On 9 April 1241 a Mongol army annihilated the assembled knights of Poland and their allies near Legnica in Silesia, and killed their leader, Duke Henry II the Pious.
The furthest west
It was the furthest west the Mongols ever won a major battle. After the victory the raiders turned south, rejoining the main Mongol army in Hungary, rather than pressing on into the German lands.1
The battle was fought and decided in a single day, which is why it is remembered as one of the sharpest turning points of the thirteenth century in Europe.
Bataan, 1942
On the same date in 1942 Luzon Force under Major General Edward King surrendered on the Bataan peninsula. Hungry and sick after three months of fighting, the Filipino and American troops had held up the Japanese plan to take the Philippines in about fifty days. Estimates of the captured run from about 75,000 to 78,000, most of them Filipinos. Our article on the Battle of Bataan tells the story of the stand. › Battle of Bataan, 1942
Also on this day
1917: Battle of Arras. Near Arras in northern France, British troops attacked German defenses on the Western Front in World War I.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was the Battle of Legnica?
The battle was fought on 9 April 1241 near Legnica in Silesia, during the Mongol invasion of Europe.
Who won the Battle of Legnica?
The Mongols, decisively. They destroyed the Polish and allied knights and killed Duke Henry II the Pious.
Who surrendered at Bataan on 9 April 1942?
Luzon Force under Major General Edward King surrendered to Japanese forces of the 14th Army under Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma.
How many soldiers surrendered at Bataan?
Estimates range from about 75,000 to 78,000, most of them Filipinos and about 12,000 Americans.
Notes
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