Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory
According to the ancient Greek historian Plutarch, the king of Epirus Pyrrhus in 279 BC. e., after his victory over the Romans at Asculum, he exclaimed: "Another such victory, and we are lost." Another version of the same phrase is known: "One more such victory, and I will be left without an army."
In this battle, Pyrrhus won thanks to the presence in his army of war elephants, against which at that time the Romans did not yet know how to fight and therefore were powerless before them, “as if before rising water or a destructive earthquake,” as Plutarch wrote. The Romans then had to leave the battlefield and retreat to
their camp, which, according to the customs of those times, meant a complete victory for Pyrrhus. But the Romans fought courageously, so the winner that day lost as many soldiers as the defeated - 15 thousand people. Hence this bitter confession of Pyrrhus.
Contemporaries compared Pyrrhus to a dice player who always makes a good throw, but does not know how to use this luck. As a result, this feature of Pyrrhus killed him. Moreover, an ominous role in his death was played by his own “miracle weapon” - war elephants.
When Pyrrhus's army besieged the Greek city of Argos, his warriors found a way to infiltrate the sleeping city. They would have captured it completely bloodlessly, if not for the decision of Pyrrhus to bring war elephants into the city. They did not pass through the gates - the battle towers installed on them interfered. They began to take them off, then put them on the animals again, which caused a noise. The Argives grabbed their weapons, fighting began in the narrow city streets. There was general confusion: no one heard orders, no one knew who was where, what was happening on the next street. Argos has become a huge trap for the Epirus army.
Pyrrhus tried to get out of the "captured" city as soon as possible. He sent a messenger to his son, who was standing near the city with a detachment, with an order to urgently break part of the wall so that the Epirus warriors would quickly leave the city. But the messenger misunderstood the order, and the son of Pyrrhus moved to the city to help his father. So two oncoming streams collided at the gate - those retreating from the city and those who hurried to their aid. To top it all off, the elephants rebelled: one lay down right at the gate, not wanting to move at all, the other, the most powerful, nicknamed Nikon, having lost his wounded driver friend, began to look for him, rush about and trample on both his own and other people's soldiers. Finally, he found his friend, grabbed him with his trunk, put him on his tusks and rushed out of the city, crushing everyone he met.
In this turmoil, Pyrrhus himself died. He fought a young Argos-sktsm warrior whose mother, like all the women of the city, stood on the roof of her house. Being near the place of the fight, she saw her son and decided to help him. Having broken the tiles from the roof, she threw them at Pyrrhus and hit him in the neck, which was not protected by armor. The commander fell and was finished off on the ground.
But, besides this "sad-born" phrase, Pyrrhus is also known for some achievements that enriched the military affairs of that time. So. he was the first to enclose the military camp with a defensive rampart and a moat. Before him, the Romans surrounded their camp with wagons, so its arrangement usually ended.
Allegorically: a victory that came at a very high price; success equal to defeat (iron.).
Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: "Lokid-Press". Vadim Serov. 2003 .
Pyrrhic victory
Epirus king Pyrrhus in 279 BC defeated the Romans at the Battle of Ausculum. But this victory, as Plutarch (in the biography of Pyrrhus) and other ancient historians tell, cost Pyrrhus such great losses in the army that he exclaimed: "Another such victory, and we are lost!" Indeed, in the following year, 278, the Romans defeated Pyrrhus. Hence the expression "Pyrrhic victory" in the meaning: a dubious victory that does not justify the sacrifices incurred for it.
