What armies had extremely good luck in particular battles? This is a non battle, but for example the Japanese being saved from Mongols by two hurricanes. Luck like that.

The Union army in Maryland in September 1862. They found copies of Lee's plans and were able to corner him at Sharpsburg (Antietam) and fight him to a draw. This gave Lincoln enough of a win to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. It also gave Lincoln reason to fire McClellan and put another stupid general in charge: Burnside.

Marengo comes to mind, Napoleon was being spanked for being too confident before Dessaix arrived and Melas figured the battle was won and left the field. A defeat there would have done his career some damage. He was also lucky in many of his earlier campaigns, especially in facing incompetent commanders like Mack. Then again, as he said himself, he preferred a lucky general to a good one.

Well from the Three Kingdoms era:

1. Chibi. One of the most important battles in Chinese history as it cemented the "tripod" of Wei, Shu and Wu and stopped Cao Cao's advance to reunify China. Outnumbered 10 to 1, the reason why Wu and Shu-Han's fire attacks worked so well against Wei was because of a very very unseasonable SE wind. This gave rise to legends that Zhuge Liang actually used magic to bring up the wind.

Also on thunderstorms, Zhuge Liang had Sima Yi trapped in a valley and being burnt to death when a sudden unseasonable thunder storm stopped the fires. Sima Yi went on to found the Jin dynasty that reunited China.

I guess it's like the pseudo-random number generator in Civ 3. Sometimes it works for you, but man, sometimes it works against you.

2. The future hegemon Cao Cao was beaten by Lu Bu and his camp was in disarray. Lu Bu (or his men depending on if you go by the novel or history) actually encounted Cao Cao alone and defenseless on the battlefield. However they didn't recognise him and asked him "Where is Cao Cao?" He pointed to a random soldier on a horse and off they went. Of course, off he went - in the opposite direction...

Marengo comes to mind, Napoleon was being spanked for being too confident before Dessaix arrived and Melas figured the battle was won and left the field. A defeat there would have done his career some damage. He was also lucky in many of his earlier campaigns, especially in facing incompetent commanders like Mack. Then again, as he said himself, he preferred a lucky general to a good one.
One version has it that it was the cavalry general Kellermann who saved Napoleon's ass that day. (Lucky for Bonny, at least.;)) It seems both men knew this as well, and Napoleon resented having been saved by "little Kellermann" as he would disparingly call him.

Depends on how you look at it. Kellerman's charges kept Napoleon's forces in the battle long enough for Dessaix to arrive and launched an important attack later in the battle, but it was Dessaix's and Boudet's divisions that turned the tide really. Without Dessaix Napoleon could not have gone on the offensive. Without either of them, Napoleon would have been handled badly for his over-confidence, and his career would have felt the results.

Luckily for Napoleon Dessaix died before he could contest who had done more to win the victory.

The Zulus were lucky at the battle of Islandwana...the British commander (forget how to spell his name) divided his army in half not once...but twice before engaging the Zulus.

The Zulus were lucky at the battle of Islandwana

and the native levies who carried the ammo to the front lines fled--leaving the soldiers with no bullets. the english beat off the first 2 attacks no problem

Midway WW2, the Lady Luck couldn't of planned it any better. Such great timing, with 3/4 of the japanese planes on the decks refeuling and rearming(all the ammo and feul on the deck in plainsite) when wouldn't you know it, a couple of squadrons of US dive bombers, who were suppose to be there when the torpedo bombers came in on the first run, appear outta thin air and rain destruction on every jap carrier.

The Battle of Britain. Several German bombers, off track from their target decide to get rid of their payload and it lands on London. The British respond with an air raid on Berlin, infuriating Hitler and re-directing the Luftwaffe from attacking radar sites and airfields to concentrating on London.

The Union army in Maryland in September 1862. They found copies of Lee's plans and were able to corner him at Sharpsburg (Antietam) and fight him to a draw. This gave Lincoln enough of a win to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. It also gave Lincoln reason to fire McClellan and put another stupid general in charge: Burnside.

