the outcome is never in doubt-- you will be defeated! Which battle would you rank as the greatest defensive fight in terms of military, political and historical significance.\n\nThermopylae, where the 300 Spartans fought the Persians to gain time for their fellow Greeks. The Alamo, where a small band of Texicans kept Santa Ana's army at bay until Sam Houston could organize his army. Wake Island, where a Marine battalion kept the Japanese Navy at bay. Cassino, where German paratroopers changed the course of the Italian Campaign in WWII by warding off the entire Allied 5th Army. Or, my choice, Roarke's Drift, where a small British detachment valiantly held off thousands of Zulus. I'm listing small units, which is why you don't see Stalingrad or the Chosin Resoirvoir listed. Are there other battles that were equally as heroic?
210655
Leonidas and his Spartans have been a blazing example that will never dim throughout human history of men giving their lives in the name of civilisation. (But don't forget the Thespians and Locrians who fought and died in their rearguard.)\n     But my vote is for the few men of the British regiments that held their positions on Garrison hill during the battle of Kohima, in India, in April, 1944.  Their\npositions were overwhelmed continuously by waves of Japanese troops, the dead fell in piles on both sides of their hastily dug trenches, but by morning the\nhandful of troops of the Royal West Kents, Royal Berkshires, and Durham Light Infantry had killed thousands of determined Japanese, and the to that point\nunstoppable advance of the Japanese armies in Southeast Asia came to an end.\n     What I do not understand, efw, is how you can elsewhere state that war somehow has a positive evolutionary effect on man...in nearly every war with\nheavy casualties, and certainly in WWII where the loss of pilots and commandoes were so heavy, it seems a better argument to say that Europe, at least, \nwas bled dry of its finest men. The cowards and the weak stay home and have children, while brave men die as youths and have none.  In the British army the loss of young lieutenants and other junior officers was intense, and the japanese targeted any officer and/or squad leader, who were very capable men who came up from the ranks.  In the case of France, Britain, Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland the last two wars have greatly weakened the quality of the populations. \n     Mankind would do very well to have the offspring of Leonidas' 300 among us.\n     I hope you follow my argument. \n                          my regards.
118944
Battle Star Galactica.  They simply had more deployable fighter ships.  The Enterprise was the sole fighting machine and the shields could be diminished under a persistent attack. Star Trek never demonstrated that the Enterprise could defend itself from swarm of fighters like the kind StarBuck flew OR a top down attack either.\n\n You drop their shields and swarm them with the fighter ships!
520577
There was one and only one US Marine killed during Operation Just Cause (Panama Invasion). CPL Garreth C. Isaak, 2nd Marine Division, from Greenville SC. I don't recall his name being featured in Black Hawk Down, but I guess it is possible, though as one poster pointed out that would be a bit odd. (Why would a Marine's name from an invasion of Panama nearly a decade earlier be part of a movie about an Army Operation half a world away?). P.S. If you know why this was done - please e-mail me, I am very curious. Sounds like one of those great pieces of trivia I can unload on my friends - :-)
310202
Levit, Britain couldnt hold The germans off at all???? three words for you my friend BATTLE OF BRITAIN, the british did just that they held the germans off thanx to THE FEW, the men and women of RAF fighter command many of whom were not much older than thier late teens and early twenty's, after defeat in the BATTLE of BRITAIN the germans turned thier attentions to Russia and got thier arses kicked, plz do some re-search on these things before you open your mouth and insert your foot in it.
475596
It totally depends on the situation.  Not to sound like a fortune cookie, but there truly IS a time and place for everything.\n\nChoose your battles wisely.
449467
good one, brent! carmen was tough as nails, & obviously capable of beating anyone on a given night. but i see trouble for him here. monzons reach advantage would allow him to pepper carmen as the smaller man tries to move in. and basilio would move in and make a great fight of it. monzons punches would eventually bust carmen up. i dont see him getting knocked out, but i do see the valiant warrior losing a u/d if cuts dont cause a tko in the late stages of the bout.
620712
The battle of the sexes\n\nSex is always the most important\n\neasy one - next\n\nOr just go with the war of 1812 - but a less fun answer\nwe were invaded and not belligerent
488901
STOP WITH THESE DUMB vs. QUESTIONS!!!!\n\nIt all depends on who is the better fighter that day... I could whoop Helio Gracie in his prime if he slipped and I got a lucky 1 and a million punch to his temple.... ITS ALL A GAME OF CHANCE!!!!!\n\nRARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
2717
Follow. But! Follow only if ye be men of valour, for the entrance to this cave is guarded by a creature so foul, so cruel that no man yet has fought with it and lived! Bones of full fifty men lie strrrewn about its lair. So, brave knights, if you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth.\n\n||  ||\n\n||  ||\n*Tim making teeth gestures at the knights!
77448
Sam Houston needed a delaying action to hold back the Mexicans for a while til he could get organized better. The defenders of the Alamo knew his and held out for enough time.  Remember that Santa Ana was soundly defeated later at the Battle of San Jacinto just a little east of the present day Houston, Texas.  The strategy worked.
265220
There were 2 battles here. It was also called the Battle of Manassass. It was the first land battle of the Civil war. The Union troops were inexperienced,and forced to retreat. For more info I added the link
345737
Actually, the cry of "Remember the Alamo" comes from Sam Houston, when he took his troops into Texas, they were rather disorganized.  When they found Santa Ana's troops, Sam was rather worried about his troops not being fired up, so he screamed "Remember the Alamo" as they were charging into battle.  History says that they were killing brutally long after the battle was over.
595605
It is impossible to know how it differred from reality, because there is no objective evidence of the war at Troy, other than an obvious event at Troy VII where the city was razed to the ground. How it differs from the books it was (loosely) based on, the Iliad and the Odyssey, it would take far too much time and space to list all of them here. For one, Menelaus does not die and takes Helen back to Sparta with him. You should read both of the books to find out the rest.
404350
He was the best general we have ever had.  He probably would have made lots of trouble while kicking ass.  The German military was scared to death of hm.
620169
If you take the account of the Battle of Troy (not the movie) as fact then you could say that the Trojan horse was an instance of the guards of Troy not being "on guard." According to Homer in the Illiad (I believe) they went out and brought in the horse and thus allowed the city to be taken and completely destroyed.
116749
Isn"t that when germany was attacking them? I have friends in England, she's english, he's polish and it was in that time period that he came as a tank driver from poland  to england to help defend from the germans, and that's when they met and fell in love & got married.  He told me the germans were trying to blow up the old historic sites in particular. Sorry, that's all I know, which isn't much.
648966
Now that Bush has gotten this country into this seemingly unending quagmire (see the history of the middle east-the warring never ends), I am afraid that "cut and Run" may not be the best option....yes it will make America look bad, weak, defeated in the eyes of the world (thank you Bush), but worse, I feel it will give the insurgents and terrorist cells everywhere the idea that they are the victors, this will only strengthen their resolve....If they can keep the worlds strongest military at bay....the skies the limit....know what I mean?  I wish there were an easy solution, however, now that we ARE there...I feel it might be necessary to re-strategize somehow, perhaps even a greater surge of troops, one big enormous assault, no holds barred....I don't know....but pulling completely out may not be the best thing.   I would at least try the diplomatic approach with all these western European countries that have more to lose in the long run than does America....much greater troop support from Germany, England, France, Italy,Spain etc.  whether for oil or to fight terrorism, or WMD...It is pertinent that Europe stop being so DAMN wimpy and fight for the safety of their own people and their own borders!  An extremely difficult question to answer indeed!  But, since I'm no military strategist...that's the best I got for you.....By the way, i'm a liberal!