In some cases, Cormac O'Brien noted in Outnumbered and Outgunned, that complacency is a factor since the larger force is unprepared for a serious battle/threat because of its distinct size advantage.
That was the case at the Battle of Lacolle Mills (1814) in which the British regulars, well trained and with good morale, charged less well-trained American troops and forced them to flee, despite being outnumbered 12 to 1, and was a noted feature of the Battle of Kapyong,[4] where a full Chinese division of 10,000–20,000 were successfully resisted by a battalion of 700 Canadians defending a hill defence and supported by long-range artillery barrages.
At Agincourt, the English benefited from a position where their flanks and rear were protected by woods, and the ground in front of them was muddy from rain.
The Romans fought in formation with the stabbing gladius as they were trained to fight, whereas the Celts were shoehorned with very little space to use their swords in a swinging motion as they were accustomed to.
In total, around 80,000 Celts were ultimately killed, while the Roman army suffered only around 400 losses, with similar numbers injured, and the rebellion was firmly crushed.
Unable to break the line of English men-at-arms, the Scots became trapped in a valley with fresh forces arriving from the rear pressing them forward and giving them no room to manoeuvre, or even to use their weapons.
The English adopted a defensive stance, erecting wooden fortifications and raining down arrows on the advancing French army.
When the English archers ran out of arrows, they dropped their bows and using hatchets, swords, and the mallets they had used to drive their wooden stakes in, counterattacked the now shaken, fatigued, and wounded French men-at-arms massed in front of them.
[7] The counter-attack from the English was a decisive blow, and the rest of the French army, having witnessed the slaughter, fled the field of battle.
The unmaintained castle lacked defenses and held a mere 2,100–2,300 defenders, some of whom were untrained, women or peasants who had fled from attacks elsewhere in the Kingdom of Hungary.
In June 1694 during the Polish-Ottoman war (1683–1699), 40,000 up to even 70,000 Tatars were dispatched from the Ottoman state of Crimean Khanate, with the intention of raiding the undefended countryside of the Kingdom of Poland.
[19] Desperate, and running low on ammunition, Handcock's 80 men fixed bayonets and charged the US artillery, but was pushed back because of the overwhelming numbers.
The leader of the US troops, Major Thomas Van Horne then ordered a withdrawal, at which point the whole US unit broke and fled in disorder.
The Battle of Gate Pā, on 29 April 1864, saw a larger better-armed group of British regulars attacking Māori warriors in New Zealand.
[24] This, possibly one of the most famous unlikely victories saw just over 150 British and colonial troops successfully defend a farmhouse against an intense assault by 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors in 1879.
[12][27] The event has become widely known as a battle where an underdog won against overwhelming odds [28] During World War II Fritz Klingenberg, leading a reconnaissance patrol into Belgrade, sneaked into the city through enemy lines with just 6 men.
[31] Wary of this, the Mayor surrendered to his forces,[32] at which point Klingenberg gathered a number of German flags from the embassy and ran them up various flagpoles in the city.
The action was of crucial strategic significance as the Kapyong Valley was the traditional invasion route to Seoul, and potentially would enable the encirclement of US forces in Korea which were then in general retreat across the Korean front lines.
The Australian 3 RAR resisted the Chinese attacks on Hill 504 during 23/24 April until threatened with being surrounded, and then retreated off the battlefield, together with the American tanks.
The Chinese then assaulted the Canadian 2 PPCLI defending Hill 677 in a last stand, who were outnumbered in the combat engagement area by at least ten to one,[35] and in the battlefield zone by about 30 to 1.
With his battalion encircled, abandoned by supporting units, and without possibility of resupply of ammunition, Lt. Col. Stone issued the order "No retreat, no surrender", and resisted mass attacks of Chinese infantry throughout the night of 24/25 April.
The Canadians called in artillery fire from a New Zealand unit situated about 4.5 miles distant, directly onto some of their own positions on three occasions when overrun.
[4] Part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, this battle saw 2000 to 3000 Pakistani soldiers and 40 tanks attack 120 Indian troops, with a detachment of 4 warplanes that gave them air superiority.
[citation needed] The Indian troops used subterfuge, stringing barbwire and putting up minefield markers, in areas where there were in fact no mines.