Unleashing Hell: Exploring History's Most Devastating Battles
Since the dawn of time, armed conflict has been a tragic and devastating fact of human life. Whether over land, resources, or politics, human beings have always managed to find new reasons to wage war against one another. Often as part of larger conflicts or wars, countless individual battles have ensued throughout history. Some are short and relatively uneventful while others changed the fate of entire nations and people. All battles are terrible, but some have managed to stand out in history as a particularly horrendous loss of human life.
The calculation of the deadliest wars and whether they are becoming more lethal has sparked academic discussion. Factors such as technological advancements, weaponry, and population growth contribute to the significant loss of life observed in wars, particularly in the 20th century.
With this intricate backdrop, identifying the deadliest battles within these wars can pose a challenge. It's worth recalling Mark Twain's popularized phrase about "lies, damned lies, and statistics," highlighting the complexity of such analysis.
Hi everyone and welcome back to the dark history podcast where we explore the darkest parts of human history. hope everyone is well I’m Rob your host as always. Welcome to season 3 episode 11 Unleashing Hell: Exploring History's Most Devastating Battles. Now we all know that this episode could be saturated with battles from World War 1 and World War 2, hell I could probably make an episode and each, but I thought that I would incorporate some battles in different time periods, so the battles or Passchendale or Okinawa won't be here, even though these were horrific. I know I said in the last episode I may struggle to get this out but I work my backside off to get it to you on time so hopefully you enjoy it as I'm sunning myself on my holiday.
Anyway without further ado please turn off those lights sit back and relax next to the fire for more dark history.
Where to begin? Well I suppose the civilization who had death and destruction down to a fine art, the Mongols and there infamous leader Genghis Khan, or chings khan if your a historical purist, I digress. a man, who allegedly, decreased the earths co2 output at the time because of how many people he murdered.
Anyway During the late 11th century and extending into the early 13th century, Gurganj rose as the eminent capital of the expanding Khwarezmian empire, a bustling metropolis situated along the banks of the Amu Darya river. The city of Gurganj would taste the relentless onslaught of the Mongol invasion in 1219. The conflict first began after Shah Muhammad II, the leader of the Khwarazamians, killed a group of Mongol diplomats. Enraged by this news, Genghis Khan launched a merciless and devasting invasion into what today could be roughly described as modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. The key cities of Samarkand and Bukhara both fell in short order. Only Gurganj, the capital remained.
Although Mongol forces did not encroach upon Gurganj until 1221, by then, the empire's dominions across Transoxania and Khurasan had already succumbed, leaving Gurganj isolated and bereft of hope for reinforcement.
The formidable army dispatched to besiege Gurganj was under the joint command of three illustrious sons of the indomitable conqueror, genghis khan: Jochi, Chagatai, and Ogedai. Despite the city's grim awareness that resistance would likely culminate in ruin, Gurganj defiantly took up arms against the Mongol invaders, spurred on by the strategic significance of its location along the vital inner Asian trade routes.
Remarkably, amidst the turmoil of siege preparations, a subplot unfolded as Jochi, driven by vested interests in safeguarding Gurganj's economic importance, endeavored to broker a peaceful resolution to the impending conflict. However, Jochi's efforts to reconcile the besieged city with the Mongol forces were met with internal discord, as conflicting strategies and ambitions amongst the Khan's sons hindered the cohesion of the siege effort.
A recurring observation in historical accounts talk about the absence of stones surrounding the besieged city, presumably cleared by the defenders in anticipation of the siege. This scarcity of readily available projectiles compelled the Mongol forces to innovate, resorting to the utilization of hardened sections of mulberry trees, a resource made resilient through saturation with water. However, given the extensive territorial control exercised by the Mongols in the surrounding regions, one cannot help but speculate whether this makeshift solution was merely a stopgap measure, awaiting replenishment from the ample supplies procured from other subdued cities in their expansive conquests.
Despite breaching the formidable walls of Gurganj, the Mongol conquest necessitated a grueling urban warfare campaign spanning several months, with the invaders methodically advancing through the city's streets. Utilizing devastating naptha, a highly volatile flammable liquid, much of the urban landscape fell victim to destruction as the Mongols pressed forward. When the beleaguered defenders eventually capitulated, their surrender was met with merciless retribution; the Mongol losses had been too substantial to entertain notions of clemency. the entire civilian population was either killed in enslaved, With estermates being as high as 1.2 million casualties. Most of these people were probably beheaded, the nobles often faced a more slower demise. Traditional Mongol executed royalty and nobility, without shedding blood on the ground so these people could have been trampled by horses rolled up in a carpet, buried alive or simple drowned.
The obliteration of Gurganj from history was further sealed when the nearby dams were inadvertently or possibly intentionally destroyed, resulting in the inundation of the city. This catastrophic event, compounded by the displacement or elimination of local individuals possessing knowledge of dam maintenance, contributed to the irreversible demise of Gurganj.
