Top 10 Pyrrhic Victories

by World's Top Insider Team
156 views

Imagine being in a situation where you win something or getting yourself called a “Hero” at the cost of tremendous and atrocious mess and destruction, will you still be called a “Hero” for that? It is absurd to win something at the cost of mass destruction or blooshed resulting in losses from your side.

Similarly, in history there have been many wars and conflicts where a person or a group of soldiers win but at the cost of lives of innocent civilians and mass destruction. In such a situation, the victory is called Pyrrhic Victory. The cost of winning is so high that it cancels out any benefit or advantages that came from the success. The winning is overshadowed by the negative impact and aftermath of warfare that come with it. 

In history, there are many accounts of conflicts or wars where the army or powerful military forces won the battle at the cost of barbarism and oppression. The success no longer exists, albeit the chaos is spread across.

We’ll delve into such ten pyrrhic victories in history, that show how cruel the situations get during warfare:

 

10) Battle of Bunker Hill:

Source: Wikipedia

The Battle of Bunker Hill was held by Americans against British forces during the American Revolution. The Americans were aware of the British army’s tactics, so they planned to open fire when the British army was close to their camps. When American troops opened fire, it resulted in many casualties on both sides. Most of the casualties were from the British Allies. The British army won the battle but at the cost of many casualties of their soldiers. The Americans lost a few soldiers and it was a great deal for them to defend themselves. This gave hope to Americans to fight against the strongest forces in the world.

 

9) Battle of The Alamo:

Source: Wikipedia

The Battle of the Alamo was a major war in the history of the Texas Revolution. Texas fought against Mexico for its independence. The major reason for this battle was the injustice and brutality against Texas. The Mexican army was more skillful and attacked many soldiers of Texans. The bloodshed of the Texan brotherhood made them rigid and fearless. 

Check out also:  10 Unbelievable Facts About Mel's Hole

The Texans finally won the battle and dedicated it to many deceased soldiers who lost their lives for their homeland. Texas was eventually freed from Mexicans and joined the United States, becoming a newly established state.

 

8) Battle of Malplaquet:

Source: Wikipedia

The Battle of Malplaquet was fought between two alliances and was held during the War of Spanish Succession. The two armies were The Great Alliance which consisted of British soldiers and Austrian troops while the French army consisted of Bavarian troops. The Great Alliance wanted to overtake the forts and the French army was in the lead to stop them. This fueled an idea against the French army.

The Duke of Marlborough was the leader of the Great Alliance and he planned to attack the army from the middle and then capture the fort. However, the plan successfully worked and the Great Alliance won the battle. Unfortunately, it was a pyrrhic victory because enormous numbers of soldiers from the Great Alliance were killed more than the French army. 

 

7) Battle of Lutzen:

undefined

Source: Wikipedia

The Battle of Lutzen was a major battle between Protestants in the Sweden Army and Catholics in the Roman Empire. It was held in 1632. Under the strong leadership of General Adolphus, many trained army soldiers were trained and skilled to fight against their enemies. Although, after a long conflict Sweden finally won the battle an incident occurred which took the life of the brave leader Adolphus on the battlefield. 

This victory was a sad victory because the great and powerful leader was lost. The Swedish people still remember his name and his effortless determination during the battle. 

 

6) Second Boer War:

Source: Wikipedia

The Second Boer War was the conflict between the Britishers and Boers in South Africa. The Boers is the name given to Dutch settlers. The British army was interested in gold and precious resources and thus wanted to overtake the land of Dutch settlers the Transvaal Republic and Orange Free State. The Boers united together and led protests against the British army to leave their land. This pressure led to the declaration of war. The British army fought against the Boers, which lasted for three years. Many British soldiers died but in the end, the British won the battle. 

Check out also:  Top 15 Most Expensive Belts In The World

Although Boers fought bravely in the aftermath of the war, the states and the possessions were overtaken by British forces. 

 

5) Battle of Chancellorsville:

Source: Wikipedia

The Battle of Chancellorsville began during the American Civil War in Virginia. It was held between the two troops, the Union Army and Confederate Army. After the tense conflict, the Confederate army finally won but at the cost of the bloodshed of its 13000 soldiers, including its brave leader Stonewall Jackson. This was marked as a sad victory with no celebrations at all.

 

4) Pearl Harbour: 

Source: Wikipedia

The Pearl Harbour attack was held in 1941 in Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. The conflict started when Japan attacked the United States. The reason behind this attack was that Japan wanted to expand their business and the United States hindered their plans. Japan attacked the Americans without warning and killed many Americans. Not only this, Japan aggressively caused mass destruction and the US tried to stop the aggressive attack.

The US dropped nuclear bombs on Japan and forced them to surrender. This attack led to Japan’s defeat. 

 

3) Pyrrhic Wars:

Route of Pyrrhus of Epirus

Source: Wikipedia

In the 3rd century BC, the Romans fought a series of wars against Epirus, which is a state in northern Greece. The war started when the Romans broke a treaty with the city of Tarentum, a colony in Southern Italy. The leader of Epirus was Pyrrhus, who wanted to beat Romans. Although due to his bravery and determination, he won the battle but lost a lot of men and soldiers. 

Check out also:  Top 10 Most Helpful Apps for Students

 

2) Battle of Borodino:

Source: Wikipedia

In 1812, the battle of Borodino was fought between the French Grand Army and the Russian Army. The battle was very intense. The goal of this battle was that Napoleon wanted to defeat the Russian army and take over Moscow. The French won but at the cost of many casualties, as a result, the army was severely weakened. 

In the aftermath of the war, the Russian army burned Moscow to prevent the French army from overtaking it. 

 

1) World War I: 

Source: Wikipedia

The worst pyrrhic war in the world was World War I. The consequences of the war were disastrous for both of the armies. The war led to many casualties and a horrible aftermath that led to many problems like the Treaty of Versailles which imposed harsh penalties on Germans and gave Hitler a chance to rise for power which led to the outbreak of World War II. Another crisis was Britain’s Financial Downfall and the rise of Communism.

 

Conclusion

The Pyrrhic Victories teach us to spread peace and prosperity across the world. The success of these wars cancels out the benefits instead it gives rise to chaos and many unintended consequences that have long term effects. The negotiation of peace should always be a priority in such consequences to prevent the spread of chaos and violence. History teaches us these examples, so we can learn from it and avoid the chances of war in the future. 

ntent -->
+ posts
[convertful id="96008"]

Related Posts

Adblock Detected

Please support us by disabling your AdBlocker extension from your browsers for our website.