A dejected Napoleon retreats from Moscow after failing to capture it during the French invasion of Russia in 1812.
Oil on canvas by Adolph Northen, 1851.
Napoleon’s army during a blizzard.
Painting by Vasily Vereshchagin.
French retreat from Russia.
Painting by Illarion Pryanishnikov.
The sudden conflagration caused a wave of panic to descend over the Armada.
It had lost more ships and men to cold and stormy weather than in direct combat.
Defeat of the Mongol invasion fleet during 1274-1281.
The storm struck with devastating force, scattering the Mongol ships and inflicting heavy casualties upon their crews.
An estimated 13,000 men drowned and around one-third of the ships sank.
The Mongol invasion force, weakened by the storm, was forced to retreat.
In the interim, the Japanese had built a sea wall to protect themselves from future assaults.
The Mongols never attacked Japan again, and more than 70,000 men were said to have been captured.
Initially, the German forces made good progress as they pushed deep into Soviet territory.
For Leningrad, Hitler had a particularly devilish planhe ordered the city starved into submission.
The epic siege would last 890 days.
After laying waste to Crimea and Leningrad, Hitlers troops moved towards Moscow.
But as they reached the approaches to Moscow, the German formations slowed to a crawl.
Autumn rains had turned dirt roads into rivers of mud.
Supply lines became stretched thin, and resupply efforts were often delayed or disrupted by the challenging conditions.
German soldiers, ill-equipped for winter warfare, suffered from frostbite, hypothermia, and other cold-related injuries.
Equipment and machinery also struggled to function in the frigid conditions, leading to mechanical failures and breakdowns.
Taking advantage of the harsh winter weather, the Soviet Union launched a counteroffensive against the German invaders.
The French staunchly refused to abandon the safety of their city walls, frustrating Edward’s ambitions.
King Edward III kneels down and vows that he will make peace with the French.
Painting by James William Edmund Doyle in 1864.
As night descended, the skies begun to grumble and a thunderstorm of unprecedented ferocity broke out.
Rain began to fall in torrents and a great barrage of huge hailstones crashed down upon the English camp.
The following day, Androuin de La Roche arrived at the English camp bearing peace proposals.
Humbled by the catastrophic events of the storm, Edward III agreed to negotiations.
