Firing Cannon Balls Wasn't Enough To Wipe Out These Soldiers - YouTube AskMen

Please watch: "The 10 Hottest Sex Positions Ranked By YOU" ➨ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkRFn... -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Another great battle you might never have heard of saw the Swedish facing off against the mighty Russian empire. The Russian Czar Peter the Great, who would later go on to create the city of St. Petersburg on what was formerly Swedish land, found his empire was in desperate need of access to the Baltic Sea. Standing in the Russian’s way were the Swedes with their highly profitable, important naval forts and seaports along the Baltic coastline. In 1700, Peter the Great decided that he would take the Swedish naval fortress of Narva by force; diplomacy was evidently getting him nowhere. Peter mustered a massive force of 37,000 troops and surrounded Narva. Narva, was the gateway to the Gulf of Finland, and would have been a huge prize for the Russians, allowing them to then project their forces further into Swedish territory. Peter’s forces met barely any resistance from Swedish forces and began sieging Narva. His tactic was to wait comfortably outside, and starve the inhabitants of Narva until they surrendered. Oh and fire thousands of cannon balls at their battlements. Objectively it was a fantastic plan, but the Emperor of Sweden Charles XII did not take to kindly to this Russian aggression. He quickly mobilized his best troops and set off a rescue force of around 8,000 troops. They marched immediately on Narva and found the Russian forces entrenched firmly around the city. Despite Charles XII’s troops being outnumbered four to one, he decided to press the attack. However, before the superior Russian numbers could cut down the Swedish troops, a fierce blizzard descended upon the battlefield. Any potential engagements were thus delayed thanks to Mother Nature. However, later in the afternoon, the blizzard changed direction and began to blow directly towards the Russian forces, essentially blinding them. Charles seized this opportunity. He roused his troops and split them into two columns that marched upon the enemy under cover of the blizzard. The Russians remained none-the-wiser, and only realized the danger when the Swedish forces fell upon them, bayoneting and firing liberally. Peter’s forces were quickly divided into three and rounded up. At one crucial point, when the Russians attempted a retreat, the bridge over the Narova River collapsed, leading to a stampede in which around 18,000 Russian troops perished. The Swedes captured those who survived along with all the Russian military supplies. Charles XII in his great magnanimity allowed his 20,000 Russian prisoners to return home to Russia unharmed. This was perhaps his greatest error. Some historians argue that by defeating the army and capturing all their supplies, had Charles XII then marched on Russia, Peter the Great would have been powerless to stop him. Moreover, Peter the Great would return to Sweden four years later and proceed to capture Narva and other lands in Sweden’s Baltic provinces. Peter would eventually build St. Petersburg on these freshly conquered lands. AskMen: http://askmen.com/ Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/AskMencom Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AskMen Follow us on Foursquare: https://foursquare.com/askmen Let us know know your opinions by commenting below!

Firing Cannon Balls Wasn't Enough To Wipe Out These Soldiers - YouTube
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