Ahhh yes, I just learned about this in history class.

The Zulus were lucky at the battle of Islandwana...the British commander (forget how to spell his name) divided his army in half not once...but twice before engaging the Zulus.
Or you could say that this was the great misfortune for the Zulus. Their king Cetewayo had instructed his commanders NOT to engage British troops in the open field, knowing full well what European fire power would do to his troops.

They disregarded his instructions, attacked and got lucky. Which meant that for the rest of the war the Zulus tried to repeat Isandlwana, and were cut to pieces every single time.
That's kind of what colonial warfare was like. You walked a small army into enemy territory, waited for the natives to obligingly attack and then mowed them down. The Zulus knew how it usually worked, but Isandlwana seemed to indicate other possible outcomes.

Marengo comes to mind, Napoleon was being spanked for being too confident before Dessaix arrived and Melas figured the battle was won and left the field. A defeat there would have done his career some damage. He was also lucky in many of his earlier campaigns, especially in facing incompetent commanders like Mack. Then again, as he said himself, he preferred a lucky general to a good one.
I was going to add this one myself, but thought that someone else might want to, and I'm not surprised by who. ;)
Desaix, marched to the sound of the guns and saved the day.

manzikert, at the first sign of battle the left and right wing of the byzantine army fled and insteadof there rearguard coming to surely saving the battle, they withot even fighting

manzikert, at the first sign of battle the left and right wing of the byzantine army fled and insteadof there rearguard coming to surely saving the battle, they withot even fighting

the cuman turk mercanaries deserted
the rear guard was commander by the son of the emperor that romanus IV had deposed--so he abandoned him

In May 1920, Poland was allied with Ukrainian nationalists under Simeon Petljura in attempting to drive the Bolsheviks out of Ukraine. Polish forces fought their way up to the outskirts of Kijów/Kiiv/Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, when a small advance band of Polish troops were stunned to see a tram car coming down the street like any other afternoon. They got on and rode right into downtown Kiev, when the Bolshevik military commander of the city happen to get on the tram - and was promptly arrested. Kiev fell to Polish forces, though fortunes would change and in a couple months Poles would be defending Warsaw itself from the Russians.

The Ottomans: an earthquake destroyed the walls of the city the were attacking. This is good luck.

Spion Kop (I think I spelled it right, well it was a great victory for the Boers).
The Battle of Quebec for the British in the 7 Years War (French and Indian War).
The Siege of Rhodes (Pierre D'Aubusson beats back the Ottomans).
The Battle of England, over England anyway during WW2. Because if Germany could have landed their armies, they would have been finished.

The Battle of England, over England anyway during WW2. Because if Germany could have landed their armies, they would have been finished.

The possible success of Operation SeaLion is very heavily debated. In truth, the situation was very similar to the situation during the Napolenic Wars - if Hitler could overcome logistical difficulties and get his army intact into Britain, they would have won. The problem would be getting there. The RAF was still intact and would have far more TOT (Time Over Target) than the Luftwaffe, because of the range limitations of German fighters and the distances involved. Furthermore, the British Navy's preponderance can never be ignored.

There's also the problem that the Germans lacked all of the logistics and high quality landing craft that the Allies had in '44 when they executed the Normandy Invasion. IIRC, the Germans were planning to make do with river barges, some of which would be loaded with horses for the artillery (sea-sick horses would be unpleasant at best).

The Israelis fighting for their lives in the 1948 war. Being attacked by 7 Arab countries with almost no military!

Many battles (all???) are won by luck. But here is one of my favourites:
Tanga: 800 Germans against 8.000 British and Indish troops. Although the Germans defended bravely and despite an incompetent British leader, the Germans had no ammo left, when the last phase of the battle started. However they found a new ally to attack the British, although there were cases of "frienly fire": Bees! That battle ended because of that in a total defeat of the British.
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=108069

Adler

The Maya-Aztec war.

the battle of Navas de tolosa, most important battle of spanish history

an allied castillian navarre portuguese and aragonese 50.000 army defeated a 125.000 muslim almohade army, killing mroe than 100.000, lucky because they cought the almohades by surprise, sneaking thru mountains.

