Name that Battle!

**AqD** · October 13, 2021, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by Cookiegod

the bearded fella on the horse looks like a famous character from the romance of the three kingdoms.

Not him. Look at the pikes nobody used that in three kingdoms anymore.

Second hint - about time 5 minutes before next day

**Cookiegod** · October 15, 2021, 12:31 PM

Battle of Gaxia then. Or any of the battles from the Qin period.

**AqD** · October 15, 2021, 01:30 PM

Yep.

You can't just guess "any of the battles from the Qin period" that'd be cheating!

**Cookiegod** · October 16, 2021, 04:46 AM

I can guess whatever I like, it's up to you whether you want to accept it

This battlefield was conquered as the result of an alliance both partners would like to deny.

**AqD** · October 16, 2021, 01:31 PM

WTF there isn't a single soldier on that pic!

**AqD** · October 16, 2021, 03:31 PM

Something ISIS!

**Cookiegod** · October 17, 2021, 03:16 AM

Yes it is indeed something ISIS. Now come on the answer is ez!

**AqD** · October 17, 2021, 01:53 PM

Nah the entire ME looks just like that. More hints!

**Cookiegod** · October 18, 2021, 10:25 AM

The first image had enough to go on (and derc managed to reverse search it, so you failed aqd!) but I am a gracious god.

Bonus points if you actually manage to identify/describe the very key moment that I aluded to in both the first pic and the hints.

**Abdülmecid I** · October 18, 2021, 01:13 PM

I thought of Tikrit first, but that looks like the Hawijah Kate island, so I'll say the siege of Deir ez-Zhor. The hint doesn't match, though, because during the siege, the Americans managed to bomb the Syrian defenders, although they supposedly targeted ISIL. Unless you are referring not to Deir ez-Zhor itself, but to ISIL's advance that happened thanks to the air raid of the US.

**Cookiegod** · October 18, 2021, 03:08 PM

It is indeed the siege of Deir ez-Zor (hence why I said the answer was ez!). You're correct in that the Americans bombed the Syrian defenders, and they did so on the Thardah mountain (actually it's like 6 hill tops).
This position was strategically extremely important and a lynchpin in the defenses of the Syrian Army, as it allowed a view and a lot of control over both the Thayyem Oil field to the south and the airport to the north, through which the Syrians, being in a cauldron, received their supplies. The position was so major that it is impossible that this position would not have been known to US positions as such. And yet it just so happened that the Americans having an interest in cutting off Syria from Iraq, ended up bombing that position. It was not just one bomb either, but a sustained and high precision air attack of a well organised position with all the signs of a regular army (such as sand bags), so this must have been aparent even through targeting cameras.

To make matters worse, ISIS just so happened to be ready to immediately exploit the air attack (I am not aware of any US bombardments either before or after the event that could have helped the besieged), seizing the hills. The image I first posted is from the Amaq video praising it, shown is the artillery base with the oil fields in the background. ISIS would use these hills as a major staging point for their next offensive, which enabled them to cut the cauldron in two and separate the airport from the rest of the city.

I can't stress enough how important and helpful the air raid was to ISIS and how implausible both the initial denial and later the excuse by the US led forces were, who, meanwhile to the north, held back and waited, allowing ISIS to focus on the city entirely. Hence why I spoke of allies that didn't want to admit it.

By some miracle the city held on, so we didn't see the massacre that we otherwise would have.

**Abdülmecid I** · October 18, 2021, 03:46 PM

Yeah, the race to Abu Kamal was pretty tense. In Resafa/Sergiopolis, where the vital crossroad is located, the Americans tried to sabotage the advance of the Syrians, but they failed and the government was the first to reach the border with Iraq. And now for something completely different:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Quite an obscure battle, but the flags are very useful in identifying it.

**Cookiegod** · October 19, 2021, 01:26 AM

Battle of Bassignano in the Austrian Succession. I was a little bit too lucky because I immediately identified the Genoese, and the republic of Genoa has this very picture on its wiki page :/

**Abdülmecid I** · October 19, 2021, 04:34 AM

It's indeed the battle of Bassignano, one of the Franco-Spano-Genoese victories in the Italian front. I chose it, because depictions of 18th century line infantry of the Italian republics is relatively rare. I knew it would be easier, once you identified the flag, but I hadn't realised that the image was even included in Genoa's Wikipedia page.

**Cookiegod** · October 19, 2021, 04:43 AM

I suppose I could post something, but the issue is that I'm going on holiday and didn't think about that when answering the riddle, so I wouldn't be able to answer your guesses. Can someone please take over for me? Thanks and sorry in advance.