History's Greatest Battles
Themistocles
Where the course of history has been decided on the battlefield. These are the battles that made us -- a detailed, entertaining, and tangent-free program about history's greatest battles. In this podcast we journey through the constancy of human conflict, where the fates of nations and the course of global history have been decided on the battlefield. This podcast delves into our world-history's most significant and seminal battles, exploring not just the events themselves but their profound impact on the world we live in today. Each episode is meticulously crafted by ardent and dedicated history fans with a passion for military history and an appreciation for the art of storytelling. Join us as we unravel the strategies, heroics, and consequences that have shaped civilizations and forged the destiny of entire continents.
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Top 10 History's Greatest Battles Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best History's Greatest Battles episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to History's Greatest Battles for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite History's Greatest Battles episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
The Siege of Vicksburg, 1863. The Death Knell Moment of the Rebellion. The South Reduced to Eating Rats.
History's Greatest Battles
03/14/25 • 35 min
With the fall of Vicksburg, the Union seized the entire length of the Mississippi River, cleaving the Confederacy in half. The South’s western states... Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas... were now isolated, their soldiers and resources cut off from the Eastern war effort. What had once been a united rebellion was now a fractured resistance, fighting a war it could no longer sustain.
Vicksburg. May 19 - July 4, 1863.
Union Forces: 75,000 Soldiers.
Confederate Forces: 30,000 Soldiers.
Additional Reading and Episode Research:
- Foote, Shelby. The Civil War, A Narrative.
- McPherson, James. Battle Cry of Freedom.
- Newman, Ralph. The Civil War: An American Iliad.
- Donald, David. The Civil War and Reconstruction.
Other Episodes on the Civil War:
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The Battle of Ayacucho, 1824, Spain's Empire in Total Decline, Monroe Doctrine Declared
History's Greatest Battles
09/08/24 • 24 min
This was the last great clash of the revolution in South America. It shattered the chains of Spanish colonial rule, sealing the fate of an empire that had once ruled unchallenged. With a final, earth-shaking battle, centuries of oppression crumbled, and the continent was forever free from the grasp of its conquerors.
Ayacucho. 9th of December, 1824.
Spanish Colonial Forces: 9,310 Men.
South American Revolutionary Forces: 5,780 Men.
Additional Reading and Research:
- Johnson, John. Simon Bolivar and Spanish American Independence, 1783 - 1830.
- Markov, Walter. Battles of World History.
- Adams, Jerome. Latin American Heroes.
- Bailey, Thomas. A Diplomatic History of the American People.
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The Battle of Warsaw, 1920. The Communist Bolsheviks Routed
History's Greatest Battles
09/03/24 • 20 min
The crushing defeat of the Red Army in Poland did more than just carve out Poland’s post-World War I borders and halt the crimson tide of communism in its tracks; it also unfurled a bloody canvas of tactics that appears to have captivated the minds of German military planners. Those same brutal, fast-moving maneuvers would be perfected and unleashed with devastating precision across Europe in the fires of World War II.
Warsaw, Poland. 16-25 August, 1920.
Polish Forces: 370,000 soldiers and conscripts.
Communist Russian Forces: 200,000 Soldiers and Cavalry.
Additional Reading and Research:
- Szymczak, Robert. "Bolshevik Wave Breaks at Warsaw," Military History 11, 1995.
- Fiddick, Thomas. Russia's Retreat from Poland.
- Dupuy, Ernest. Encyclopedia of Military History.
- Jedrzejewicz, Waclaw. Pilsudski: A Life for Poland.
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The Battle of Mukden
History's Greatest Battles
08/12/24 • 20 min
Japan's victory at Mukden, forged on a winter battlefield requiring relentless sacrifice, shattered the old world order, compelling the great powers to the negotiating table. The end of the Russo-Japanese War was not just a cessation of hostilities—it was the birth of Japan as a military titan, a force that the world could no longer dare to ignore.
Mukden. 19 February - 10 March, 1905. Russo-Japanese War.
Japanese: 200,00 to 320,000 soldiers; 53,000 to 70,000 KIA.
Russian: 200,000 to 310,000 soldiers; 20,000 to 156,000 KIA.
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The Battle of Prusa (Bursa), 1317-1326, The Birth of the Ottoman Empire, Christendom's Harbinger and Scourge
History's Greatest Battles
09/11/24 • 19 min
The conquest of Brusa marked the dawn of a new era. Osman the first, his name now etched in the chronicles of history, and his heirs rose as the unchallenged lords of Asia Minor. With this single victory, the Ottoman Empire was born, its shadow poised to stretch across continents and reshape the fate of empires for centuries to come.
Prusa (Bursa). 1317 - 6th April, 1326
Turkish Forces: Unknown
Byzantine Forces: Unknown
Additional Reading and Research:
- McCarthy, Justin. The Ottoman Turks.
- Parry, V.J. A History of the Ottoman Empire to 1730.
- Koprulu, Mehmet. The Seljuks of Anatolia.
- Muller, Herbert. The Loom of History.
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The Battle of Ipsus, 310 B.C. The End of Alexander's Empire, Rome's Gateway to Ascendance
History's Greatest Battles
09/19/24 • 22 min
Ipsus marked the zenith of the titanic struggle between Alexander the Great’s successors, each vying to forge a vast Hellenistic empire that could unite the known world. At the center of this ambition stood Antigonus, whose towering dreams of empire crumbled in the dust of that battlefield, leaving him the last to fall short of creating the enduring, international dominion he so fiercely sought.
