On 7 September 1191, during the Third Crusade, King Richard I of England defeated Saladin at Arsuf on the coast of the Holy Land. His disciplined column held together under attack until a decisive charge broke Saladin's army.
Arsuf
Richard's army was marching south toward Jaffa, harassed constantly by Saladin's fast horse archers. He kept the column in order with iron discipline until the Hospitallers in the rearguard broke ranks and charged. Richard then committed his whole army, and the crusaders drove Saladin's forces from the field.1› Saladin
The battle is a classic example of discipline holding under pressure. Our article on the Battle of Arsuf covers the march and the charge. › Battle of Arsuf, 1191
Wizna, 1939
On the same date in 1939 the German invasion of Poland reached the Narew river. A small Polish garrison under Captain Władysław Raginis held a line of bunkers at Wizna from 7 to 10 September against a much larger force from Guderian's panzer corps, a stand remembered as the Polish Thermopylae. Our article on the Battle of Wizna describes the defense.2› Battle of Wizna, 1939
Frequently asked questions
When and where was the Battle of Arsuf?
It was fought on 7 September 1191 near Arsuf, on the coast of the Levant north of Jaffa, during the Third Crusade.
Who won the Battle of Arsuf?
The crusaders. Richard's disciplined march and a well-timed charge broke Saladin's army and drove it from the field.
When and where was the Battle of Wizna?
It was fought from 7 to 10 September 1939 around the village of Wizna in north-eastern Poland, at the start of the Second World War.
Notes
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