Dictionary of winged words. Plutex. 2004
Synonyms:
See what "Pyrrhic victory" is in other dictionaries:
Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
PYRRHIC VICTORY. see victory. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
Exist., number of synonyms: 2 wins (28) losses (12) ASIS Synonym Dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary
Pyrrhic victory- wing. sl. Epirus king Pyrrhus in 279 BC e. defeated the Romans at the Battle of Ausculum. But this victory, as Plutarch tells (in the biography of Pyrrhus) and other ancient historians, cost Pyrrhus such great losses in the army that he ... ... Universal optional practical dictionary I. Mostitsky
Pyrrhic victory- Book. A victory discounted by excessive losses. The impresario jumped up and greeted Rachmaninoff with a respectfully jocular bow. I confess that you won... But no matter how it turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory. Serious trials await you ... All the collection from my ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language
Pyrrhic victory- a stable combination A dubious victory that does not justify the sacrifices made for it. Etymology: After the name of the Epirus king Pyrrhus (Greek Pyrros), who defeated the Romans in 279 BC. e. a victory that cost him enormous losses. Encyclopedic ... ... Popular dictionary of the Russian language
Pyrrhic victory- A victory that was given at the cost of such huge losses that it becomes doubtful or not worth it (from the historical event of the victory of King Pyrrhus over the Romans at the cost of huge losses) ... Dictionary of many expressions
Campaign of Pyrrhus A Pyrrhic victory, a victory won too dearly; victory equals defeat. This expression owes its origin to the battle of Ausculum in 2 ... Wikipedia
- (on behalf of the Epirus king Pyrrhus, who won a victory over the Romans in 279 BC, which cost him huge losses) a dubious victory that does not justify the sacrifices made for it. New dictionary foreign words. by EdwART, 2009 … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Pyrrhic victory- bookstore a victory that cost too many sacrifices, and therefore tantamount to defeat. The expression is associated with the victory of the Epirus king Pyrrhus over the Romans (279 BC), which cost him such losses that, according to Plutarch, he exclaimed: “Another one ... ... Phraseology Handbook
Books
- Demyansk battle. "Stalin's missed triumph" or "Hitler's Pyrrhic victory"?", Simakov Alexander Petrovich. This battle was the longest battle of the Great Patriotic War, which dragged on for a year and a half, from September 1941 to March 1943. This bloody battle was announced by both sides...
Excursion into history
In 280 BC, King Pyrrhus landed in Italy with his large army. On the side of Pyrrhus were the recalcitrant Samnites. The army included war elephants, which was a big surprise for the Romans. The first battle ended in a decisive victory for Pyrrhus's army, even though the Romans were vastly outnumbered. A year later, in 279, the Romans sent a new army to crush Pyrrhus. After a long battle, Pyrrhus again managed to defeat the Romans, but, counting the losses, the king cried out: "Another such victory and I will be left without an army!" The Romans fought courageously, and the losses were equivalent - 15 thousand people.
Achievements of Pyrrhus
The king of Epirus is famous not only for the phrase “Pyrrhic victory”, but also for some achievements that enriched the military affairs of that time. It was he who first began to enclose the battle camp with a moat and rampart for defense. After the battle with the Romans, the expression "Pyrrhic victory" became widespread. Basically, it is pronounced when success had to be paid very dearly. Such victories include the Battle of Malplac, the War of the Spanish Succession (1709). Then the British, after defeating the French, discovered that a third of their troops had died. The Battle of Maloyaroslavets (1812) is also a Pyrrhic victory. The French then still managed to take the city, but, as you know, the Napoleonic army did not receive anything worthwhile from such an acquisition.
Contemporaries often compared Pyrrhus to a dice player whose every throw is successful, but who does not know how to use his luck. As a result, this feature of Pyrrhus became the cause of his death. In addition, it was the war elephants, his secret "wonder weapon", that played a decisive role in his death.
Battle of Argos
When the army of Pyrrhus besieged Argos, his soldiers found an opportunity to quietly penetrate the sleeping city, but the king decided to bring war elephants into the city. But since they did not pass through the gate, this caused a noise, and the Argives grabbed their weapons. The battle in the narrow streets led to general confusion, no one heard the orders, it was impossible to determine where anyone was. As a result, Argos became a huge trap for the Epirus army. Trying to get out of the city, Pyrrhus sent a messenger to his son with an order to break the walls so that his army could leave the “captured city”. But his order was misunderstood, and the son of Pyrrhus went to the city to save his father. At the gate, two streams - retreating and those who hurried to their rescue - collided. In this pandemonium, Pyrrhus died at the hands of the mother of the warrior Argos, with whom he fought. The woman decided to help her son and threw a tile at Pyrrhus, hitting him right in the neck, not protected by armor.
