My nomination for the most significant battle

[longly]

My nomination for the most significant battle in world history is the battle of Teutoburg Forest; to Hitler, it was proof of the superiority of the German race. Though some modern historian disagree I believe it broke the spirit of the Roman elite. Never again did the Romans attempt to colonize the land east beyond the Rhine valley. If they had taken the land to the east until they were in position to build a string of forts between the Black and Baltic’s seas they would have been a position defend the region from the Huns and extended the life of the Roman empire.

Was it a good thing that the Roman Empire fell; they did provide the West with political unity and the world might be more united today if it had survived. On the other hand their reliance on slavery did impede technological development.

Battle of the Teutoburg Forest - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (German: Schlacht im Teutoburger Wald, Hermannsschlacht or Varusschlacht), described as clades Variana (the Varian disaster) by Roman historians, took place in Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, when an alliance of Germanic tribes ambushed and decisively destroyed three Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius Varus. The anti-Roman alliance was led by Arminius, who had acquired Roman citizenship and received a Roman military education, allowing him to personally deceive the Roman commander and foresee the Roman army's tactical responses.

Despite several successful campaigns and raids by the Roman army in the years after the battle, they never again attempted to conquer Germanian territory east of the Rhine River

dia, the free encyclopedia im Teutoburger Wald, Hermannsschlacht or Varusschlacht), described as clades Variana (the Varian disaster) by Roman historians, took place in Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, when an alliance of Germanic tribes ambushed and decisively destroyed three Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius Varus. The anti-Roman alliance was led by Arminius, who had acquired Roman citizenship and received a Roman military education, allowing him to personally deceive the Roman commander and foresee the Roman army's tactical responses.

Despite several successful campaigns and raids by the Roman army in the years after the battle, they never again attempted to conquer Germanian territory east of the Rhine River

 

[Moonglow]

Roman leaders knew of the dangers of marching in line through the forest. Varus did not fortify his camps and marched his men through storms and heavy forested areas trying to find a place for battle...It was not so much of the superior German fighter but a bad Roman general which led to the defeat..
The main reason why Rome did not go further into the German region is that there was no cities to sack, the Germans lived in villages and moved their camps...

 

[whitehall]

Guadalcanal in WW2. It was a gutsy move early in the Pacific WW2 even if the Navy chickened out and let the Marines fend for themselves. If the U.S. Marines were driven off Guadalcanal the entire Pacific would have been open to Japanese invasion.

 

[Mr. H.]

The Battle of Hasty Pudding, 1066.

 

[Vandalshandle]

Midway. From the day that battle ended, the Japanese were doomed.

 

[Judicial review]

Valley Forge. Without that we would still be ruled by King George. Changed the tide of the revolutionary war in 1778.

 

[mdk]

I am going to have go with the Battle of Zama. The treaty Carthage has to accept made them pretty much toothless and sealed their doom. Carthage wasn't not able to go to war without the consent of Rome which was an important factor leading to the Third Punic War. Plus it ended once and for all Carthage's challenge to Rome's control of the Med.

 

[Vandalshandle]

Valley Forge. Without that we would still be ruled by King George. Changed the tide of the revolutionary war in 1778.

There was no battle at Valley Forge.

 

[regent]

Guadalcanal in WW2. It was a gutsy move early in the Pacific WW2 even if the Navy chickened out and let the Marines fend for themselves. If the U.S. Marines were driven off Guadalcanal the entire Pacific would have been open to Japanese invasion.

Nope the entire Pacific would not have been open to Japanese invasion, MacArthur was taking Buna at the same time of Guadalcanal. In fact, early in the war the real battle was between the US navy and US army as to who should be supreme in the Pacific. Neither side was victorious, so the Pacific had two commanders and two routes to Japan. By the way the navy lost more people in Guadalcanal campaign than the Marine Corps.

 

[longly]

Valley Forge. Without that we would still be ruled by King George. Changed the tide of the revolutionary war in 1778.

There was no battle at Valley Forge.

True Valley forge was not a battle, but it was significant to victory in the Revolutionary War; it was there that the American army was rebuilt into an effective fight force that made victory possible. And the man we have to think for it as much as George Washington was Baron Von Steuben. There is a good chance you never heard of him and there is a good reason for that; he was blotted out of history. They , the founders, were very grateful to him, but he was somewhat of an embarrassment even though he kept it quiet, he was a homosexual. He barely escaped the death penalty in Europe.

Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard ; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as the Baron vonAugustin von Steuben Steuben (fon shtoy' bin), was a Prussian-born military officer. He served as inspector general and Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is credited with being one of the fathers of the Continental Army in teaching them the essentials of military drills, tactics, and disciplines.[1] He wrote Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, the book that served as the standard United States drill manual until the War of 1812. He served as General George Washington's chief of staff in the final years of the war.