Spain would still be muslim if that victory had never happened.


I remember that the war between sparta and athen was won by sparta when they discovered the place where the athenian fleet had landed for the sailors to rest, and they burned the ships.

Anybody remembers the name of this ?

The Union army in Maryland in September 1862. They found copies of Lee's plans and were able to corner him at Sharpsburg (Antietam) and fight him to a draw. This gave Lincoln enough of a win to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. It also gave Lincoln reason to fire McClellan and put another stupid general in charge: Burnside.

Well, it was a spot of luck for the Union Army at Antietam, but the luck wasn't just in the finding of Lee's plans. The luck started when Lee set out on his campaign. His plans were to invade into Pennsylvania and take Harrisburg, but there was a garrison of 12,000 union soldiers in Harper's Ferry. He hoped that the Union general staff would recognize that this force was vulnerable and withdraw it to Washington to help with that city's defense. Well, McClellan did issue orders for the garrison to be removed to Washington. However, Halleck-the Chief of Staff of the Army-was feuding with McClellan and decided to do nothing about moving the garrison.

When Lee got into central Maryland and realized that the 12,000 men in Harper's Ferry were not leaving, rather than leave an enemy force in his rear-in a position where it could come out and do some damage-he split his force, sent half to capture the garrison at Harper's Ferry and eliminate this threat. It was a copy of this plan that was found by Union troops and passed up the chain of command to McClellan.

So, in the grand scheme of things, the real spot of luck wasn't just in the finding of the plan, but in the fact that the Army's Chief of Staff, Henry Halleck, was pissed off at George McClellan and refused to cooperate with McClellan's plan to defend Washington, D.C. I guess, if you think about it, that this is one of the few times in history when someone having a "power trip" payed off.

The Union army in Maryland in September 1862. They found copies of Lee's plans and were able to corner him at Sharpsburg (Antietam) and fight him to a draw. This gave Lincoln enough of a win to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. It also gave Lincoln reason to fire McClellan and put another stupid general in charge: Burnside.

That was lucky for the confederates. Because McClellan could have crushed the confederates if he hadn't decided to sit on his butt.

The Battle of Hastings - a decisive norman victory in 1066. The norman king, William of Normandy, decided to order his archers and crossbowmen to shot a last barrage, and his other troopers to chrage up the hill, and if this won't succeed he will admit defeat and retreat back to his ships. Fortunately, or unfortunately, in that last barrage the Anglo-Saxon king, Harold Godwinson, was wounded badly from an arrow in his.. eye. Lucky shot.

When the British were burning Washington in the War of 1812. After getting humiliated by the Brittish 11 miles from the city, the British were burning the (ghost-town ish) capital. In the middle of it a hurricane struck and wiped the Brittish off the face of the country.
Agincourt, when 400 English Yeomen/longbowmen were attacked by tons of french knights, ect. The English were perched on top of a hill when the french attacked. It started raining, the french couldn't move in the mud, English won.

When the British were burning Washington in the War of 1812. After getting humiliated by the Brittish 11 miles from the city, the British were burning the (ghost-town ish) capital. In the middle of it a hurricane struck and wiped the Brittish off the face of the country.

The British weren't driven out of the US by a hurricane (actually a typhoon) during the burning of Washington, they went on to attack Baltimore afterwards. It did help dampen some of the fires in the city though whilst also damaging the city and the British army.

Agincourt, when 400 English Yeomen/longbowmen were attacked by tons of french knights, ect. The English were perched on top of a hill when the french attacked. It started raining, the french couldn't move in the mud, English won.

The English weren't on a hill during the battle of Agincourt and had a fair bit more than 400 archers, figures aren't precise for the period but most say somewhere between 6-10,000 men in total. Oh and it didn't start raining during the battle, it rained beforehand.