"Pyrrhic victory": meaning
So, a Pyrrhic victory is called a victory for which a very high price had to be paid. This is a success that can be equated with defeat. In St. Petersburg, in the very center of the city, there is the Admiralty Tower. Four seated warriors can be seen against the background of the sky at the corners of the tower. Few people know who they are, but these are the four most famous commanders of ancient times: Caesar, Achilles, Pyrrhus and Alexander.
Pyrrhic victory- an achievement that led to disaster, a victory that cost too much sacrifice, a success that led to failure, an acquisition that turned into losses.The history of phraseology goes back to antiquity. The king of Epirus, Pyrrhus, achieved victory in the battle with the Romans, but at the cost of too many sacrifices of his army. “Another such victory and I will be left without an army,” exclaimed Pyrrhus, when the Romans retreated, and he counted the losses. And indeed, a year later, the Romans took revenge, the army of Pyrrhus was defeated
Epirus and Pyrrhus
Ioannina is the capital of modern Epirus
Epirus is a region in the northwest of the Peloponnese peninsula on the coast of the Ionian Sea. Today it is divided between Greece and Albania. In ancient times, Illyrian tribes lived on this territory, later assimilated by the Greeks and Italians. Today, the Albanians and part of the Croats consider themselves to be the descendants of the Illyrians. The Illyrians had a state. It existed from the 5th to the 2nd century BC and fell under the blows of the Romans. The battle, after which King Pyrrhus acknowledged his Pyrrhic victory, took place in Italy, near the city of Auscula (now Ascoli Satriano) in 279 BC. In it, both troops suffered heavy losses - 15 thousand people each, but the Romans, firstly, retreated to their camp in order, and secondly, they had more opportunities to restore combat readiness, while Pyrrhus lost the best part of the army, which was difficult to replace
"Pyrrhic victory" and "Cadmean victory"
Before our era, the concept of "Pyrrhic victory" did not exist. On the other hand, there was another phraseological unit close to it in meaning - “Cadmeian victory”. Ancient intellectuals owe its appearance to the ancient Greek playwrights, who described in their tragedies the struggle of the brothers Eteocles and Polynices for power over Thebes, a rich and powerful city in central Greece. Both brothers died in one of the fierce battles (Cadmus is the legendary founder of Thebes)
*** Ancient Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (90 - 30 BC): “Cadmeian victory is a saying. It means that the victors failed, while the vanquished were not endangered because of the magnitude of their strength. King Pyrrhus lost many of the Epirotes who came with him, and when one of his friends asked how he assessed the battle, he replied: “If I win another such victory over the Romans, I will not have a single warrior left of those that came with me"("Historical Library". book XXII)
*** Ancient Greek geographer Pausanias (110-180 AD): “The army of the Argives came to the center of Boeotia from the center of the Peloponnese, and Adrastus gathered allies for himself from both Arcadia and Messenia. In equal measure, mercenaries from the Phocians and Phlegia from the country of the Minians came to the Thebans. In the battle of Ismenia, in the first encounter, the Thebans were defeated, and, being put to flight, they fled and hid behind the walls of the city. Since the Peloponnesians did not know how to take walls by assault, they carried out their attacks rather with enthusiasm than with knowledge of the matter, and the Thebans, hitting them from the walls, killed many of them; and then, going out of the city, they attacked the rest of them, thrown into confusion, and defeated them, so that all the army perished except Adrast. But for the Thebans themselves, this case was not without great losses, and therefore the victory, which turned out to be disastrous for the winners, is called the Cadmeian (Cadmian) victory ”(“Description of Hellas”, IX, 9, 1)
"Pyrrhic victories" in history
Application of the expression "Pyrrhic victory"
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“The impresario greeted Rachmaninov with a respectfully-joking bow. - I confess, you won ... But no matter how it turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory. - Serious trials await you ... The entire collection from my concerts will go to the Red Army Fund ”(Nagibin“ The Bells ”)
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“The Russian government won the victory of Pyrrhus due to a lack of understanding of the people” (Gorky “To the workers of all countries”)
King Pyrrhus. Source: commons.wikimedia.org
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory that was won at too high a price, the result of which did not justify the effort and money invested.
