"No human being could have done that" Topic

Examples of battles, skirmishes, charges, whatever that just leave you shaking your head, because you can't believe anybody would've been courageous/stupid enough to attempt it.

Mine: The Hornet's Nest at Shiloh.

Missionary Ridge.

The Nek, Gallipoli.

Ferozashah -

link

And the best description of it is in "Flashman and the Mountain of Light."

Mark

Well, there's the First Minnesota at Gettysburg. Then the whole Pickett's Charge bit too.

But I'd say it's one of those things which is too broad for me to really say. There are so many instances of where just pure guts and leadership come through and inspire humans to do incredible things.

My two shillings.

Eric

Iron Brigade – Brawner's Farm (Brigade and a half against Stonewall Jackson's Corps), South Mountain (Ran out of ammo and carried the day at bayonet point), Anteitam (800 men aganst Stonewall brigade and Hood), Fredericksburg (First in, last out), Chancellorsville (Plugged gap filled by XI Corps), Gettysburg (Stormed McPherson's Woods, held off two Divisions all the live long day, occupied Culp's Hill).
Honorable mention – My son and I made a list
Spartans and Thesbians at Thermopylae
Brasidas in Thrace
Anabasis of the 10,000
Agesilaus invasion of Asia
Alexander at Arabela
Xanthippus at Tunes
Hannibal at Cannae
Hospitalers at Rhodes and Malta
Stephen Lazerevic at Ankara
Joshua Barney – His entire life
Preble and Decatur at Tripoli
Presley O'Bannon at Derna
Oliver Hazzard Perry Lake Erie, switched flagships
93rd Highlanders at Balaklava
Zulus at Isandlwana
British at Rorke's Drift
Nogi at Port Arthur
Von Lettow Vorbeck – East Afrika
32nd (Red Arrow) Division WWI and WWII (National Guard)
Greeks in Albania 1940
1st Marine Division – Guadalcanal
Free French at Bir Hakim
442nd Regimental Combat Team
Bill Millin in Normandy
503rd PRCT at Corregidor
Gurkhas always
Too numerous to mention

I was going to say the British and Ferozeshah too.

Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, the battle off Samar.

Robert

Assaye.

any of them

Hattie Jaques' husband….

Standing in the front line of a block of men, armed with long sticks tipped with bits of metal and trying to stab another guy you are standing eye-to-eye with …

Or armed with an even longer stick, seeing these huge, noisy animals with a long prehensile nose coming towards you.

re Hattie Jacques, you mean John Le Mesurier. He was left by her for another man …

I still could not have done that….

The Greeks at Thermopylae

Hannibal and the elephants…
That German commando dude that went and rescued Mussolini.

Anything where I am not in a camouflage uniform hiding behind a rock or in a trench, armed with an assault rifle and plenty of ammo.

But mostly horse and musket era, when you have to walk slowly in packed ranks towards men armed with firearms intent on doing you harm while you shoulder yours…

Any and all of them.

I want to be a staff officer with red-tabs on my jacket and to sit in the army headquaters at some chateau and never go near a front line where it's too bloody dangerous!

If forced to choose:

Operating a PT boat in the depths of winter travelling between German Occupied Norway and the Shetland Island. (My uncle did that one.)

Bomber Command over German – odds 1:20 of not coming back each time. 40 trips to a tours. Do the maths.(My father did 2 tours).

Bomber Command special duties pilot. Finding a field in France landing and taking off again. Less than an 2 minutes on the ground. Done at night in a Lysander.

SOE agent in Occupied Europe – especially a wireless operator.

Also (stolen from another topic) Cameron. No military force has EVER equalled the courage of the foreign legion at that battle. The most valiant men ever were, interestingly enough, also the scum of the earth.

The raid on St Nazaire. When the ENEMY is recommending you for VC you are definately doing something right!

Garland's Brigade of 945 vs two Ninth Corps Divisions at Fox's Gap.

S.S. Beaverford – 2 4in guns against KMS Admiral Scheer.

Four hours.

138SquadronRAF I would prefer PT boats in the Pacific myself.