THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA (479 BC) This battle occurred during the Greco-Persian Wars. An army of 10,000 Spartans and approximately 30,000 Greek soldiers faced the invading force of Persia of 120,000 men. Although outnumbered, the Spartans and Athenians were more tactical, heavily armed and had higher morale. The Persian army had just suffered from a previous defeat and some inner conflicts and divisions. The Greeks slaughtered the Persians at Plataea and succeeded in driving them out of Greece. THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO (June 18th, 1815) This battle was fought between the French army, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, and the British and Prussian forces led by Wellington and von Blucher respectively. Napoleon took the initiative during the early part of the battle, but things began to go awry later in the day, when the army suffered the effects of bad weather, blunders by some of the generals, ill fate, and the timely arrival of the Prussian forces (50,000 men). After suffering heavy casualties. Napoleon was forced to leave Waterloo and surrender. THE BATTLE OF CANNAE (August 2nd, 216 BC) This battle is regarded as one of the greatest tactical military achievements in war history. The Carthaginian commander Hannibal Barca led a massive troop of soldiers, accompanied by hundreds, or possibly thousands, of war elephants, across the mountainous Alps. He took a backdoor entrance into northern Italy and slaughtered the Romans at Cannae, killing 70,000 of the 87,000 soldiers in the Roman army. THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE (480 BC) This battle occurred on the eve of the Greco-Persian wars when King Leonidas of Sparta faced the invading Persian troops with only 300 soldiers. The king and his men blocked the only narrow mountain pass through which the Persians could advance, killing a total of 20,000 Persians. The Spartans only lost when one of their soldiers betrayed them by showing the Persians a secret path. Leonidas and his men were all mercilessly slaughtered.

IN WHICH BATTLE...

1.

did reinforcements arrive once the battle had started?

— THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OF CANNAE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

2.

did one army have very few soldiers?

— THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OF CANNAE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

3.

was one of the armies more confident than the other?

— THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OF CANNAE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

4.

were both Wellington and von Blucher the leaders?

— THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OF CANNAE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

5.

did most of the opposing force become casualties?

— THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OF CANNAE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

6.

did the losing army contain three times as many soldiers as the victors?

— THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OF CANNAE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

7.

was one side defeated through treachery?

— THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OF CANNAE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

8.

did the invading forces include not only soldiers?

— THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OF CANNAE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

9.

did the commanders' mistakes contribute to their defeat?

— THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OF CANNAE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE

10.

the Persians were massacred by the Greeks?

— THE BATTLE OF PLATAEA THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO THE BATTLE OF CANNAE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE