In 371BCE, Thebes dealt Sparta, the reigning hegemon of Greece, a blow it would never recover from. An innovative mix of hoplite tactics allowed Theban General Epaminondas to win a landmark strategic victory that put Thebes on the map... for about 30 years before they screwed it all up.
Sources:
Hanson, Victor Davis, "The Leuktra Mirage"
Ray Jr., Frank Eugene, "Greek and Macedonian Land Battles of the 4th Century BC," McFarland, 2012.
Xenophon, "Hellenica"
Battle (Normal)-Boxcat Games
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Mission-Boxcat Games
This week on Jaws of Defeat, we look at the Battle of Longewala from the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. This episode has it all: 20:1 odds, poor planning, and tanks trying to maneuver in sand.
Sources:
An Assessment of the Battle of Longewala by Thakur K. S. Ludra
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010113/windows/main4.htm
The Greatest Underdog Story Ever Told - The Battle Of Longewala, Indo-Pak War 1971 by Abhishek Saksena
Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report
Indian-Pakistan War of 1971: A Modern War by Major R.G. Kyle, Royal Canadian Artillery
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1984/KRG.htm
Battle (Normal)-Boxcat Games
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 license
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Mission-Boxcat Games