Outnumbered, Outgunned, Undeterred: Twenty Battles Against All Odds

by Rob Johnson

Throughout history men and women have fought, endured, and sometimes emerged victorious though the odds were against them. What conditions must exist to enable relatively small or weak forces to challenge and even overcome the strong? Here are twenty historical examples, from 1777 to the present, that reveal both the common themes and the exceptional aspects of those achievements.





The examples range from George Washington’s rebuilding of the patriot army in the Revolutionary War to the defense of the Philippines in 1941–42, from Símon Bolívar’s liberation of South America to Finland’s defiance of the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939. The courage of the Devonshire Regiment at Bois des Buttes in France in 1918 shows what skillful and determined resistance can achieve, though—as in the defense of Stalingrad in 1943—isolated forces were often left with no option but to fight. The resolve that accompanies a last-ditch effort is demonstrated in the Israeli Defense of the Golan Heights in 1973. Two more recent examples— the Battle of Debecka Pass in Iraq in 2003 and the battle of the Patrol Bases in Afghanistan, 2006–08—show that some themes from these extraordi-nary historic achievements are still played out in warfare today.

Genres: History

216 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 2011

About the author

Rob Johnson is Director of The Changing Character of War Centre at the University of Oxford.

Reviews

[Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was taken in by the subtitle “Twenty Battles Against all Odds”. I thought the focus would be more individual battle oriented. However, it tried to cover entire wars or struggles (American Revolution, Greek Independence, Boer resistance to Britain), which in concept were attempts against superior forces and with eventual triumphs for the weaker side. But those wars were too big to effectively analyze the where, why and how the initially weaker side eventually won in just one short chapter. Even the individual battles (the French Foreign Legion at Camerone, Mexico, the Battle of Wanat, Afghanistan) spends too much time setting the reason for the clash and not enough time for the battle itself. Essentially, the chapters are too short, so more details on the battles and less on how the battle fit into the entire war would have been appreciated.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at 20 different engagements against the odds, some of them obscure, some famous. The book gives basic information and overview of the conflicts involved and refers to sources for further reading on each.

[Austin Carroll Keeley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weak and short. Introduced me to a few battles to read up on. Serves no other purpose.