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|[[Battle of Carthage (c.149 BC)|Siege of Carthage]] |
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|<span style="display:none">{{formatnum:{{padleft:79000|7|0}}}} </span>79,000 casualties |
|<span style="display:none">{{formatnum:{{padleft:79000|7|0}}}} </span>79,000 casualties |
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|<span style="display:none">!{{#expr: 9999 - 149}} </span>149 BC |
|<span style="display:none">!{{#expr: 9999 - 149}} </span>149 BC |
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Revision as of 13:34, 5 May 2008
 | This article needs additional citations for
verification. (February 2008) |
The following is a list of the most lethal battles in world history. The list includes both sieges (not technically battles but usually yielding similar combat-related deaths) and civilian deaths during the battles.
Note: Large battle casualty counts are almost impossible to calculate precisely. Many of these figures are estimates, and some have been heavily criticized. Some figures may also mean killed or wounded while others may just mean killed – since this is the list of most lethal battles, number of killed is used where it is known. This list does not include most bombing runs or missile strikes (such as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), which despite potentially massive casualties are not typically classified as "battles," since they are usually one-sided engagements. Tactical or strategic strikes, however, may form part of larger engagements which are themselves battles.
Classical formation battles
These refer to battles in which armies met on a single field of battle and fought, generally for one to several days. With more advanced weapons, military formations lost their impact and this type of battle died out in favor of grander military operations. As a general rule, this happened in the late 19th / early 20th century. The last war to have been fought on a battle-by-battle as opposed to campaign basis is generally held to be the Second Boer War.[ citation needed] Many of these battles are ancient, and in many cases, the few historical records differ, sometimes wildly, on casualties. The figures used are what the contributors believe to be the most plausible compromise estimate.
Sieges and urban combat
This list includes sieges, as well as modern battles that were fought almost exclusively in urban areas. Such battles were often very bloody, resulting in high loss of life. Battles that involved sieges or attacks on cities as secondary to the main operation are listed under "operations".
This list is sortable. Click the box next to a column heading to sort by that criterion.
 | This list is
incomplete; you can help by
adding missing items. |
Major operations
This list includes major operations, i.e. prolonged battles or offensive operations fought over a large area.
References
- ^ Book of Sui, Vol. 60.
- ^ Leonard Cottrell (1965). Enemy of Rome. Evans Bros. ISBN 0-237-44320-1.
- ^ Valerius Antias (1st century BC). Manubiae.
- ^ Albert A. Howard (1906). "Valerius Antias and Livy", Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 17, p. 161-182.
- ^ Canon Rawlinson (1877). "On the Ethnography of the Cimbri", The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 6, p. 150-158.
- ^ Castle, I. Aspern/Wagram (1809), Osprey (1990)
- ^ a b A. I. Akram (1970). The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns. National Publishing House, Rawalpindi. ISBN 0-71010-104-X.
- ^ Ibn Ishaq ( Tabari, Vol. 3, p. 75): 70,000 killed.
- ^ Baladhuri (p. 141)
- ^ Campaigns in Western Iraq, "Khalifa Abu Bakr", Companion of the Prophet. Virtual library of Witness-Pioneer.
- ^ Al-Waqidi (8th century). Maghazi Rasulillah, Vol. 1, p. 42.
- ^ D. Smith (1998). The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill Books.
- ^ Ctesias (4th century BC). Persica.
- ^ a b Herodotus (440 BC). Histories.
See also
m Reverting possible vandalism by
168.8.132.2 to version by Snapperman2. False positive?
Report it. Thanks,
User:ClueBot. (356919) (Bot) |
168.8.132.2 (
talk) |
||
| Line 643: | Line 643: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
|[[Battle of Carthage (c.149 BC)|Siege of Carthage]] |
|[[Battle of Carthage (c.149 BC)|Siege of Carthage]] |
||
|[[Third |
|[[Third Pubic War]] |
||
|<span style="display:none">{{formatnum:{{padleft:79000|7|0}}}} </span>79,000 casualties |
|<span style="display:none">{{formatnum:{{padleft:79000|7|0}}}} </span>79,000 casualties |
||
|<span style="display:none">!{{#expr: 9999 - 149}} </span>149 BC |
|<span style="display:none">!{{#expr: 9999 - 149}} </span>149 BC |
||
Revision as of 13:34, 5 May 2008
| This article needs additional citations for
verification. (February 2008) |
The following is a list of the most lethal battles in world history. The list includes both sieges (not technically battles but usually yielding similar combat-related deaths) and civilian deaths during the battles.
Note: Large battle casualty counts are almost impossible to calculate precisely. Many of these figures are estimates, and some have been heavily criticized. Some figures may also mean killed or wounded while others may just mean killed – since this is the list of most lethal battles, number of killed is used where it is known. This list does not include most bombing runs or missile strikes (such as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), which despite potentially massive casualties are not typically classified as "battles," since they are usually one-sided engagements. Tactical or strategic strikes, however, may form part of larger engagements which are themselves battles.
Classical formation battles
These refer to battles in which armies met on a single field of battle and fought, generally for one to several days. With more advanced weapons, military formations lost their impact and this type of battle died out in favor of grander military operations. As a general rule, this happened in the late 19th / early 20th century. The last war to have been fought on a battle-by-battle as opposed to campaign basis is generally held to be the Second Boer War.[ citation needed] Many of these battles are ancient, and in many cases, the few historical records differ, sometimes wildly, on casualties. The figures used are what the contributors believe to be the most plausible compromise estimate.
Sieges and urban combat
This list includes sieges, as well as modern battles that were fought almost exclusively in urban areas. Such battles were often very bloody, resulting in high loss of life. Battles that involved sieges or attacks on cities as secondary to the main operation are listed under "operations".
This list is sortable. Click the box next to a column heading to sort by that criterion.
| This list is
incomplete; you can help by
adding missing items. |
Major operations
This list includes major operations, i.e. prolonged battles or offensive operations fought over a large area.
References
- ^ Book of Sui, Vol. 60.
- ^ Leonard Cottrell (1965). Enemy of Rome. Evans Bros. ISBN 0-237-44320-1.
- ^ Valerius Antias (1st century BC). Manubiae.
- ^ Albert A. Howard (1906). "Valerius Antias and Livy", Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 17, p. 161-182.
- ^ Canon Rawlinson (1877). "On the Ethnography of the Cimbri", The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 6, p. 150-158.
- ^ Castle, I. Aspern/Wagram (1809), Osprey (1990)
- ^ a b A. I. Akram (1970). The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns. National Publishing House, Rawalpindi. ISBN 0-71010-104-X.
- ^ Ibn Ishaq ( Tabari, Vol. 3, p. 75): 70,000 killed.
- ^ Baladhuri (p. 141)
- ^ Campaigns in Western Iraq, "Khalifa Abu Bakr", Companion of the Prophet. Virtual library of Witness-Pioneer.
- ^ Al-Waqidi (8th century). Maghazi Rasulillah, Vol. 1, p. 42.
- ^ D. Smith (1998). The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill Books.
- ^ Ctesias (4th century BC). Persica.
- ^ a b Herodotus (440 BC). Histories.