Ipsus. 310 B.C.
Antigonus' Forces: 70,000 Infantry, 10,000 Heavy Cavalry, 75 War Elephants.
Combined Allied Forces: 64,000 Infantry, 15,000 Light Cavalry, 400 War Elephants.
Additional Reading and Research:
- Billows, Richard. Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State.
- Oldfather Translation: Diodorus. Diodorus of Sicily.
- Dryden Translation: Plutarch. The Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans.
- Bar-Lochva, Bezalel. The Seleucid Army.
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The Battle of Jerusalem, 1099, Crusader Victory, Wholesale Slaughter, Eventually Bringing About the Wealth and Power Fueling the Renaissance
History's Greatest Battles
09/21/24 • 20 min
The Crusaders' triumph signaled the apex of Europe’s bid to impose its dominion over the Holy Land. Yet, beyond the battlefield, the Crusade set in motion the resurgence of papal power, as the Church reasserted its iron grip over the political affairs of Europe, reshaping kingdoms and crowns under the weight of divine authority.
Jerusalem. 9th June - 18th July 1099.
Crusader Forces: 1,250 Knights, 10,000 Infantry.
Muslim Forces: 20,000 Infantry.
Additional Reading and Research:
- Billings, Malcolm. The Cross and the Crescent.
- Durant, Will. The Age of Faith.
- Runciman, Steven. The First Crusade.
- Armstrong, Karen. Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today's World.
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The Battle of the Metaurus River, 207 B.C. Hannibal's Decline, Hasdrubal Barca Defeated, Rome's Peninsular Threat Castrated
History's Greatest Battles
09/23/24 • 21 min
The crushing defeat of Hasdrubal’s forces shattered any hope of reinforcing Hannibal, sealing his fate in Italy and leaving him isolated. With Carthage’s ambitions in ruin, Rome swiftly solidified its dominance over Spain, ensuring its grip on the western Mediterranean.
Metaurus River. 207 B.C.
Roman Forces: ~ 50,000 Soldiers.
Carthaginian Forces: ~50,000 Soldiers, Cavalry, and War Elephants.
Additional Reading and Research:
- Fuller, J.F.C. A Military History of the Western World.
- Dorey, T. A. Rome Against Carthage.
- Lazenby, J.F. Hannibal's War: A Military History of the Second Punic War.
- Selencourt Translation: Livy. The war with Hannibal
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The Battle of Syracuse, 413 B.C. Athens Declines Into Subservience, Paving the Way for Alexander the Great
History's Greatest Battles
10/01/24 • 24 min
The crushing defeat of Athens shattered its naval supremacy in the eastern Mediterranean, precipitating its fall as the foremost Greek polis. This disaster not only stripped Athens of its dominance but also extinguished its ambitions of establishing control across the entire Mediterranean, thwarting what might have been an empire stretching to Carthage and Rome.
Syracuse. 415 - 413 B.C.
Athenian Forces: ~ 200 Galleys and 45,000 to 50,000 Soldiers.
Syracusan Forces: ~ 45,000 Soldiers with 4,400 Spartans.
Additional Reading and Research:
- Fuller, J.F.C. A Military History of the Western World.
- Jowet Translation: Thucydides. The Peloponnesian Wars.
- Kagan, Donald. On the Origins of War.
- Creasy, Edward. Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World.
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The Battle of Moscow, 1941. The Nazi War Machine Grinds to a Halt in Russia.
History's Greatest Battles
10/25/24 • 22 min
The failure to seize Moscow sealed the fate of the Nazi war effort in the Soviet Union. What could have been a decisive blow to Stalin’s regime, unraveling Soviet defenses and shattering Communist control, instead became the turning point from which Hitler’s ambitions would never recover. Moscow wasn’t merely a city; it was the nerve center of Soviet power, the key to unraveling the Eastern Front. Without it, the German advance faltered, and the dream of a swift victory over the USSR collapsed into a nightmare of attrition, leaving the Reich to bleed out on the frozen plains of Russia.
Moscow. September 30, 1941.
Soviet Forces: ~ 1,000,000 Soldiers.
German Nazi Forces: ~ 750,000 Soldiers.
Additional Reading and Episode Research:
- Guderian, Heinz. Panzer Leader.
- Carrel, Paul. Hitler Moves East, 1941-1943.
- Dupuy, Trevor. Great Battles on the Eastern Front,
- Philippi, Alfred. 'Battle for Moscow: The German View,' History of the Second World War, #27.
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FAQ
How many episodes does History's Greatest Battles have?
History's Greatest Battles currently has 129 episodes available.
What topics does History's Greatest Battles cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture, History, Wars, Documentary, Podcasts, Ancient, War and Military History.
What is the most popular episode on History's Greatest Battles?
The episode title 'The Battle of Mexico City, 1847, the US Secures the West to California' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on History's Greatest Battles?
The average episode length on History's Greatest Battles is 24 minutes.
How often are episodes of History's Greatest Battles released?
Episodes of History's Greatest Battles are typically released every day.
When was the first episode of History's Greatest Battles?
The first episode of History's Greatest Battles was released on Aug 8, 2024.
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