the greatest armies in the world

[javaguru]

most (~90%) of american divisions had to endure less than a year in the field
june1944-may1945

most German divisions went from circa sept1939/may1940 until march1945

4 years or so

90% of the men aged 18-25 who served in the Soviet army in 1941 didn't survive the war...

 

[Testosterone boy]

Every battle you mention is from the age of mechanized war....which most historians date from the US Civil War. Picket's charge is a horrible example of what happens with war. The Somme saw 58k British casualties in a day, the worst casualties they ever saw as an empire. Ghenghis could only dream of that kind of slaughter...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tv5gBa9DQs

I was noting exceptions to my theory. Don't know the names of the battles prior to the 19th century.

Here is the best link I have found:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_lethal_battles_in_world_history

I think our knowledge is a bit weak of the blood spilled prior to the past 100 years. Bad records.

Our top ranking in classical formation battles is #19...Gettysburg. The you have to go #45 when looking for battles involving "mechanized aggression."

There have been many one day battles with casualties exceeding 70,000...involving the Romans. Hannibal fought some of those.

But this all depends on who you read and who you believe.

 

[javaguru]

I was noting exceptions to my theory. Don't know the names of the battles prior to the 19th century.

Here is the best link I have found:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_lethal_battles_in_world_history

I think our knowledge is a bit weak of the blood spilled prior to the past 100 years. Bad records.

Our top ranking in classical formation battles is #19...Gettysburg. The you have to go #45 when looking for battles involving "mechanized aggression."

There have been many one day battles with casualties exceeding 70,000...involving the Romans. Hannibal fought some of those.

But this all depends on who you read and who you believe.

Mostly it's due to historians/storytellers inflating casualties in ancient battles.Humans started killing people faster than ever with the machine gun and our record keeping is good in the modern age. That's the consesus when it comes to people like me who study this shit...most ancient historians never actually saw 10k people in one place at the same time, let alone counted their bayonet wounds like they did leading up to the Great War. I'll stand by my assertion that humans haven't killed more people faster in a shorter period of time than WWI and WWII.

 

[Testosterone boy]

Spart is having a tough time deciding what groups to talk about. Too busy posting up see through skirts. And dreaming of Ruuskie pies.

 

[Gambino]

did anybody say alexander of macedon?

 

[Testosterone boy]

Mostly it's due to historians/storytellers inflating casualties in ancient battles.Humans started killing people faster than ever with the machibne gun and our record keeping is good in the modern age. That's the consesus when it comes to people like me who study this shit...most ancient historians never actually saw 10k people in one place at the same time, let alone counted their bayonet wounds like they did leading up to the Great War. I'll stand by my assertion that humans haven't killed more people faster in a shorter period of time than WWI and WWII.

Agreed...you are talking of wars. I am talking of battles.

 

[javaguru]

Agreed...you are talking of wars. I am talking of battles.

I'm talking the Somme, one battle where artillery and machine guns caused 58k casualties in a day.....verified casualties.

 

[Testosterone boy]

I'm talking the Somme, one battle where artillery and machine guns caused 58k casualties in a day.....verified casualties.

Battle Conflict Casualties Year
Battle of Yarmouk Muslim conquest of Syria, Byzantine-Arab Wars 0,120,000 120,000 casualties[1][2] #0636
Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa Reconquista 0,102,000 ~102,000 casualties #01212
Battle of Salsu Goguryeo-Sui Wars 0,097,000 97,000 casualties[3] #0612
Battle of Cannae Second Punic War 0,092,000 92,000+ casualties[4] !9783 216 BC
Battle of Arausio Cimbrian War 0,080,000 80,000 casualties[5][6][7] !9894 105 BC
Battle of Plataea Greco-Persian Wars 0,077,000 77,000 casualties[8][9] !9520 479 BC
Third Battle of Panipat Imperial Maratha Conquests 0,075,000 75,000+ killed #1761
Battle of Wagram Napoleonic Wars 0,074,000 74,000 casualties #1809
Battle of Ullais Muslim conquest of Persia 0,071,000 71,000+ killed[10] #0633
Battle of Valea Albă Ottoman wars: European campaigns, Moldavian-Ottoman Wars 0,070,000 70,000+ casualties #1476
Battle of Guandu Three Kingdoms 0,070,000 70,000+ casualties #0200
Battle of Pliska Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars 0,070,000 70,000+ casualties #0811
Battle of Watling Street Boudica's Uprising 0,070,000 70,000+ casualties #0061
Battle of Siffin First Islamic civil war 0,070,000 70,000 casualties #0657
Battle of Anchialus Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars 0,070,000 70,000 casualties #0917
Battle of az-Zallaqah Reconquista 0,070,000 ~70,000 casualties #1086
Battle of Heunghwajin Third Goryeo-Khitan War 0,060,000 60,000–70,000 casualties #1018

Sorry...not even Top 15

Saying these numbers may be inflated is strictly hypothetical. Its the best we have.

 

[javaguru]

Battle Conflict Casualties Year
Battle of Yarmouk Muslim conquest of Syria, Byzantine-Arab Wars 0,120,000 120,000 casualties[1][2] #0636
Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa Reconquista 0,102,000 ~102,000 casualties #01212
Battle of Salsu Goguryeo-Sui Wars 0,097,000 97,000 casualties[3] #0612
Battle of Cannae Second Punic War 0,092,000 92,000+ casualties[4] !9783 216 BC
Battle of Arausio Cimbrian War 0,080,000 80,000 casualties[5][6][7] !9894 105 BC
Battle of Plataea Greco-Persian Wars 0,077,000 77,000 casualties[8][9] !9520 479 BC
Third Battle of Panipat Imperial Maratha Conquests 0,075,000 75,000+ killed #1761
Battle of Wagram Napoleonic Wars 0,074,000 74,000 casualties #1809
Battle of Ullais Muslim conquest of Persia 0,071,000 71,000+ killed[10] #0633
Battle of Valea Albă Ottoman wars: European campaigns, Moldavian-Ottoman Wars 0,070,000 70,000+ casualties #1476
Battle of Guandu Three Kingdoms 0,070,000 70,000+ casualties #0200
Battle of Pliska Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars 0,070,000 70,000+ casualties #0811
Battle of Watling Street Boudica's Uprising 0,070,000 70,000+ casualties #0061
Battle of Siffin First Islamic civil war 0,070,000 70,000 casualties #0657
Battle of Anchialus Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars 0,070,000 70,000 casualties #0917
Battle of az-Zallaqah Reconquista 0,070,000 ~70,000 casualties #1086
Battle of Heunghwajin Third Goryeo-Khitan War 0,060,000 60,000–70,000 casualties #1018

Sorry...not even Top 15

Saying these numbers may be inflated is strictly hypothetical. Its the best we have.

Yes, those are artificially created casualties...any documentation that backs it up? I have official records that back up the Somme...birth and death. Non-20th century battles are renowned for their inaccuracy. Common sense tells me you can kill a man faster with 100 bullets to the chest as opposed to an errant spear. It's common knowledge disease took more lives than battle pre-20th century. I'm talking real world casualties, directly related to the battlefield.

 

[javaguru]

did anybody say alexander of macedon?

But he was geigh......