[ExI] two years in the slammer for blammisphy?

[BillK]

On 5/11/10, Damien Broderick wrote:
> On 5/11/2010 2:21 PM, BillK wrote:
> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vienna>
> > The Polish army defeated the Turks laying seige to Vienna.
> >
>
>  Yes, using an enormous cavalry charge etc--not at all the desperate
> activity of starving Viennese, which was presumably the event 150 years
> earlier:
>
>


Well, yes it was, at least partly, I think.  :)

The siege 150 years earlier just petered out. The Turks ran out of
food, etc., got bored with it all and packed up and went home.

At the battle of Vienna, the mistake the Turks made was that they
split their forces in two. The Turks well knew that Vienna was on its
last legs and starving and they had prepared a final assault. So
rather than engaging the Polish army that had just arrived, the Turks
concentrated on a final attack on the city. The desperate Viennese
managed to hold off the Turks attack and when they saw the Polish
lancers sweep through the Turks, the Viennese charged out and attacked
the Turks from the rear.
So the Turks were fighting on two fronts and were defeated.


I think Spike's memory of Michener's dramatic novel just got a bit
confused about whether the Poles were inside or outside Vienna.  :)

BillK