Military battles can cost thousands of lives, yet the sad truth is that people may not know of their significance or place in history. There are thousands of battles that have occurred in the history of humanity, yet there are millions of people have no idea of what happened in these battles. Sometimes, learning about unusual or rare battles can give us a greater perspective of the value of human life and just how precious it truly is. Spend some time reading about these four unusual military battles and how they have impacted the world.
1. The Chinese Civil War
In 1948, the world saw one of its most intense battles. The Battle of Huai-Hai was the last one to occur in the Chinese Civil War. The major groups involved were the Chinese Communist Party and Nationalist Party of Kuomintang. Over one million soldiers died from the Nationalist Party of Kuomintang. The entire war centered around which group would have control over the most populated country in the world. To this day, the Chinese Communist Party continues to reign over China. The war began after the end of World War I. Tensions continued to brew between the Chinese Communist Party and opposing forces that attempted to usurp its power. The Battle of Huai=Hai provided the Chinese with the ultimate victory that it needed in order to take control of the population and country. The outcome of this battle was significant, because there was a chance that China would have had an entirely different government system if the Nationalist Party had won. China would likely not be communist to this day if the Nationalist Party had won.
2. The Battle at Dungan Hill
This battle took place in 1647, and it is one that is not even widely known by historians. The confederate Irish army and English parliament army fought during this time in Co Meath. Over 3,000 people died as a result of the battle. The political significance of this battle was that the Irish lost many lives in attempting to protect the city of Dublin from English influence and control.
3. The Anglo-Zanzibar War
The Anglo-Zanzibar War is one of the most unique in human history. Lasting only 40 minutes in length, this war is one of the shortest wars to have ever occurred in the history of the human race. The battle was fought in 1896 between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar. The war started due to the accession of Sultan Khalid to the throne. The British did not like the new ruler who took the place of a former pro-Britain military official. The British bombarded the new ruler with two gunships and over 150 military officials. The palace was also set on fire. The Sultan lost over 500 members of his military in this short battle. This battle shows just how many human lives can be lost in even the shortest battles during war time.
4. The Moldovan-Transdniestrian War
This odd war occurred after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This war occurred between the countries of Moldova and Transdniestria. During the day, the military officials would engage in fierce battles. Every night, the officials of the war would gather together and share a few beers. They would discuss the lives that had been lost in war that day. To this day, people refer to this battle as the "Drunken War."
These unique wars show the crazy twists and turns that can occur in war time. It is important to understand these battles to see the ramifications that war can have on society, even in wars that last only forty minutes like the Anglo-Zanzibar War.
Sources:
1. www.oddee.com/item_96610.aspx
2. www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/topten/index.html
3. www.worldirish.com/listening-post/view/five-irish-battles-you-may-not-have-heard-of-1660
About Today's Guest Writer:
Doug Farmer is a military historian and guest author at www.militaryeducation.org, a site with reviews of top-rated online degree programs.