 

[WelfareQueen]

The Battle of Tours in 732. It stopped the Muslim invasion of Western Europe. Had Charles Martel (The Hammer) lost this battle we all would likely be praying to Allah now.

Battle of Tours - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia



Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. The Greeks defeated the invading Persians. The Greeks lose....no Western civilization as we know it.

Battle of Thermopylae - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia



Battle of Vienna. in 1683. The last attempt of Muslims to take over all of Europe. A huge Muslim army that out numbered the Christians 2 to 1 was defeated at the gates of Vienna. Lose this battle...and all of Europe might have followed.


Battle of Vienna - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

 

[westwall]

My nomination for the most significant battle in world history is the battle of Teutoburg Forest; to Hitler, it was proof of the superiority of the German race. Though some modern historian disagree I believe it broke the spirit of the Roman elite. Never again did the Romans attempt to colonize the land east beyond the Rhine valley. If they had taken the land to the east until they were in position to build a string of forts between the Black and Baltic’s seas they would have been a position defend the region from the Huns and extended the life of the Roman empire.

Was it a good thing that the Roman Empire fell; they did provide the West with political unity and the world might be more united today if it had survived. On the other hand their reliance on slavery did impede technological development.

Battle of the Teutoburg Forest - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (German: Schlacht im Teutoburger Wald, Hermannsschlacht or Varusschlacht), described as clades Variana (the Varian disaster) by Roman historians, took place in Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, when an alliance of Germanic tribes ambushed and decisively destroyed three Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius Varus. The anti-Roman alliance was led by Arminius, who had acquired Roman citizenship and received a Roman military education, allowing him to personally deceive the Roman commander and foresee the Roman army's tactical responses.

Despite several successful campaigns and raids by the Roman army in the years after the battle, they never again attempted to conquer Germanian territory east of the Rhine River

dia, the free encyclopedia im Teutoburger Wald, Hermannsschlacht or Varusschlacht), described as clades Variana (the Varian disaster) by Roman historians, took place in Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, when an alliance of Germanic tribes ambushed and decisively destroyed three Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius Varus. The anti-Roman alliance was led by Arminius, who had acquired Roman citizenship and received a Roman military education, allowing him to personally deceive the Roman commander and foresee the Roman army's tactical responses.

Despite several successful campaigns and raids by the Roman army in the years after the battle, they never again attempted to conquer Germanian territory east of the Rhine River

Actually it is arguable that the Battle of Issus is the most important. That was the beginning of the end of the Persian Empire.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

“Was it a good thing that the Roman Empire fell; they did provide the West with political unity and the world might be more united today if it had survived.”

There is a school of thought among many historians that Rome did not so much 'fall' as evolve, where the EU today is its modern incarnation.

 

[Cross]

The Battle of Atlanta, could be it saved the Union.

 

[Vandalshandle]

While Valley Forge was the nadir of our Revolutionary war efforts, it was not pivotal, by any means. Washington crossed the Delaware and attacked Princeton, giving us a much needed victory, but he did it during the Christmas and New Year's holidays, because most of his men's enlistment expired with the next year. The army was not rebuilt at Valley Forge. For the most part, everyone who could left the army in January.

 

[Steven_R]

Waterloo. Ended Napoleon's quest for power and set the stage for modern Europe's balance of power.

 

[Unkotare]

Sekigahara

 

[longly]

The Battle of Isandlwana was significant not because it changed history; the Zulu were doomed the day the British decided to moved across the buffalo river into Zululand. No it was significant because a primitive black African militia army defeated an advanced European professional army; the technological advantage for British was so great that the native army should have never had a chance of victory. I think that one of the main reasons for the defeat was a lack respect that the whites had for the capability of the blacks. It just goes to show one should never underestimate an enemy no matter how weak they may appear.


Some people don’t realize that the Zulus had both horses and guns. They didn’t have many horses and the guns were few and obsolete. And neither had any significant effect in the war.

 

[whitehall]

Who would have thought the most significant battle in history would have happened in New Jersey? Washington's rag-tag rebels barely escaped from New York City and the English hunkered down for the winter of 1776 while Washington's troops were camped about ten miles from Trenton. Washington's bold move in a winter campaign to attack German mercenaries camped in Trenton on Christmas day was the turning point of the Revolution. Hard times were still ahead but the victory at Trenton caused the French to offer troops and supplies to the new American army.

 

[longly]

Who would have thought the most significant battle in history would have happened in New Jersey? Washington's rag-tag rebels barely escaped from New York City and the English hunkered down for the winter of 1776 while Washington's troops were camped about ten miles from Trenton. Washington's bold move in a winter campaign to attack German mercenaries camped in Trenton on Christmas day was the turning point of the Revolution. Hard times were still ahead but the victory at Trenton caused the French to offer troops and supplies to the new American army.

That is true, but so was the battle of Saratoga where Benedict Arnold disobeyed orders to snatch victor from the jaws of defeat.