As we move on in time to the American civil war we come to a battle that has death on an massive scale for the relatively short time it was fought. In one single day 22,000 men were wipe off the face of the earth. This isn't the more famous blood bath at Gettysburg but the more intense and short battle of Antietam.
During the civil war The first Confederate invasion of Union territory faces setbacks. Following a Union win at the Battle of South Mountain and a Confederate victory at Harpers Ferry, General Robert E. Lee decides to make a final stand to salvage his Maryland Campaign. With Federal forces approaching from the east, Lee chooses strategic ground near Antietam Creek, a mile east of Sharpsburg, where the terrain favors defense with three stone bridges crossing the deep, swift water. On September 15 18622, Lee positions his troops behind the creek, awaiting Union General George B. McClellan's arrival.
On the afternoon of September 16, McClellan moves his army, sending Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker’s First Corps across Antietam Creek to flank Lee. At dusk, Hooker encounters Confederate General John Bell Hood’s division, leading to a skirmish until nightfall. The next morning, McClellan launched his attack.
On September 17, the Battle of Antietam begins at dawn with Hooker's Union corps attacking Lee's left flank. Fierce fighting ensues around Miller’s cornfield and the West Woods, with significant casualties. Despite their numbers, Union forces fail to break Lt. Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s line near the Dunker Church.
In the center, Union troops briefly pierce the Confederate line at the Sunken Road, but are unable to capitalize on their advantage and eventually withdraw.
In the afternoon, Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside’s Ninth Corps captures a stone bridge over Antietam Creek now know as Burnside Bridge and nearly collapses the Confederate right. However, Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill’s division arrives from Harpers Ferry just in time to repel Burnside’s assault, saving the Confederate army.
The Battle of Antietam results in over 22,000 casualties, overwhelming doctors on the scene. Nurse Clara Barton, the "Angel of the Battlefield," brought much-needed supplies. Both armies tended to their wounded overnight. Despite heavy losses, Lee skirmishes with McClellan on September 18 while moving his wounded south. On the night of September 19, realizing McClellan won't attack, Lee withdraws across the Potomac into Virginia and McClellan's cautious pursuit would later be repelled at the Battle of Shepherdstown.
Though a tactical draw, President Lincoln claims a strategic victory and issues the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22. This proclamation vows to free slaves in rebel states by January 1, 1863, linking the Union cause with the abolition of slavery and discouraging British and French support for the Confederacy.
After McClellan fails to pursue Lee, Lincoln loses faith in him and appoints Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac.
As we move on in time we come to a battle which saw the heaviest lost of life in a single day in British army history, of course this is
the battle of the Somme.
Life in the trenches during World War I was a nightmarish existence defined by unrelenting hardship and constant peril. Soldiers huddled in narrow, muddy ditches, enduring ankle-deep mud, vermin infestations, and the stench of decay. The ever-present threat of enemy artillery bombardments, sniper fire, and gas attacks kept soldiers in a state of perpetual fear and anxiety. Casualties from shelling and gunfire were a grim reality, with soldiers witnessing the maiming and death of their comrades on a regular basis.
Amidst the physical dangers, the psychological toll of trench warfare was profound. Prolonged exposure to the horrors of combat led to widespread cases of shell shock, with soldiers grappling with debilitating anxiety, nightmares, and uncontrollable tremors. It was under these dire conditions that the battle of the Somme offensive began.
After failing in 1914-15 to break the muddy stalemate of trench warfare, the Allies developed a new plan. A ‘Big Push’ on the Western Front would coincide with attacks by Russia and Italy elsewhere.
The British wanted to attack in Belgium. But the French demanded an operation at the point in the Allied line where the two armies met. This was along a 25-mile or 40km front on the River Somme in northern France.
Commencing on June 24, 1916, the British initiated a comprehensive seven-day preliminary bombardment as part of their strategy. General Sir Douglas Haig's artillery was tasked with the ambitious objective of obliterating German defenses, neutralizing enemy guns, and severing the barbed wire barriers ahead of the enemy lines. Upon the commencement of the assault, a creeping barrage was to be implemented, providing cover for the advancing infantry.
Anticipating that the relentless bombardment would devastate German positions and render them ripe for occupation, the British harbored high hopes for the success of their offensive. However, their expectations were ultimately dashed as they discovered the limitations of their firepower. The artillery assets were thinly spread, proving insufficient for the monumental task at hand and highlighting a significant overestimation of their capabilities.
The British fired 1.5 million shells. Many were shrapnel, which threw out steel balls when they exploded. These were devastating against troops in the open, but largely ineffective against concrete dugouts. A lot of shells were also defective. The German defences were not destroyed and in many places the wire remained uncut.
Exactly a week after the bombardment began At 7.30am on 1 July 1916, the whistles of British officers sounded up and down the trenches to signify that they were going over the top and 14 British divisions attacked. In most cases they were unable to keep up with the barrage that was supposed to take them through to the German trenches.
This gave the Germans time to scramble out of their dugouts, man their trenches and open fire. Although some gains were made most of the tightly packed men were mowed down with machine gun fire, rifles, artillery and were slaughtered. In one single day the british suffered over 57,000 casualties of which 19,000 men died.