The British weren't driven out of the US by a hurricane (actually a typhoon) during the burning of Washington, they went on to attack Baltimore afterwards. It did help dampen some of the fires in the city though whilst also damaging the city and the British army.
I know there was a typhoon at Washington during it's burning. Afterwards the British attacked Baltimore, I think with diminished forces.
The English weren't on a hill during the battle of Agincourt and had a fair bit more than 400 archers, figures aren't precise for the period but most say somewhere between 6-10,000 men in total. Oh and it didn't start raining during the battle, it rained beforehand.
I'm pretty sure they were on a hill. I was expressing it rained beforehand. If it didn't the English would be slaughered.

I'm pretty sure they were on a hill

Nope, they were in a roughly hourglass shaped defile flanked on either side by woods. I've not seen any accounts mention the English army as being on high ground either before or during the battle. You're probably thinking of Crecy where Edward IIIs army was lining the crest of a hill.

I was expressing it rained beforehand. If it didn't the English would be slaughered.

Possibly. Personally I'd say the crowding effect of trying to charge an army over ground which was barely half as wide as the army's original frontage played a significant part in the defeat too. The mud didn't prevent the French reaching the English lines completely after all, and the English already had obstacles to break up and disrupt cavalry attacks.


I know there was a typhoon at Washington during it's burning. Afterwards the British attacked Baltimore, I think with diminished forces.

Then why claim the typhoon/hurricane "wiped the British off the face of the country?". That's quite a misleading statement to my mind as it implied we left the USA because of the weather whether you intended it that way or not.

I remember that the war between sparta and athen was won by sparta when they discovered the place where the athenian fleet had landed for the sailors to rest, and they burned the ships.

Anybody remembers the name of this ?

Aegospotami. And I wouldn't really call it luck; Lysander played his hand very well, and Alcibiades left his "castle" in the Thracian Cheronese to warn the Athenians that they were in a very exposed position.

typhoons are in Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline
Hurricanes North Atlantic Ocean or North Pacific Ocean east of the dateline
so Washington was hit by a Hurricane not typhoon

typhoons are in Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline
Hurricanes North Atlantic Ocean or North Pacific Ocean east of the dateline
so Washington was hit by a Hurricane not typhoon

Not really the point I was making but thanks for the clarification.

Well since we're on the topic of 1812, the battle of New Orleans seems like a pretty lucky victory (despite being won after the war was officially over). Bad communication and coordination on the British side allowed Jackson a low causality victory.

Midway WW2, the Lady Luck couldn't of planned it any better. Such great timing, with 3/4 of the japanese planes on the decks refeuling and rearming(all the ammo and feul on the deck in plainsite) when wouldn't you know it, a couple of squadrons of US dive bombers, who were suppose to be there when the torpedo bombers came in on the first run, appear outta thin air and rain destruction on every jap carrier.

Not to mention that the previous (and wholly
unsuccessful) torpedo attacks had drawn the
Japanese fighter cover down to almost sea level, which
meant that the dive bombers went in unopposed.

Agincourt was only a victory for the English because the French were stupid (England 5,000 longbowmen 900 Knights on foot, France grand total of 25,000 men) and charged the English instead of waiting and starving them out.

The Israelis fighting for their lives in the 1948 war. Being attacked by 7 Arab countries with almost no military! They've been preparing for the conflict, had paramilitary formations ready and arnament from Tchechoslovakia.

The Ottomans: an earthquake destroyed the walls of the city the were attacking. This is good luck.
:lol:

The defenders had to be like omg wtf haxorz

Russia's winters save them twice

^ if you are a fool to invade without winter protection its your fault not the fault of General Winter :rolleyes:

The Israelis fighting for their lives in the 1948 war. Being attacked by 7 Arab countries with almost no military!

It was God's will to save Israel. There are many stories about this war. There were UFOs which reppeled the arabic armies and then dissapeard. The americans accused the Russians but they denied..