Most Forgotten or Over Looked Wars in History

[Tank_Guy#3]

What do you think is the most overlooked, forgotten or underappreciated war in the recorded history? I believe it to be the Soviet-Polish War of 1920-21. Had the Poles lost this war, the Soviets would have been free to march almost unchallenged through Germany, because teh Germans were so crippled by the Treaty of Versailles. They may also have been able to continue on thru France because the Maginot Line, I believe, was not even in the works at this time, and also theirs and the British army were in bad shape after WW1.

 

[Aphex_Twin]

It's probably so overlooked and underappreciated noone rememberes it

 

[The Last Conformist]

Probably not the most forgotten or overlooked one, but the one whose obscurity surprises me the most is the Sino-Vietnamese War. So recent, and involving so well-known countries, yet even among people here who were adults when it happened so many cannot recall having heard of it.

 

[JohnRM]

In my country, the War of 1812. So very few Americans know what happened during that war. Many of the things they have heard about it, they think occured during the American Revolution.

 

[luiz]

The Tripple Alliance War was not a turning point in history, but I think that its amazing brutality and fanatism make it worthy of more attention.
It was the war with the largest percentage of deaths in history, IIRC(in the paraguayan side, of course).

 

[nonconformist]

The Tripple Alliance War was not a turning point in history, but I think that its amazing brutality and fanatism make it worthy of more attention.
It was the war with the largest percentage of deaths in history, IIRC(in the paraguayan side, of course).

Here, here. My thoughts exactly.

 

[Richard Cribb]

While not the most important of conflicts, I think that the Transnistria war in 1991-92 is not so generally known.
The Chinese - Indian war in 1962 also seems to be rather absent from many peoples memory.

 

[The Last Conformist]

The Tripple Alliance War was not a turning point in history, but I think that its amazing brutality and fanatism make it worthy of more attention.
It was the war with the largest percentage of deaths in history, IIRC(in the paraguayan side, of course).

FWIW, older editions of Guiness mentioned Paraguay's losses as the worst ever (haven't checked any recent edition). This would seem to require that the Herero War doesn't count (~75% of the Herero people killed), and I'd still wonder about China's war against the Jungars (the later ceased to exist as an ethnic group, and their lands were resettled with Kazakhs and Uighurs, but I've never seen a casuality estimate).

Notably, the Jungars started the later war. Lesson: Don't attack countries for which the loss of an army bigger than your population is a temporary setback.

 

[luiz]

FWIW, older editions of Guiness mentioned Paraguay's losses as the worst ever (haven't checked any recent edition). This would seem to require that the Herero War doesn't count (~75% of the Herero people killed), and I'd still wonder about China's war against the Jungars (the later ceased to exist as an ethnic group, and their lands were resettled with Kazakhs and Uighurs, but I've never seen a casuality estimate).

Notably, the Jungars started the later war. Lesson: Don't attack countries for which the loss of an army bigger than your population is a temporary setback.

Paraguay was probably the worst in wars against nation-states, but I'm sure that some ethnicities suffered a larger death-toll.

After the Guaraníticas, for exemple, the Guarani people became basically extinct in Brazil(even though there is still a considerable ammount of people with Guarani blood).

 

[RoddyVR]

Notably, the Jungars started the later war. Lesson: Don't attack countries for which the loss of an army bigger than your population is a temporary setback.

that is priceless. hope you dont mind me swiping it for my sig.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I can certainly see the case for excluding what's essentially genocides of organized states on primitive peoples, such as the Herero War. But the Jungar dominion, while not a nation-state, certainly was much more than a primitive chiefdom. Primitive chiefdoms do not reach across half of Eurasia.

 

[The Last Conformist]

that is priceless. hope you dont mind me swiping it for my sig.

Feel free.

 

[Chairman Meow]

In my country, the War of 1812. So very few Americans know what happened during that war. Many of the things they have heard about it, they think occured during the American Revolution.

I second this. I recently had to tell someone who should have known better, that the Battle of New Orleans did not occur during the American Revolution. In fact, to nitpick, it didn't happen during the War of 1812, either, since the treaty ending the war was signed before the battle took place...

 

[Riesstiu IV]

Iran-Iraq war seems to be forgotten and relatively ignored. Two nations using WWI trench warfare strategies, chemical weapons, and mass infantry charges that lasted for several years. Millions were killed and neither side made significant territorial gains. It set back the economic growth of Iran and Iraq to a great extent.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I think it would be hard to find an adult here around who is not aware of the Iran-Iraq War. Not so for the other wars mentioned in this thread.

 

[Rhymes]

The fight at "les plaines d'abrahame" between the french and english army in Quebec city, envolving generals Montcalme for the french and Wolf for the english. If the the french had won, they could have maintained a strong grip of north america and who knows, the number 1 language in the world might have turned out to be french.

 

[Riesstiu IV]

I think it would be hard to find an adult here around who is not aware of the Iran-Iraq War. Not so for the other wars mentioned in this thread.

I don’t know… Hardly anyone in my age group (18 – 22) is aware of the massive war between Iran and Iraq. I’m sure people who were old enough to comprehend world news during the 80’s would remember it but after the war ended it seemed to become a forgotten conflict.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I don’t know… Hardly anyone in my age group (18 – 22) is aware of the massive war between Iran and Iraq. I’m sure people who were old enough to comprehend world news during the 80’s would remember it but after the war ended it seemed to become a forgotten conflict.

I suppose it might be better know here because we received a not altogether inconsiderable number of Iranian and Iraqi refugees in the '80s.

 

[ainwood]

Moderator Action: Moved to History

 

[blackheart]

Probably not the most forgotten or overlooked one, but the one whose obscurity surprises me the most is the Sino-Vietnamese War. So recent, and involving so well-known countries, yet even among people here who were adults when it happened so many cannot recall having heard of it.

I think it is because it didn't really last that long and nothing really ever came out of it. Of course both sides claim that they won.