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3305 The Battle of Montgisard Feb 19, 2023

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The battle of Montgisard (fought near Ramla in central Israel) saw the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem unexpectedly defeat the forces of Saladin. The Latins were vastly outnumbered and fought thinking that they faced certain defeat. Their victory put an end to the inexorable advances that the Muslim conqueror Saladin had won up to that point. Dur: 19mins File: .mp3

3304 Epaminondas of Thebes - Part 2 Feb 05, 2023

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Epaminondas' victory at Leuctra created the Theban Hegemony, a brief period where Thebes dominated Greek politics. There has always been criticism that when Thebes defeated Sparta at the battle of Leuctra they had no real plan to replace the Spartan domination of Greece with one of their own. Hence the Theban hegemony of Greece was short-lived. One consideration to keep in mine is that Thebes only sought to end Spartan domination, not replace it. By achieving that feat at Leuctra, they actually created a power vacuum (which would eventually be filled by Macedon under Philip II, achieving domination of Greece in 338). Dur: 19mins File: .mp3

3303 Epaminondas of Thebes - Part 1 Jan 22, 2023

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Epaminondas of Thebes is one of the greatest and most revolutionary commanders in military history, destroying the might of Sparta in a single day at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. At that battle, Epaminondas led the outnumbered Theban phalanx to an overwhelming victory over an army of feared Spartan hoplites. Theban victory that day forever changed the political map of Greece. Dur: 20mins File: .mp3

3302 The Battle of Alcazar Jan 08, 2023

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By mid-afternoon on the 4th of August 1578, three monarchs lay dead on the battlefield of Alcazar in Morocco: two Sultans and King Sebastian I of Portugal. The consequences of their deaths would resonate for decades throughout Europe and North Africa. The Battle of Alcazar is known by several names, all of which are attempts at Anglicizing the town of El-Ksar el-Kebir in Morocco where the battle was fought. It is also known, unsurprisingly, as the Battle of the Three Kings.

Dur: 24mins File: .mp3

3301 Charles Upham VC Dec 04, 2022

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Just before his 31st birthday in September 1939, Charles Upham volunteered as a private in the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF). He had been in the Territorials but refused to join at any higher rank. He was soon singled out for his natural leadership qualities and made temporary lance corporal, but refused to attend the Officer Cadet Training Unit since he feared that such training would delay his departure for Europe. Dur: 18mins File: .mp3

3210 The White Death: Finnish marksman Simo Häyhä Jul 31, 2022

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Simo Häyhä tormented Soviet forces invading his native Finland between December 1939 and March 1940, killing 542 enemy soldiers in only 98 days. In the hostile, minus forty degree conditions of the Finnish winter of 1939-40, a man clad all in white lay with packed snow mounded in front of him as he awaited his enemy. The man was Simo Häyhä and he was armed with only a regulation, bolt action rifle – he preferred the standard sight as it could not fog over or catch the light and was less conspicuous than a telescopic sight. Next to him lay his sub-machinegun and he was no less deadly with that weapon. During the Winter War, Häyhä accurate sniper fire would account for almost an entire battalion of Russian soldiers. Dur: 24mins File: .mp3

3209 The Castilian Civil War 1350-1369 Jul 17, 2022

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A bitter war between legitimate and illegitimate heirs was fought for the throne of fourteenth century Castile. The ensuing conflict pulled in many powers, large and small, including both the kingdoms of England and France. Dur: 17mins File: .mp3

3208 The Battle of Issus Jul 03, 2022

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At the battle of Issus, fought in early November 333 BC, Alexander faced the Persian King Darius in person for the first time. Massively outnumbered, the Macedonian army faced the numberless might of the Persian military machine. The outcome would decide the future of both the Persian and the Macedonian empire. Dur: 20mins File: .mp3

3207 The Northwest Indian War - Part 2 Jun 19, 2022

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The Legion of the United States was America's first attempt to establish a permanent military capable of defending its new borders, from hostile Native Americans, as a reaction to the defeats of the hastily raised regular and militia units during the Harmar Campaign and St. Clair's Defeat. Dur: 18mins File: .mp3

3206 The Northwest Indian War - Part 1 Jun 05, 2022

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In late 1791, during the Battle of the Wabash, also known as St. Clair's Defeat, saw the largest defeat of the American military at the hands of the Native Americans. Out of a force of about 1,000 men, the American suffered a 97% casualty rate: including 632 killed and 264 wounded. In addition, 200 camp followers, women and children included, were also killed against around 60 causalities on the Native American side. In a single morning, almost one quarter of the total United States Army was wiped out and the Western frontier left wide open for further Native American raids. Dur: 18mins File: .mp3

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