Random Historical Underdogs Who Came Out On Top (16 items)

• (#15) Daniel Morgan Used His Tactical Expertise At The Battle Of The Cowpens During The American Revolution

  From Redditor /u/Marbodoesntforgive:

  Battle of the Cowpens is a good example. The raw numbers don't tell the whole story: 1,900 American vs. 1,100 British. Trouble with those 1,900 is that 1,200 of them were unreliable militia that frequently broke at the first side of fighting. The Americans only had around 600 experienced troops. The British force was among the best in their army, with two cannons. Up until that point, British were kicking butt all over the south. And the force [that] had been chasing the Americans was there to basically deliver the endgame killing blow.

  Fortunately for the USA, Daniel Morgan was a tactical genius. He used the terrain and varied experience of his troops to his advantage perfectly. He correctly guessed exactly what his opponents would do and used it to lure them into a trap that saw the British brigade [wiped out], with around 970 dead, wounded, or captured. This opened the door for Washington to trap Cornwallis at Yorktown. It makes for an interesting read.

  Here's What Happened:

  Most of the rebel fighters at the Battle of Cowpens were inexperienced and untrained. The fight took place on January 17, 1781, in South Carolina, with Britain's professional military underestimating their opponent entirely. Even their commander, Daniel Morgan, expressed little faith in the American fighters, telling one of his generals that the "force is inadequate to the attempt you have hinted at." Morgan continued, "Nor do I expect to have more than two-thirds of these to assist me, should I be attacked...for  it is impossible to keep them collected."

  In spite of his deficits, Morgan kept his men together, lining them up in a way that made flight very difficult. He drew the British, led by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, out, inflicting heavy casualties in the process. Lieutenant Colonel William Washington trapped a large number of British soldiers, causing them to put down their weapons. Tarleton tried to regroup, but was forced to retreat. 
• (#2) Finland Used The Weather To Resist The Red Army In 1939

  From Redditor /u/Thermal_Afternoon:

  Just in general, the Winter War is a personal favorite. A Soviet world-class army getting their [butt] kicked by a bunch of Finns hiding in the snow is amazing.

  Here's What Happened:

  The Soviet Union entered into Finland in 1939, the result of a long-standing border feud. According to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, the Finnish border needed to be pushed back in order to create a protection area around Leningrad. The Finns were unwilling to give in to Stalin's demands, and attempts at diplomacy failed, so Stalin invaded with roughly 500,000 men. 

  The Winter War was fought on Finnish soil, which gave Finland a definite advantage. By engaging in guerilla tactics, Finland used bunkers, trenches, and strategic fortifications to resist Soviet incursions. The first offensive by the Soviets launched on November 30, 1939, with the aggressors entering Finland from numerous locations during the following days. Air strikes inflicted heavy damage and loss of life on Helsinki, but over the following months, Finland used ski troops and snipers effectively against the Soviets. 

  In the end, Finland had to make peace with the Soviets, especially after a new round of bombings in February 1940. By the end of the conflict, the Soviet Union lost more than 300,000 men, while the Finns suffered about 65,000 casualties. 
• (#10) The Hussites Repelled The Holy Roman Empire And The Roman Catholic Church In 1420

  From Redditor /u/Vargue:

  [At] Vitkov Hill, Jan Zizka beating the German knighthood with a hundred [militants].

  Exact numbers are unknown when it comes to the number of men Zizka had at his command. Regardless, the half-blind Zizka equipped local militants with agricultural tools and whatever could be found to hold off the exponentially larger... force as they attempted to make their way to Prague. Zizka remained on the battlelines of the Hussite Wars until his passing in 1424 CE. 

  Here's What Happened:

  Underequipped and severely outnumbered, the Hussites in Bohemia fought to resist the Holy Roman Empire during the Hussite Wars of the early 15th century. Followers of religious reformer Jan Hus, the Hussites were considered heretical and needed to be brought into the Catholic Church, not to mention a threat to the political authority of Emperor Sigismund (r. 1410-1437).

