Saragarhi - The Last Stand - Extra History

Calminos

Would recommend Ashoka.

Extra History

Hopefully more someday!

Extra History

We're just glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for stopping by!

Extra History

Yeah, Saragarhi was specifically being used to relay communications between those forts, and because it made communication between them so efficient, it was going to make actually taking (and holding) those much-better defended forts individually significantly harder, if not impossible. Taking it out was the first step to taking them out. The fort was much better defended than the post so it would not have been an easy take, even in that case.

Extra History

Glad you enjoyed it!

Extra History

Fortifications can do a lot - if you have thousands of people but they all have to fit through a space that can only fit ten people abreast, then your push boils down to a wave of 10v10 battles and a defender with a lot of stamina can hold that kind of position for a long time.

Extra History

It does mean lion, yes!

Extra History

There's something about that last stand against impossible odds...

Extra History

Glad you enjoyed it!

Extra History

Scott really brought some beautiful scenes to this one!

Extra History

I'm afraid I do not know that off the top of my head! If James was wrong, we can all tease him.

Extra History

Oh, eventually Alexander did make it through Afghanistan, but he had a hell of a time. The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield, while historical fiction rather than straight-up history, is a good place to dip your toe into that.

Extra History

Well, I like to keep folks up to date! It can be disappointing when an episode is late, especially if your timezone means that "late episode" means "I have to go bed and can't watch this today at all." I understand that can be frustrating so I do want to let people know and not keep them up late hoping!

Extra History

We hope so too! We're striving to get back on track by the time this week's Lies episode comes around, but should that fail, we're pretty sure we'll have it together by the start of Great Northern War.

Calminos

Finally, some Indian history to soothe me soul.

B.D.I A.K.A Donald McKenney

Loving your stuff working on getting support too thanks for the inspiration total awesome !

SpoonofEvil

Saragarhi was the only point of communication between the 2 forts because they did not have a direct line of sight to each other. The rebels knew that Saragarhi was strategically important and taking it out quickly would nean both forts becoming effectively blind.

Nessf

They might not have - but they were in a position to relay messages from one fort to the other. The signal post itself might not be much threat, and the fort they were signalling couldn't spare men to reinforce it... but I'm willing to be that had one fort been attacked, a signal would have been sent to the other for reinforcements. That one likely would have been answered, as the second fort would be a more important location (and they could know their own fort wouldn't be attacked - all the enemies were busy with the other one after all).

Porcupine

I'm wondering - if the delay caused by holding the signaling post was substantially important for the fort on the hill, why did the attackers bother to take the post instead of immediately going for the fort with better chances? It's pretty obvious they wouldn't have had to worry much about the men from the post, as those would have not amounted to much of a threat in such small numbers _outside_ their fortified post...

Katerina

Nice one!

SpoonofEvil

Sikhs are a warrior culture, and they are generally highly trained and highly disciplined. On top of that, their communications post was fairly well fortified and on highly advantageous ground.

Chris

How was such a small group able to fight against such a large one? Was it the fortifications, better equipment, better training?

Michael Jebbett

I forgot how diverse India is in comparison to almost any other nation. I guess if someone who looks less like you than the folks you're fighting with and improves your standing, you're more inclined to throw your lot in with them.

SpoonofEvil

History and empires are not so black and white. India was hardly unified nor peaceful before the British arrived, and the Sikhs suffered much discrimination and atrocities at the hands of the Mughals and Afghan Muslims. The Sikhs were hugely loyal to the British because they improved their overall standard of living AND were a helpful ally against their regional enemies.

Michael Jebbett

I question why the Sikhs were so loyal to the British. These were the people who invaded and subjugated their country, and yet they're willing to lay down their lives to expand their power? Is this an example of colaborating with one's enemy?

Richard Fejdasz

Isn't it true that Singh, the name each Sikh male adopts upon reaching adulthood means "lion"? If so then this was a sacrifice of 21 lions.

Huw Rollinson

Brilliant episode and surprisingly moving. That company of Sikh soldiers put one in mind of a group of Spartan soldiers some 2500 years before. Every one a hero.

Jason Youngberg

Awesome episode!

Martin Ockovsky

Absolutely amazing work of art. Thank you very much.

James V Nutley

Typo there, 1849 is the end of the Second Sikh/Anglo war.

barefoot James

The British fought two bloody wars against the Sikhs ending in 1949. Then they allowed Sikhs to enlist in the British Indian Army (BIA). Only volunteers were accepted into the Sikh units and they had to be both strong and physically fit. During the Sepoy Mutiny, the Sikhs remained overwehelmingly loyal to the British Raj. In the first year following the mutiny over 23,000 Sikhs enlisted in the BIA.

The Sikhs in general were loyal to the Empire, after their own (failed) rebellion. They were respected and treated fairly well by the British, and were famed for their courage in battle. Sikhism, at least to my understanding, is a militant religion - but which emphasises peace and harmony.

Todd Carter

Good video! I just have a question: What made this group of soldiers so particularly loyal to the British Empire when so many other groups were rebelling? Thanks for posting

Sara Samaletdin

Isn't that graveyard of Empires thing a bit of a myth (in comparison to elsewhere and how bad the losses were, it's not like the struggles did not happen).

Michael Waisfeld

As I recall Alexander beat Besus. There was a nice video about it on the BazBattles channel

Joo-Hwan Jun

Why the sorry? It's your Patreon in the end. Besides, as long as you deliver who can complain? Ah yes! At times the small things are the ones that make the most impact. The only question after that is; can those whom the sacrificed have given their lives for let their sacrifice go to waste or honor it by building upon their legacy?

Martin Verran

Extra Delays ~ coming soon to a Patreon Creator Page near you! 😉 More seriously hopefully you will be Back to your Normal schedule soon.