History's Greatest Battles: From the Battle of Marathon to D-Day

Great battles mark history's turning points, occurring where cultures and ideologies clash. While some battles have been won by the superior force, others have been won by a sheer dogged refusal to surrender in the face of overwhelming odds. Superior weaponry has sometimes brought victory, as at Plassey, while the extraordinary generalship of a Napoleon, a Wellington, or a Marlborough has won the day on other occasions.

From the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, when the vastly-outnumbered Athen...