Historical Battle Scenes That Would Make Great Movie Material

 

1.Battle of Ningyuan

["I have been waging war since I was 25, and have never been defeated in battle, never failed to overcome what I attacked. How is it that I cannot bring down this single fortress of 'Ningyuan'? Is this not the will of Heaven?" - Nurhaci]

The 1626 battle between Later Jin's Nurhaci and Ming forces over Ningyuan Fortress. Though Later Jin's army numbered 160,000 against Ming's mere 20,000 defenders, the brilliant general Yuan Chonghuan and his garrison's desperate resistance with Portuguese cannons repelled the previously undefeated Jin forces. Nurhaci fell ill during this battle and died shortly after.

2.Battle of Kuju

["You must not spare your lives and must not retreat even in death." - Kim Gyeong-son, Korean(Goryeo) commander at Kuju Fortress] 

["To see such a small fortress fight against a great army - this must be Heaven's help, not human strength." - Kim Gyeong-son, Korean(Goryeo) commander at Kuju Fortress] 

["Since becoming an adult and joining campaigns, I have witnessed battles at fortresses throughout the world, but I have never seen a case where they endured such attacks yet never surrendered. The generals within this fortress will surely all become great commanders or ministers in the future." - Recollection of a Mongol general who participated in the Battle of Kuju Fortress]

One of the fiercest battles during the Mongol invasions of Korea Isolated at Gwiju Fortress under the Mongols' devastating assault, Korea forces under commander Park Seo mounted fierce resistance. The Mongols brutally attacked by setting the fortress ablaze with oil rendered from boiled prisoners and launching cauldrons of molten metal with catapults. Despite the walls crumbling and facing crisis after crisis, the Goryeo defenders held the fortress through four months of desperate fighting.

3. Battle of Thyrea

A territorial dispute between Sparta and Argos in ancient Greece. The Argives demanded the return of territory seized by Sparta, and after heated debate, they agreed to settle the matter at Thyrea with 300 warriors from each side fighting to determine who would claim the land. In the legendary battle where 300 Argives and 300 Spartans fought for their territory, 597 of the 600 warriors died, with only 3 survivors. The lone Spartan survivor reported the outcome to Sparta, then returned to Thyrea and committed suicide.

4. Battle of Kircholm 

A battle between 13,000 Swedish troops and 3,600 Polish-Lithuanian forces. The Swedish army adopted an aggressive defensive strategy, but their formation collapsed in just 20 minutes under the assault of 2,500 Winged Hussars, resulting in a crushing defeat. In this battle, 70% of the Swedish army was massacred.

5. Battle of Mobei 

[Huo Qubing boldly pushed over 1,000 kilometers into the Mongolian steppes, reaching the upper reaches of the Tula and Orkhon rivers. He captured over 80 Xiongnu chieftains and performed sacred sacrificial rites on the mountains in their territory. Huo Qubing died in 117 BCE, shortly after his return. At this great general's tomb in Xianyang, Shaanxi, stands a large sculpture depicting a horse trampling a Xiongnu warrior, erected in his honor. ─ From "History of Eurasian Nomadic Empires"]

In 119 BCE, Han Dynasty's brilliant general Huo Qubing received intelligence that the Xiongnu chanyu was positioned to the east. Breaking away from the main force, he crushed the Xiongnu enemy, seized their military supplies, and advanced over 2,000 li, killing and capturing over 74,430 Xiongnu troops and three kings. His army reached the vicinity of Lake Baikal. 

6. Siege of Kobani 

A battle between ISIS (Daesh) forces and Kurdish militias in the Kurdish city of Kobani in northern Syria, near the Turkish border. ISIS besieged and attacked Kobani with 7,000 troops armed with heavy weapons including 50 tanks, rocket launchers, and anti-tank missiles, against only 2,000 Kurdish militia defenders. International opinion expected Kobani to fall quickly to ISIS, but foreign veterans from around the world joined the fight alongside Kurdish women who took up arms in desperate resistance. At one point, nearly half of Kobani fell to ISIS with their flags raised, but through the militia's fierce resistance bordering on suicide attacks, most of the city was recaptured. After four months, ISIS abandoned Kobani and retreated, leaving behind thousands of casualties.

7. Battle of Donetsk Airport 

["A unitary state called 'Ukraine' never existed in the first place." - Stephen F. Cohen] 

The pro-Russian separatist movement triggered by the Euromaidan protests and 2014 Crimean crisis spread to eastern Ukraine, escalating into an ongoing civil war known as the War in Donbas. Fierce fighting erupted between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatist rebels over the city of Donetsk. Donetsk, once Ukrainian territory, declared independence as the Donetsk People's Republic. During this process, incidents like the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 occurred, resulting in thousands of civilian and military casualties and leaving Ukraine in continued political instability and economic hardship. The 2015 battle between Ukrainian forces and separatists over Donetsk Airport literally reduced what was once Eastern Europe's most beautiful airport to ruins.

8. First Battle of Grozny 

["This is not Grozny. This is purgatory." - Tank commander of a T-80BV who spotted dozens of enemy anti-tank infantry during urban combat] During the First Chechen War, 6,000 Russian mechanized troops entered the Chechen capital of Grozny, but suffered devastating losses: 20 out of 26 T-72 tanks and 102 out of 120 BMP infantry fighting vehicles were destroyed, with at least hundreds of casualties. Initially, Chechen forces showed little resistance as Russian forces entered the city, making the Russian offensive appear to proceed smoothly. However, this was a trap - once Russian forces penetrated deep into the urban area, Chechen fighters attacked their rear and collapsed buildings, encircling approximately 3,000 Russian troops.