The battle of the Somme raged for a further 4 months. The men on all sides suffered through modern warfare at its deadliest including aircraft, heavy artillery, machine guns, mortars, spray chemical weapons, and flamethrowers. The very first tanks were used in the Battle of the Somme on September 15, 1916.
When the Battle of the Somme finally ended on November 18, 1916, more than a million soldiers from the British, German, and French armies were wounded or killed.
for our final story of today episode we move to world war 2. I always feel the Russian efforts in world war 2 are massively understated and their losses even more so. Honestl, without Russia, World War 2 would never have been won. The battles between Germany and Russia were biblical, the most famous being the battle of Stalingrad but today we will focus on the horrors of the siege of Leningrad.
The siege of Leningrad, formerly St. Petersburg before the Russian Revolution, lasted 872 days, significantly longer than the battle for Stalingrad by six and a half times, and witnessed unprecedented suffering. In the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, the German Army Group North advanced through the Baltic territories, reaching the outskirts of Leningrad. This city held political, military, and economic importance, as it bore Lenin’s name, was a major Baltic port, and an industrial hub. To Adolf Hitler, capturing Leningrad symbolized Nazism's ideological victory over international communism. The siege began after weeks of artillery shelling in August 1941, followed by the Blockading Leningrad in September, German forces succeeded in trapping half a million Soviet troops, most of Russia’s Baltic fleet and an estimated 3 million civilians inside and around the city, which was bombarded day and night. The bombing of the city was particularly intense during the first weeks of the siege (80 per cent of the air raids took place between September and November 1941), but the summers of 1942 and 1943 were also extremely violent: shells continuously rained down on the city. The shelling of the city by artillery was coupled with a psychological offensive: the Germans dropped thousands of leaflets announcing the defeat of the USSR to the population.
It is impossible to describe the horrors the city’s population endured as the slow and painful process of starvation set in. The population resembled walking skeletons. Many people became too tired to move. Some people resorted to murder and cannibalism to survive. Most dangerous of all was the wave of children being kidnapped and eaten. Approximately 1,500 Leningraders were arrested for cannibalism during this time. Others wasted away and died in silence. In the first winter of the blockade, temperatures reached lows of -40°C, freezing pipes and leaving many people without power, running water or central heating. The inhabitants had to burn anything they could find to stay warm, causing numerous fires.
In the sealed-off city, death was everywhere. People collapsed from exhaustion in the street or died at home, like the family of Tanya Savicheva, a little girl who became the symbol of the siege. In her notebook she recorded the death of each member of her family, until only she was left. Bodies filled the streets of the formerly beautiful imperial city. On a daily basis, the Luftwaffe would drop bombs on the population of Leningrad, creating further physical and psychological torment for the civilian population.
Nazi leaders were well-informed about the ordeals facing the Russians and were unbothered by it.
Faced with this situation, the Soviets tried to manage the crisis. Even today, some of their actions are still criticised: they are particularly criticised for not evacuating the city on time and for not having organised emergency supplies. Nevertheless, after the first clumsy days, the defence and survival of Leningrad were organised, just like the rest of the Soviet Union. Despite the risk of bombing, the “road of life” over the frozen Lake Ladoga allowed hundreds of thousands of inhabitants to be evacuated and a minimum of food to be brought into the city. Vast mass graves were dug in the spring to hold the corpses and limit the risk of epidemics.
Three million people endured the 900-day blockade A million or more died, mostly civilians felled by hunger and cold. The two-and-a-half-year siege caused the greatest destruction and the largest loss of life ever known in a modern city.
the German forces were finally driven off by the Red Army. However, contrary to Hitler’s plan, many inhabitants of Leningrad were still alive and the city was still standing.
thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen to this dark episode. So yeah there was a selection of some of the worst battles in history. To be honest I could have put most Mongol battles into this list and had the same result, 1.2 million is a massive number of casualties but its hard to imagine that number in terms of people so imagine going to jacksonville, Seattle or San Francisco and there whole population and then some dead or injured, that gives you the scale of death what about Bostons population and Atlantas population combined and then some.
The American civil war was brutal just like the world war 1, modern weapons against old military tactic, Stand in a line and fire with repeat fireing weapons. So when you hear 22,000 people killed in one day its kind of hard to wrap your head around so for some context at the battle of antietam we known 22,000 people were killed in one day that is more then the entire war of 1812 and the mexican American war it is also more then the war on terror, Spanish American war and first gulf war combined.
When I read about or talk about World war 1 something that I heard a history say once always rattles around my brain, he said “there is a reason why there isn't many world war 1 movies and that is because it was a meat grinder” that has always stuck with me. I don't think the levels of fear and terror can be described in words nor picture.
The siege of Leningrad was just deplorable, we all know the nazi were evil evil fuckers but that was next level, the death in Leningrad were 10 times the number of deaths caused by the bombing of Hiroshima, and about equal to all American casualties in all U.S. wars combined and Stalingrad was probably worse.
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