to detonate.

Combatants Empire of Japan Russian Empire Commanders Heihachiro Togo Zinovi Rozhdestvenski # Nikolai Nebogatov Strength 4 battleships 27 cruisers destroyers and auxiliary vessels 8 battleships 3 coastal battleships 8 cruisers Casualties 117 dead 583 injured 3 torpedo boats sunk 4,380 dead 5,917 captured 21 ships sunk 7 captured 6... The Tsushima Strait (対馬海峡) is a strait between the Korean Peninsula and Kyushu, the furthest west of the four largest islands in Japan. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Combatants British Empire Australia India Newfoundland New Zealand United Kingdom France Ottoman Empire Commanders Sir Ian Hamilton Otto von Sanders Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Strength 5 divisions (initial) 14 divisions (final)[] 6 divisions[] Casualties 284,000[] 251,000[] The Battle of Gallipoli took place at Gallipoli from April 1915 to... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... Gallipoli peninsula (Turkish: , Greek: ) is located in Turkish Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. ... The Maginot Line (IPA: [maÊ’ino], named after French minister of defence André Maginot) was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defenses which France constructed along its borders with Germany and with Italy, in the light of experience from World War I, and... Combatants France United Kingdom Canada Czechoslovakia Poland Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand (French) Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) H.G. Winkelman (Dutch) Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Alfred Graf von Schlieffen The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staffs overall strategic plan for victory on the Western Front against France, and was executed to near victory in the first month of World War I; however, a French counterattack on the outskirts of Paris, the Battle of... The Ardennes (pronounced ar-DEN) (Dutch: Ardennen) is a region of extensive forests and rolling hill country, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France (lending its name to the Ardennes département and the Champagne-Ardenne région). ... Combatants United Kingdom Italy Commanders Lumley Lyster Inigo Campioni Strength 21 bombers 6 battleships Casualties 2 bombers destroyed 1 battleship sunk 2 battleships damaged 1 cruiser damaged The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11 November – 12 November 1840 during World War II. The Royal Navy... The firepower of a battleship demonstrated by USS Iowa. ... Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, southern Italy. ... Combatants Western Desert Force Italian Tenth Army Commanders Richard OConnor Rodolfo Graziani Pietro Maletti † Strength 50,000 soldiers 120 guns 275 tanks 100,000 soldiers 1,600 guns 600 light tanks Casualties 494 dead 1,225 wounded 3,000 dead 115,000 captured 400 tanks 1,292 guns Operation... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Husband Kimmel (USN), Walter Short (USA) Chuichi Nagumo (IJN), Mitsuo Fuchida (IJNAS), Shigekazu Shimazaki (IJNAS) Strength 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 9 submarines, ~50 other ships, ~390 planes 6 aircraft carriers, 9 destroyers, 2 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 8... The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The eastern front at the time of Operation Typhoon. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ... A man pouring antifreeze into his vehicle. ... Combatants Allied forces: Indian Army; British Army; Australian Army; Malayan forces; Straits Settlements forces Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Arthur Percival Tomoyuki Yamashita Strength 85,000 36,000 Casualties about 5,000 killed; about 80,000 POWs 1,715 dead, 3,500 wounded The Battle of Singapore was a battle fought... ABDACOM Area The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, code name ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia, in early 1942, during the Pacific War. ... Combatants United States of America Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz Frank J. Fletcher Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto Chuichi Nagumo Tamon Yamaguchi† Strength 3 carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft 4 carriers, 7 battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties... Combatants Canada United Kingdom Germany Commanders Louis Mountbatten J. H. Roberts  ? Strength 6086 1500 Casualties Canada: 907 dead, 2340 captured; United Kingdom: 555+; United States:3+; Germany: 311 dead, 280 missing The Dieppe Raid, also known as The Battle of Dieppe or Operation Jubilee, during World War II, was an... Combatants Germany Italy Hungary Romania Slovakia Soviet Union Commanders Maximilian von Weichs Friedrich Paulus # Erich von Manstein Hermann Hoth Italo Garibaldi Gusztav Jany Petre Dumitrescu Constantin Constantinescu Vasiliy Chuikov Aleksandr Vasilyevskiy Georgiy Zhukov Semyon Timoshenko Konstantin Rokossovsky Rodion Malinovsky Strength German Sixth Army German Fourth Panzer Army Romanian Third Army... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... Combatants United Kingdom United States Canada Poland Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Walter Model Strength 35,000 20,000 Casualties 17,000 dead or wounded 4,000 - 8,000 dead or wounded Operation Market Garden (September 17-September 25, 1944) was an Allied military operation in World War II. Its tactical... Combatants France, Vietnam (loyalist), Hmong mercenaries Vietnam (Viet Minh), Chinese consultants Commanders Christian de Castries, Pierre Langlais # Vo Nguyen Giap Strength As of March 13: 10,800[1] As of March 13: 48,000 combat personnel, 15,000 logistical support personnel[2] Casualties 2,293 dead, 5,195 wounded, 11... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Cubans trained by Soviet advisers Cuban exiles trained by the United States Commanders Fidel Castro Jose Ramon Fernandez Francisco Ciutat de Miguel Grayston Lynch Pepe San Roman Erneido Oliva Strength 51,000 1,500 Casualties various estimates; over 1,600 dead (Triay p. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba but on indefinite medical hiatus. ... Combatants Indian Army and later Indian Air Force Pakistan Army Commanders Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri Brigadier Tariq Mir Strength 120 troops 2 Recoilless Guns 2000+ troops 65 Tanks 5 Field guns 3 Anti-aircraft guns 138 Military vehicles Casualties 2 men, 1 jeep mounted recoiless gun 200 soldiers. ... Combatants India Pakistan Commanders Sam Manekshaw J.S. Aurora A. A. K. Niazi Strength 500,000+ troops[citation needed] 400,000+ troops[citation needed] Casualties 3,843 killed[1] 9,851 wounded[1] c. ... In military science a brigade is a military unit that is part of a division and includes regiments (where that level exists), or (in modern armies) is composed of several battalions (typically two to four) and directly attached supporting units. ... A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a variable number of battalions - - commanded by a colonel. ... A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100-200 soldiers. ... The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting air-based warfare and securing Indian airspace. ... Combatants United States Iran Commanders Col. ... Motto En unión y libertad(Spanish) In Union and Freedom Anthem Himno Nacional Argentino Capital (and largest city) Buenos Aires Official languages Spanish Government Federal republic  -  President Néstor Kirchner  -  Vice President Daniel Scioli Independence from Spain   -  May Revolution 25 May 1810   -  Declared 9 July 1816   -  Recognized 1821 (by... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... Combatants United Kingdom Argentina Commanders Sir John Fieldhouse Sir John Woodward Margaret Thatcher Leopoldo Galtieri Mario Menéndez Ernesto Crespo Casualties 258 killed[1] 777 wounded 59 taken prisoner 649 killed 1,068 wounded 11,313 taken prisoner The Falklands War (Spanish: ) was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the... In an explosive device, a fuse (or fuze) is the part of the device that causes it to function. ... A weapons cache is detonated at the East River Range on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan Detonation is a process of supersonic combustion that involves a shock wave and a reaction zone behind it. ...

Further reading

• Military Intelligence Blunders and Cover-Ups, by Colonel Hughes-Wilson John (ISBN 0-7867-1373-9)
• Geoffrey Regan's Book Of Military Blunders, by Geoffrey Regan (ISBN 0-233-99977-9)

See also

• List of incidents that have been considered great blunders
• Friendly fire