Wars. Battles. Conflicts has been a huge part of human history.
It seems that any one time whether its for the defense of a territory of a beautiful woman
we're always fighting about something.
Of course it comes as no surprise that victorious battles are won with amazing planning and great leaders.
However, there are battles that – despite having legions at a general’s command – and
it seems like victory maybe certain.
But then their fates were sealed when the heavens chose to step
in and drastically tip the balance to one side.
So in today’s video, we are counting down to history’s 5 most decisive battles that
were won by divine intervention.
We'll start off with number 5: The Battle of the Bulge
One of the bloodiest battles during World War II
happened in the Belgian town of Bastogne in 1944 where American soldiers were cornered
by the German army in a surprise attack.
12,000 American soldiers were encircled and trapped by the Germans and it was up to US
Third Army Gen George Patton to break the siege and rescue the soldiers
promising that he would grease up his tanks with the guts of the Nazi soldiers.
A plan was already in place but, unfortunately for Patton, the weather had been relentlessly
unforgiving.
For an entire month, torrential rains pounded Belgium and the chances of Patton’s troops
marching into Bastogne were slowly being swept away by the waters.
And all Patton needed was really 24 hours to send in the Third Army to storm the town,
rescue the 12,000 soldiers, and tear down the Nazi defenses.
Since no amount of screaming and cursing at the sky could stop the rains, Patton had to
resort to an unconventional approach by commissioning Third Army chaplain Col James O’Neill
to draft a prayer for him which he then distributed to his troops on wallet-sized cards.
For the next few days, Patton ordered his troops to recite the prayer as they waited
for the rains to let up.
Whether or not Patton’s unorthodox approach worked and convinced the rain gods to stop,
we'll never know, but the weather
clear and his troops were given just enough time to break through the Nazi
encirclement, save the trapped American troops, and reclaim Bastogne for the Allied forces.
And no matter what the opinion is about the events surrounding that battle, it was
undoubtedly one of George Patton’s finest hours in the Second World War.
Number 4: The War of 1812 When a Fledgling United States declared war
against the British in 1812, things could not get any worse most especially after the
Americans burned down what is now present-day Toronto.
However, overwhelmed by British forces, the tide seemed to be against the United States
when, on August 24th, 1814, the British closed in on Washington DC after breaking through
the Americans’ last defence at Bladensburg.
With the state of Maryland put to a blaze by the British, then President Madison had
to flee for safety with the American Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in tow
just in time for when British forces stormed the White House, the Capitol
sacking and burning everything in sight.
But, in a sudden twist of fate, the weather began to turn and one of America’s most
destructive tornadoes in history touched down in the middle of the battle, wiping out soldiers,
civilians, and artillery in its wake.
Upon the sight of the destructive storm, the British had no other choice but to retreat
and leave the nation’s capital.
While the tornado and the rains it brought scared of the Red Coats and saved the nation
in its most decisive battle, it has also left hundreds of Americans either dead or homeless
due to its sheer destructive power.
Number 3: The Failed Persian Siege Greece is no stranger to the occasional invading
army and bloody war against neighbouring countries.
With its trove of knowledge and wealth, the Ancient Greeks have always been one of history’s
prime targets when it comes to being taken over by hostile forces; among them are the
Persians, Greece’s most formidable foe.
In 492 BC, Greece came dangerously close to crumbling under the forces of the Persian army.
Led by the Persian General Mardonius, Persia’s naval fleet was able to sail close to the island of Athos.
Fortunately for the people of Athos, Poseidon was on their side.
As if on cue, a wild hurricane swept the sea and in the blink of an eye, capsized and destroyed
the Persian fleet killing 20,000 soldiers.
It was believed that it was hubris that brought this catastrophic end to this Persian fleet
as the weather was already proving to be fickle and by the time they reached Athos, the rains
have turned into a full-fledged storm.
While there have been many attempts by the Persians to set foot on Greece by way of sea,
this particular one may have succeeded if not for the winds blowing in the favour of
the Ancient Greeks.
Number 2: The Protestant Wind The political relations between Protestant
England and Catholic Spain were already turning sour and if not for the urging of Church leaders
during the 16th Century, Spain may have saved herself from utter humiliation.
In one desperate attempt to subjugate Elizabeth I and England, King Philip II of Spain ordered
the Spanish Armada to set sail to dethrone Elizabeth and claim the country in the name
of the Catholic Church and the Spanish crown.
Despite the fact that Spain was no match for the English naval fleet, they continued to
press on and by the time they reached the English Channel, a storm that seemingly came
from out of nowhere started to batter the Spanish Armada, sinking ships and driving
the survivors off.
Many from both sides who witnessed the event took the storms as a sign of intervention
from God as Spain was pushed back and humiliated by what history dubs as “The Protestant
Wind”, a sign that Providence greatly favoured England and its Virgin Queen.
Finally number 1: The Divine Wind If it weren’t for a helping hand from the
heavens Japanese culture would never have existed.
In 1247, the Mongol Empire have already conquered one-third of the globe and have cemented their
power with one of the most formidable armies the world has ever seen.
As the Mongol army advanced further east unopposed, their next target was bringing down the Japanese
Empire and annexing it to their strongholds in China.
With inferior weapons and significantly fewer troops, Japan did not stand a chance against
Kublai Khan’s fierce warriors and their allies.
As the Mongols sailed towards the shores of Japan with Korean allies, Japan sent as much
forces as it can muster to defend its seawall.
With what seems to be a losing battle, fortune turned its head toward Japan as the Mongol
fleet sensed a storm brewing fast.
True enough, two typhoons came to the rescue of the Japanese Empire and decimated Kublai
Khan’s rapidly advancing fleet.
The violent tempest, dubbed the Kamikaze or Divine Wind by the Japanese, left 13,000 soldiers
dead and the remaining Mongol ships were sent fleeing back to Chinese shores.
But here's the question for you guys, are these all really just coincidences?
Because at least for me I don't believe in coincidences. I believe everything happens for a reason.
So maybe the Mongols weren't supposed to take over Japan.
And this way traditional Japanese culture remains in tact and
that's just what the heavens want.
But let me know what you guys think of in the comments.
Thank you all so much for watching. See ya.