Shocking Defeat Legacy: Difference between revisions

But in the end, said planet falls, sending a chilling wave down the spines of [[The Federation]]. Sometimes it could be a turning point in the war, but not always. A faction can suffer these defeats and not necessarily be defeated. But it's still a crippling loss that'll at least slow them down significantly. Sometimes these defeats are due to [[Failed a Spot Check|surprise attacks]]. Could end up as a [[Pyrrhic Victory]] for the attackers. Sometimes it's described as a [[Noodle Incident]] in some stories. This is usually [[The Worf Effect]], but for battles/wars (or even sports) instead of individuals. Usually to show how high the stakes is.

 

 

For the victors it could overlap with [[Pyrrhic Victory]], and [[Was It Really Worth It?]].

** Also from ''Deep Space Nine'', the Breen attack on San Francisco. Not as damaging as some of the others on this list, but shocking in that they were able to stab at the heart of [[The Federation]].

* The Battle of Serenity Valley in ''[[Firefly]]'', which was apparently the battle that lost the war for the Independents and sent Malcolm Reynolds over the [[Despair Event Horizon]].

 

== MMORPGs ==

* The surprise attack on Pearl Harbour might count as one of these for the U.S.

** Subverted, however, in that Pearl Harbor was for more catastrophic for Japan than the U.S. A tactical defeat for the U.S., but it added to what was already a hopeless war with China.

* Another real life example would be the Battle of Hastings, as England would've ended up an entirely different country without it. Yet another real life example (and an often fictionalised one) would be the Battle of Chi Bi in the [[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]], as it's widely believed that if the aggressors hadn't been defeated, the Three Kingdoms period might have ended then and there, which would have had a drastic impact on China's history.

** Another example, although lesser known to Westerners, but with nearly as much impact on China's history is the Battle of Fei River. Had Jin lost, the Han Chinese could have lost control of China, however, Xie An (who was famous as a great administrator and had little military experience) decided he wasn't going to let Former Qin [[Took a Level In Badass|run wild]] and [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|beat back a far more experienced army well over twice the size of his own]]. It was the single largest catalyst in the fall of Former Qin and just ten years later practically ceased to exist.

* [[The Vietnam War|Vietnam]] was the greatest military quagmire in United States history.

** Within the war itself, the Tet Offensive can be considered this. The vietcong attacked many cities simultaneously, notably claiming the US Embassy in Saigon. This was a major hit to the vision of American strength and hit their morale deeply. In reality, the vietcong suffered heavier losses than the American troops, but in terms of perception, this drastically swayed the war in their favour.

** Despite the loss and withdrawal from El Alamein, the campaign in North Africa continued for another six months. When Rommel ordered the retreat, Montgomery did not pursue and thus allowed the broken German formations to withdraw, fortifying themselves within Tunisia. The loss of Tunisia occurred only a few months after the loss at Stalingrad, with a quarter of a million troops taken prisoner. Soon after, the loss of Sicily was so great that the Italians overthrew Mussolini.

* The Battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point of the American Civil War.

** Although the war did continue for nearly two years after that. Many however actually see the Battle of Antietam as the real turning point of the war, because this was the last real chance the Confederacy had of not just temporarily carrying the war north (there was also a Southern offensive in the west at the time, while even if Gettysburg had been won by Lee, Vicksburg still would have fallen to Grant), but also to gain recognition from the major European powers.

* The Battle of the Alamo, which was a major defeat for the Republic of Texas.

** The men of the Alamo had actually been ordered by Sam Houston to leave--Bowie's men originally came to destroy the fort, but the defenders chose to stay. Perhaps a better example from that war is the Battle of San Jacinto, where the relatively ragtag and much smaller Texan army hid out in the swamplands near what is now Houston, and defeated Santa Anna's men in a completely unexpected attack.

* Gallipolli for Australia and New Zealand. It's viewed in much the vein as Dunkirk for the UK, only more so.

* The Battle of Lepanto and the second Siege of Vienna for the Ottoman Empire.

** Same thing would happen 800 years later in year 410, when the Visigoths under Alaric I sacked Rome. The Roman Empire remained as an independent nation and would live to 476, but it was clear to everyone after the sack that Rome was at that point just a shadow of its former glory self, and the only reason why the Huns were not able to finish the job was because of Flavius Aetius (who historians calls "the last true Roman")' tactical genius and his [[Enemy Mine|alliance with the Visigoths]].

* During the [[Red October|Russian Civil War]], Kolchak's defeat at Tobol was the turning point for the Whites to start losing. After that defeat, Kolchak's Eastern White army started a retreat that quickly escalated to panicked flight resulting in the fall of Omsk, the rebellion at Irkutsk and Admiral Kolchak's own demise. For Denikin's Southern White army, the failure of his Moscow offensive at the battle of Orel was such a defeat; after Tobol and Orel the Reds had a practically guaranteed win, and the rest of the war was basically cleanup of remnant Whites, Blacks and Greens.

[[Category:Military and Warfare Tropes]]

[[Category:Shocking Defeat Legacy]]