Origin of expression
The origin of the expression is associated with the battle of Ausculum (in 279 BC). Then the Epirusian army of King Pyrrhus for two days attacked the Roman troops and broke their resistance, but the losses were so great that Pyrrhus remarked: “One more such victory, and I will be left without an army.” Another version of the same phrase is known: "Another such victory, and we were lost."
The Secret of War Elephants
In this battle, Pyrrhus won thanks to the presence in his army of war elephants, against which at that time the Romans did not yet know how to fight and therefore were powerless in front of them, “as if before rising water or a destructive earthquake,” as he wrote. Plutarch. The Romans then had to leave the battlefield and retreat to their camp, which, according to the customs of those times, meant a complete victory for Pyrrhus. But the Romans fought courageously, so the winner that day lost as many soldiers as the vanquished - 15 thousand people.
Expression predecessors
Before Pyrrhus, the expression "Cadmean victory" was in common use, based on the ancient Greek epic "Seven against Thebes" and found in Plato in his "Laws". The interpretation of this concept can be found in the ancient Greek writer Pausanias: telling about the campaign of the Argives against Thebes and the victory of the Thebans, he reports:
"... but for the Thebans themselves, this case was not without great losses, and therefore the victory, which turned out to be disastrous for the winners, is called the Cadmeian." (c) "Description of Hellas", book. IX.
Epirus is a geographical and historical region in southeastern Europe between present-day Greece and Albania. Epirus was part of ancient Hellas with the Acheron and Kokytos rivers and the Illyrian population. To the north of Epirus was Illyria, to the northeast - Macedonia, to the east - Thessaly.
To the south were the regions of Ambracia, Amphilochia, Acarnania, Aetolia.
In ancient times, the state of Epirus existed in the northwest of Hellas. His king's name was Pyrrhus. A talented commander, he enriched military affairs with many innovations. He was the first to enclose the military camp with a defensive rampart and a moat. Used in the fighting elephants.
In 281 BC. e. King Pyrrhus started a war with Rome. Landed in Italy and began to win victories. A year later, the Romans equipped an army designed to crush Pyrrhus. In 279 BC. e. The armies of Rome and Epirus met at the town of Ausculum. After a long battle, the Romans withdrew in full order of battle.
The victory went to Pyrrhus. But when he counted his losses, he exclaimed: “One more such victory, and I will be left without an army!” Almost half of the tried and true veteran soldiers died on the battlefield.
After some time, the Romans, having rested and pulled up their reserves, attacked Pyrrhus and inflicted a crushing defeat on him. And the expression "Pyrrhic victory" has become a household word, meaning "victory like defeat."
Battle of Lützen
There are many such pyrrhic victories in history. Sometimes not even big losses, but the death of one person led to defeat. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), the Swedish army under the command of King Gustav II Adolf was considered invincible. Gustav Adolf himself, a magnificent commander and a skilled politician, was the idol of Sweden and its army.
On November 16, 1632, near the town of Lützen (near Leipzig), the Swedish army met in battle with the imperial troops of Albrecht Wallenstein.
King Gustavus Adolphus personally led the charge of the Smolland Cavalry Regiment, but was wounded in the arm in action and the charge continued without him. Seven people remained with the wounded king. A group of Imperial cuirassiers stumbled upon them in the mist. In the ensuing skirmish, Gustav Adolf was killed.
But the battle continued. The command was taken over by Prince Bernhard of Weimar. The Swedes prevailed, and the defeated, but not defeated, imperial troops were forced to withdraw. It seems to be a victory. The Swedes occupied Leipzig, capturing rich warehouses there and capturing the wounded abandoned by the imperials. But the death of Gustav Adolf, a skilled politician and commander, soon affected the integrity of the coalition. The allies broke away - Russia, Saxony, Brandenburg and others.
Soon the hitherto invincible Swedes suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Nördlingen and withdrew to Poland.
Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf
There were times when a brilliant victory turned into a defeat due to stupidity, and even outright betrayal. During the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), Russian troops inflicted a defeat on the Prussian army of Field Marshal Lewald near Gross-Egersdorf.
