Worst battle to be in for a soldier?

**KPR** · 16 Feb 06, 02:22

The Little Bighorn, with Custer's element of the 7th Cavalry.

**tttcomrader** · 16 Feb 06, 03:53

Originally Posted by Amled

A non-military laymans opinion:
Being a Russian soldier during the WWII!
Charging the German lines, while having the NKVD behind you shooting anyone who falters!
Talk about being between the rock and the hard place.
Maybe being one of Pickett’s Virginians walking that bloody mile on Cemetery Hill and into the mouths of the Union cannons!

Being Russians is hard in WWII, but at the least if you survive, you live on as a victor, if you die, you will be remember as a hero.

Being a Polish soldier in WWII who oppose the Communist would be quite rough. You pretty much lose the war on both side, and you don't have a home after the war. I wouldn't want to be a Pole in the Warsaw Uprising.

But the worst, man, I think is to fight in any battles of the Russian Civil War as a White. You are pretty much screwed whether you die or not.

**lemontree** · 16 Feb 06, 05:11

All battles of WWI.

**sparten** · 16 Feb 06, 05:47

First Day on the Somme; 65,000 dead
Battle of Borodino 1812; 60,000 dead. If Napoleon had been a mere commander rather than an Emperor, I think he would have lost his head for this Battle.
Third Battle of Nanking 1864, 150,000 dead over three days. Thats more than the Union battle dead during thr American Civil War.

Any time Halagu Khan faced you.
Bruislov Offensive: 1916
Verdun: 1916
Stalingrad
Chosin

**Trivia question**
Which was in terms of lives lost, the bloodiest single day in human history?

**Bluesman** · 16 Feb 06, 11:14

Originally Posted by sparten

First Day on the Somme; 65,000 dead
Battle of Borodino 1812; 60,000 dead. If Napoleon had been a mere commander rather than an Emperor, I think he would have lost his head for this Battle.

I think (not interested in doing research at 0500!) that Borodino saw 60K from BOTH sides, whereas the 60K from the Somme was just the poor Brits.

My reason for picking it was the sheer mindless stupidity and hopelessness of the whole thing. No result achieved; force shattered. My cat could've managed that battle better, and the conditions were almost as bad for the troops as for a Napoleonic soldier.

For sheer horror, I don't think there was anything to match the depths that warfare sank to in WWI (from the modern era, anyway; the Thirty Years' War and the Taiping Rebellion were also bestial, but belong in a different context).

Originally Posted by sparten

**Trivia question**
Which was in terms of lives lost, the bloodiest single day in human history?

I believe it was the earthquake in China that killed 700K.

**Major Dad** · 16 Feb 06, 21:31

Originally Posted by Bluesman

The Somme. I think that's the worst by such a long margin, that I'd really have to be convinced of another one that was worse.

I agree.

**Bill** · 16 Feb 06, 21:51

Originally Posted by Major Dad

I agree.

If someone can explain to me how the somme was worse than Guadal canal or Stalingrad, of for that matter Thermopalae(IMO probably the worst ever from the defenders standpoint, as every single defender of the pass was killed by archery fire after days of close HTH combat...against a Persian force literally 1000+ times their size!) i am all ears.

**Dreadnought** · 16 Feb 06, 22:27

Originally Posted by M21Sniper

If someone can explain to me how the somme was worse than Guadal canal or Stalingrad, of for that matter Thermopalae(IMO probably the worst ever from the defenders standpoint, as every single defender of the pass was killed by archery fire after days of close HTH combat...against a Persian force literally 1000+ times their size!) i am all ears.

If I had to pick one in WWII I think Stallingrad only because I have not read yet about Guadalcanal with exception to the Naval battles there.
I may have to revisit this post after reading battle information on it.

**Bill** · 16 Feb 06, 23:25

Originally Posted by Dreadnought

If I had to pick one in WWII I think Stallingrad only because I have not read yet about Guadalcanal with exception to the Naval battles there.
I may have to revisit this post after reading battle information on it.

Guadalcanals nickname among the Marines that fought there is "Starvation Island". That should give you an idea as to what kind of hell it was.

I forgot Iwo Jima too.

Iwo Jima was flat out AS BAD AS WAR CAN GET for the individual troopers.

**Wraith601** · 17 Feb 06, 01:27

Originally Posted by M21Sniper

Guadalcanals nickname among the Marines that fought there is "Starvation Island". That should give you an idea as to what kind of hell it was.

I forgot Iwo Jima too.

Iwo Jima was flat out AS BAD AS WAR CAN GET for the individual troopers.

If I recall the Japanese lost the better part of a regiment to crocidiles in one night on Guadacanal.

**~~brian00~~** · 17 Feb 06, 01:39

Originally Posted by M21Sniper

If someone can explain to me how the somme was worse than Guadal canal or Stalingrad, of for that matter Thermopalae(IMO probably the worst ever from the defenders standpoint, as every single defender of the pass was killed by archery fire after days of close HTH combat...against a Persian force literally 1000+ times their size!) i am all ears.

Advancing on machine gun nests with fixed bayonets after years of living in diseased flooded trenchs filled with rats and various other parasites

Total dead on both sides = 1 million

**Semper Fi** · 17 Feb 06, 06:57

Heh...Not too long ago I was playing "Call Of Duty" and they let you play as the allies in WWII. You have the American, British and of course the Russian campaing. And close to the end of the game you get to play the Stalingrad level. And if Stalingrad looked anywhere near how they portrayed it in the game then it was truely hell on earth.

**KPR** · 17 Feb 06, 07:22

At the little Big Horn, none of the soldiers survived, well, Custer's portion anyway.

Custer was a glory hound too.

**alton987** · 20 Feb 06, 03:38

Iraqi soldier First Gulf War...

Or anyone else who would oppose the modern US Military in a traditional field of Battle..

**Bill** · 21 Feb 06, 06:50

Originally Posted by Wraith601

If I recall the Japanese lost the better part of a regiment to crocidiles in one night on Guadacanal.

I've heard that story too.

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