  Jan Zizka was an avid follower of Hus, taking the lead among the Taborites, or militant peasant contingents within the faith. When the Holy Roman Empire and Sigismund attempted to take Prague in 1420, Zizka and a group of as many as 9,000 Hussites - men and women alike - set up a defense at Vitkov Hill, east of the city. From 70,000 to 150,000 Holy Roman Empire fighters, depending on the source, besieged Vitkov Hill as the Hussites held onto the strategic upper ground. The Hussites used rudimentary axes and pitchforks, repelling the Germanic forces. 
• (#7) Hannibal Didn't Give Up, And The Romans Paid The Ultimate Price

  From Redditor /u/KnowanUKnow:

  Hannibal was almost always outnumbered at least 2-1 by the Romans, yet he continued to rampage across Italy for 14 years, winning battle after battle and defeating Roman legion after legion.

  Here's What Happened:

  During the Second Punic War, Hannibal brought thousands of troops from Carthage to Europe, famously crossing the Pyrenees and the Alps with elephants as well. The Carthaginians were at a constant disadvantage, however, on foreign soil with vulnerable supply lines. Although Hannibal hoped to recruit from tribes seeking to rid themselves of Rome's dominance, he was never able to gather enough support to match the Roman military. 

  Hannibal's campaign lasted from 219 BCE to 203 BCE, during which time he defeated large numbers of Romans during entanglements at the River Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae. At Cannae in 216 BCE, there were roughly 50,000 Carthaginian infantry and cavalry fighters, while the Romans had 80,000 to 90,000 troops. According to Greek historian Polybius, as many as 70,000 Roman soldiers perished at Cannae, "a lesson to posterity that in actual war it is better to have half the number of infantry, and the superiority in cavalry, than to engage your enemy with an equality in both."
• (#16) Outnumbered And Far From Rome, Julius Caesar Proved Victorious At Alesia In 52 BCE

  From Redditor /u/GolfballDM:

  Julius Caesar at the Battle of Alesia. If you go by the contemporary estimates of the Gallic force, Caesar was outnumbered anywhere from 6-1 to 10-1. And they had to both besiege Alesia as well as fight off the relief force.

  Here's What Happened:

  Julius Caesar embarked on an extensive campaign to capture Gaul, one that lasted for most of the 50s BCE. In 52 BCE, Caesar fought the campaign that would solidify Roman dominance of much of modern Western Europe, defeating Vercingetorix (d. 46 BCE) and his united Gallic forces. As the head of the Arverni tribe, Vercingetorix had an estimated 250,000 relief troops and his 80,000 men to take on Caesar's some 60,000 soldiers. 

  Caesar and the Romans built besieged Vercingetorix and his men at Alesia, the site at which they'd taken refuge after an initial failed cavalry assault. Roman soldiers built fortifications around Alesia, intending to starve out the Gauls. Vercingetorix had only a month's worth of rations, prompting him to try to exploit a weakness identified in the Roman line. He sent one of his commanders, Vercassivellaunus, with 60,000 men, but Caesar's men withstood their advance. 

  Vercingetorix ultimately called a council of Gallic chiefs, telling them he should slay him or send him to the Romans. They surrendered Vercingetorix, ending their resistance and opening up Gaul to the Romans. 
• (#6) Untrained Soldiers Kept The SS Out Of Norway For A Short Time

  From Redditor /u/dogster202:

  The Battle of Drøbak Sound.

  A coastal fort with weapons so old the country that built them no longer existed [was] manned by pensioners and recruits [who] sank a cruiser so new its crew were still finishing training.

  Here's What Happened:

  When the SS set out to take Norway in early April 1940, the Norwegian people were determined to hold them back as long as possible. At the fort of Drøbak, German warships and aircraft began bombarding on April 9, led by the Blücher. German forces knew the area was a training ground for the Norwegian military but didn't realize it was equipped with torpedoes.

  The Germans were also unaware that a group of men had recently been conscripted into service and were present at the fort. With his men, who had only about a week of training, and older military men like Commander Andraes Andersen, Colonel Birger Eriksen and the Norwegians took their stand. The Norwegian combatants held off the Blücher, severely damaging it in the process. The Blücher later sank to the bottom of Oslofjord.

  Their efforts delayed the incursion briefly, but the Luftwaffe began to drop torpedoes on their location at Kaholm the next day.

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