I know using the word "favorite" for a battle might sound strange, but you all know what I mean! Which battle do you think was the most interesting, or well fought, or epic? To make it interesting let's disqualify D-Day and the Battle of Stalingrad which are too obvious. I'll start: the Battle of Monte Cassino. I might be biased since I'm Italian, but it was really an amazing battle. It had everything, four separate assaults, a spectacular location background, natural and artificial features determining how the events unfolded, very high stakes, a lost library, and a myriad of interesting stories. The best story-writers couldn't come up with something so intense.
The Battle of the Bulge is one of my favorites. I know it's rather famous as well but it's the one I enjoyed learning and reading the most about. The way that the Germans seized the frigid cold weather, only to have it backfire on them as the Allies were able to finally turn the battle over to their side by Christmas. It looked very bleak for the Americans at one point but it ends up being one of Germany's last stands to reverse their way into the L column. Looking at the Wikipedia page for Monte Cassino now, seems like a great theater for a big battle. You are right, the best stories are usually steeped in fact. War makes for some interesting stores, too bad it's such a bloody loss of life!
One of my favorites is the Battle of Surigao Strait. This turned out to be the last battle between big battleships ever. For a land battle I would have to say the Battle for Italy. Canadian brigades fought hard through the mountains being a vital asset for the Allied campaign.
Well, since Stalingrad is disqualified (consarn it ), I would go with ... The Battle of the Midway. It changed, darn near, everything in the Pacific Theatre. Operation Spring Awakening. It was the assault on Hungary during the waning years of the Reich and one of the largest campaigns at the end of the war. Aleutian Islands Campaign. The fighting in Alaska was, in nearly every respect, unique. Things could have gone down very differently if the aforementioned Battle of Midway didn't unfold as mentioned. Battle of Kasserine Pass. Often called "when the professionals met the amateurs". Its when the US Army, in any real sense, met the Axis. The battle is fascinating in its own right, but the defeat lingered on in the mind of American Army doctrine well after the event. Syria–Lebanon Campaign. Its little known outside of us history nerds. Though short-lived, it is one darn fascinating footnote to war known as the Big One. Cheers.
Totally agree with you on this one and came to post about it, but you got there before me! Have you watched "Band of Brothers", the TV series? It's fantastic! There are two episodes (5 and 6) that deal with the Battle of the Bulge/Bastogne and give an incredible insight into the time spent there. I won't give too much away, even though you know what happens, but I would highly recommend everyone to watch it. The series is a 10-part documentary type series and it deals with pretty much everything and all parts of the war from the side of the troops.
