3 Battles that changed Indian History

Three battles of Panipat were fought in Indian history: First in 1526 between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi, Second in 1556 between Akbar and Hemu and the Third in 1761 between Durrani Empire and Maratha Empire.

First Battle of Panipat (1526)

The first battle of Panipat saw emergence of the Mughals, mightiest power in Indian History. According to legends it was the oldest Indian battles to have used gunpowder firearms and field artillery. The battle was fough between two mega-powers. Babur, then ruler of Kabul and Ibrahim Lodhi, king of Delhi Sultanate. It was fought near Panipat (present day Haryana). 

First Battle of Panipat

Although Babur had a fighting Army of 8,000 soldiers and Lodhi had around 40,000 soldiers along with 400 war elephants, yet the main element that proved an ace-card for Babur for the use of field artillery. Apart from fighting and defeating men, the artillery was powerful to scare elephants and cause havoc amongst them. In the end, it was Babur who emerged victorious and established the Mughal Empire, while Ibrahim Lodhi perished in the Battle.

Second Battle of Panipat (1556)

The Second battle of Panipat marked the beginning of Akbar’s reign in India, as it was in the first year of his holding the throne. The battle was fought between Akbar (Ruler of Mughal Dynasty) and Muhammad Adil Shah (ruler of Pashtan Suri Dynasty), along with his Prime Minister Hemu. 

In the year 1556, Akbar had successfully taken up the throne of his father when Mughals had spread across Kabul, Kandahar and parts of Delhi and Punjab. Hemu (Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya) was the military chief of Afghan Sultan Mohammad Adil Shah, who was the ruler of Chunar at that point. Adil Shah was on a trail to remove Mughals from India. 

Second Battle of PanipatTaking the advantage of Humayun’s death he was successful in capturing the reigns of Agra and Delhi without much difficulty. This victory of Adil Shah and Hemu didn’t last much as Bairam Shah, who was the chief Minister and guardian of Akbar proceeded with a large army towards Delhi. 

The battle was fought at Panipat with strong competitors on both sides. Hemu had a large army along with 1500 War elephants. Hemu was struck with an arrow in his eye and subsequently the army got panicked seeing their unconscious leader. The battle concluded with Mughals crowned with victory. 

The head of Hemu was chopped and the torso was made to travel to Delhi to celebrate the grand victory of Mughals. Thus, it was this ferocious battle that reestablished the strong Mughal Empire which had a powerful reign of Akbar to create history.

Third Battle of Panipat (1761)

The third battle of Panipat was fought between the Afghans and the Marathas. The battle was significant as it marked the end of Maratha dominance in India. At the time of this battle Afghans were under the leadership of Ahmed Shah Abdali and the Marathas under the leadership of Peshwas had established control across Northern India. During the eighteenth century the parallel decline of Mughal Empire and defeat of Marathas in the battle of Panipat saw a new beginning of the colonial rule in India. 

The main cause attributed towards the defeat of Marathas in the battle was the lack of allies due to their brutal behavior during the earlier years of reign. All important rulers including Sikhs, Jats, Kingdom of Awadh, Rajputs and many more were all upset with the treatment of Marathas towards them. The third battle of Panipat was fought in between Kaalaa Aamb and Sanauli road of present day. Both forces moved in lines, but intelligently the Afghans had cut all possible lines for Maratha Forces.

Third Battle of PanipatThe Maratha Army consisted of the artillery in front, protected by infantry, pike men, bowman and musketeers. The cavalry was instructed to wait behind the artillery and bayonet holding musketeers and they were ready to charge when control of battlefield is fully established. Behind the line were thirty thousand young men who were not that expert in fighting and then about thirty thousand civilians. 

This civilian line consisted of many middle class men, women, children who took this as an opportunity to visit pilgrimage to visit holy places and shrines and also Aryavarta (Aryan land). Behind the civilian line there was another protective infantry line composed of comparatively young and experienced soldiers.  

On the other hand the Afghans also formed up a similar kind of Infantry in the third battle of Panipat, the left wing formed by the Najib`s Rohillas and the right wing by two brigades of Persian troops. The left center was controlled by two higher officials, Shuja-ud-Daulah and ahmad shah`s Vizier Shah Wali. The right center consisted of Rohillas, under Hafiz Rahamat and other chiefs of the Indian Pathans. 

Pasand Khan led the left wing, which was composed of well-chosen Afghan horsemen. This way the army moved forward with the Shah at the center so that he could watch and control the battle. The battle lasted for two months which ultimately resulted in the defeat of Marathas and end of their dominance in India. 

Why Hitler Started WW2 8 Years before Planned

Two physicians treating Hitler, doctors Morell and Schenk, claimed he had Parkinson’s Disease. In 1939, that was a death sentence within a few years. This could have motivated Hitler to start the war insanely early—while he was still alive and mentally alert—in September of that year.

In 1939, the German Army was totally not ready—their tanks were pitiful (essentially the MK I/II/III were armored cars), they had only a handful of U-boats operational, and no reserves of fuel, winter clothing, etc. As an example, Chief of U-boats Karl Doenitz estimated he needed at least 300 boats to effectively attack Atlantic convoys, of which a third would typically be in maintenance, a third in transit, and a third available to attack shipping. In September of 1939 he had only 26 boats total, of which about 8 (on a good day) would be available for oceanic operations, with the rest in “pipeline.” Similarly, the fuel stocks were so low that secret reports reported they were almost exhausted in 1942, leading to the risky Operation Edelweiss, a desperate turn of Army forces to the South, to try to seize Caucasus oil wells.

The German armed forces did not get their really good weapons (Me262 fighter, Panther tank, MG42, MP44 assault gun, Schnorchel Uboat, etc.) into production until very late in 1943, at which time the factories were slowed down by bombing. The only exceptional thing they had in 1940 was training and command and control—command cars with wireless sets coordinated forces even during rapid advances, something others could not do.

By the beginning of 1944, Hitler was on increasingly heavy medication, and he was shuffling and trembling, and knew the end was imminent. He stopped making public speeches, and was rarely seen in public.

His uncontrollably trembling left hand was already evident several years before. It is very evident on a youtube clip, at This Video Exposes Hitler's Secret Illness. The video and the attached photo shows him using his right hand, patting children’s cheeks, while his left is hidden behind his back. This may be why his left hand was often hooked into his belt while giving his copied-from-Rome salute, to stop it from trembling.

He apparently had advanced syphilis, as well. The symptoms are similar to Parkinson’s, and several physicians diagnosed him with this. Again, this was a sure time bomb for how long he could maintain command. He mentioned this disease many times in his writings, and seemed to be obsessed with it. The combined effect of the two incapacitating and fatal diseases may be why he stayed in the bunker and kept the war going until the end, keeping his physicians close to him—he knew he had no future in the outside world.

Hitler was an extensive opioid and meth abuser, and used cocaine to “clear his sinuses.” His extensive personal medical records, consisting of over 200 pages and compiled by his six (!) chief physicians, show he was using or abusing some 28 different drugs. His inner circle knew that although he was a vegetarian, he passed gas—he had uncontrollable flatulence problems. The abuse of opioids and coke of course leads to periods of extreme highs (and feelings of unrealistic, “bulletproof” power) followed by crashes, which his officers often witnessed