But the commander of the Russian army, S.F. Apraksin did not take advantage of the victory. On the contrary, having learned about the illness of Empress Elizabeth and wishing to please the heir to the throne Peter III, an ardent admirer of the Prussian king Frederick II, he gives a treacherous order to retreat beyond the Neman. A hasty retreat turns into a stampede. Cannons, ammunition, carts with food and the wounded were thrown. The Prussian cavalrymen are chasing the Russian units all the way. In addition, a smallpox epidemic begins. So a brilliant victory turned into a catastrophic defeat. Apraksin was removed from his post and put on trial, but, without waiting for him, he died from a blow.
Battle of Isandlwana
And it also happens that a victory, instead of demoralizing the enemy and plunging him into dust, on the contrary, hardens the defeated side, forces it to consolidate. On January 22, 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War at the Battle of Isandlwana, a 22,000-strong Zulu army under the command of Nchingwayo Khoza destroyed a large British detachment. Of the 1,400 Englishmen, only 60 escaped. The victory at Isandlwana was pyrrhic for the Zulus - not only because of the losses they suffered in 3,000 people.
Even those of the British who did not want war began to support the "hawks" in the government and agreed to provide all the resources necessary to defeat the Zulus. Troops were sent to South Africa and invaded Zululand, and soon the Zulu state ceased to exist.
Myshkova river
December 12, 1942. German troops under the command of Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, an attempt was made to unblock the Paulus group surrounded in Stalingrad. The Soviet command did not expect an attack in this area. The powerful tank formations of General Herman Goth were opposed by the weakened and exhausted units of the 51st Army and the 4th Mechanized Corps.
Soviet soldiers rose to death near the village of Verkhne-Kumsky. Fierce and stubborn fighting continued with varying success from 13 to 19 December. Our units were almost completely destroyed. But the losses of the Nazis turned out to be huge - by December 17, Goth had only 35 combat-ready tanks left. Only by pulling up the reserve 17th Panzer Division, the Germans were able to break through to the Myshkova River. There were only 40 kilometers to Stalingrad, but the moment was lost. The soldiers of the 51st Army and the 4th Mechanized Corps detained the enemy for five days, paying for it with their lives. During this time, the fresh 2nd Guards Army of General Malinovsky approached, which completely defeated the enemy. So the victory of the Germans near the village of Verkhne-Kumsky can be safely called a Pyrrhic victory.
Borodino
And, of course, the classic example of a Pyrrhic victory is the Battle of Borodino. The main goal of Napoleon is not a tactical victory, not the capture of Moscow, but the complete defeat and demoralization of the Russian army. And that just didn't happen. The Russian army was leaving the Borodino field, wanting to fight again. Of course, the columns went thinner, the losses were huge - 44 thousand fighters. Still, the bloodiest one-day battle in history!
The French lost even more - 50 thousand people, including 49 of the best generals. But losses are different.
If the Russian army, being on its territory, quickly received reinforcements, then the French were in a less advantageous position.
General Yermolov said that the French had broken their teeth on the Borodino field. But he said these words later.
Initially, the retreat from the battlefield and the subsequent withdrawal from Moscow were perceived by the army and the people as a heavy defeat. All of Russia reacted extremely negatively to Kutuzov's decisions. The wounded Prince Bagration tore off the bandages and bled to death, Emperor Alexander defiantly dressed in civilian clothes, theatrically declaring that it was now shameful to wear a Russian uniform.
The generals criticized the commander, the officers cursed, the soldiers grumbled.
Ermolov subtly slandered and frankly rude. Only a couple of weeks later, when Napoleon began to make unsuccessful attempts at peace, when the quartermaster detachments of the French began to be exterminated by Russian peasants, when provisions and fodder for horses ran out in Moscow, when Cossacks and partisans began to drive thousands of crowds of prisoners to the Tarutino camp, the attitude towards Kutuzov became change. Understanding the ingenious strategic idea that drove Napoleon into the Moscow mousetrap, the army and the people moved from censure to approval of Kutuzov.
So a skilled chess player, sacrificing a strong piece, eventually wins the whole game. Borodino was a pyrrhic victory for Napoleon. A tactical victory leading to a catastrophic strategic defeat. The beginning of the collapse of his empire.