The Battle of Thermopylae
The battle took place in 480 BC, in which an outnumbered Greek force including the famous
300 Spartans,
among others, held off an
overwhelmingly larger force of Persians.
(Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "E" is for "embarrassment")
The
following scenelet might suggest to you a well-known military operation…
“You
served as platoon sergeant at the time of the battle?”
“That’s right, general.”
“I haven’t been
able to get much satisfaction from the officers so I thought I’d try a non-com.”
“I’ll do my best, sir.”
“You understand what this looks like – not just to
our country but to the entire world?”
“Well, I believe that once they’re aware of the
actual situation they can more easily understand our difficulties. The terrain…”
“Is that it?
The terrain? Every officer I
spoke to wailed on irritatingly about the terrain; I thought a sergeant might give me some
better information.”
“But sir, the terrain was the problem. None of us had
ever seen anything like it before.”
“Don’t you understand? There’s always a problem with the terrain in
any operation. That doesn’t mean you can
decide to pack up and go home. What do I
care about the terrain anyway, sergeant?
You were serving in a unit of several hundred thousand troops and the
enemy, according to the latest information, consisted of a few hundred. It’s ridiculous that they had you stopped.”
“You mention information, general. We evaluated the enigmatic info we were given and that
is all we had to go on. Turned out that
info was incorrect.”
“As often happens during wartime. Again, we can’t get away from the ludicrous fact:
a quarter million of you and a couple of hundred of them. It wasn't a battle, it was an embarrassment."
“I know you don’t like hearing about it, general,
but could I explain just why the terrain was so important in this operation?”
“Oh, all right.”
“They call it a pass. It was actually more of a path. And it was so narrow; in some places a couple
of yards across. We had cliffs on one
side and the ocean on the other. We sort
of jammed our troops into this narrow path and when they emerged at the
other side, the gruesome fact was the enemy could pick them off.”
(Sighs) “Well, I guess there’s no help for it. It’s my job now to go and try to explain this
to the emperor.”
(The
answer will be posted Saturday.)
27 comments:
Could this be a de-briefing held after the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans, plus a few others, defeated the vast Persian army that was trying to conquer Greece?
Altonian starts us off with the first right answer.
Sound like Thermopylæ.
Another correct answer, this time from naturgesetz.
I had several thoughts. Gallipoli?
I am at a loss. It could fit the Battle of Thermoplyae or the Battle of Sharpsburg during the Civil War.
You know far more than I. I enjoy visiting. I learn so much from your posts. Thank you.
Gail has just coughed up the right answer.
Gettysburg?
I never find answers to any of the quizzes, though i try everytime
Operation Pugilist perhaps
Hank
Embarrasment is not such a bad thing if one can see the opportunity of learning from it
Melody (abcw)
hmmm..operation Terrain or hemmed in..
Berowne,
I am hoping you will share another story soon. I so enjoy them.
And I have to admit I enjoy comments like yours; thanks.
Simply no idea about the answer... Operation Pumpernickel maybe?
I'm pretty sure it has to do with the Khyber Pass, then. But what battle? Probably one Kipling referred to in the story that became The Man Who Would Be King.
A good guess. Not the right guess but a good guess.
The Battle of Navarre ?
Best wishes,
Di,
ABCW team.
No clue this time round but I do like your story-telling.
BeatAboutThe Book
Could it be the battle in the Teutoburg Forest.. ?
I would have to cheat and research this on Google. Mrs. Barlow didn't raise any cheaters, so I will have to pass! Glad to be back with you and your wonderful quizzes, Berowne! Amy
Welcome back, Amy! I try to wrte 'em so they can't be googled. Good to have you wih us again.
Making my weekly visit.
My ABC WEDNESDAY
All I can think of this week is the parting of the Red (Reed) Sea and the drowning of the Egyptian Army.
No question, this was a tough one this week...
no idea
All I think of is Pres. Bush and the supposed WMDs in Iraq.
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