A crunch of leaves underfoot, a bird call that could possibly be human. When you’re deep in enemy territory and all your senses are on high alert, even the most benign sound could be a sign of something more sinister… an ambush waiting.
Click start to play today’s Crossword, where you can identify the word for luring someone into a trap, in 4-Down.
Here are three historic ambushes that still manage to shock, when you read about it:
1. The Trojan Horse
The Trojan War, during the 12th century, was initiated when Queen Helen of Sparta was abducted by the Trojan prince, Paris. To secure her return, over 1,000 Greek ships sailed for Troy, where they would battle for the next decade. But one morning, the Greek forces abruptly abandoned camp and retreated, leaving behind an enormous wooden horse that was touted as an offering to the war deity Athena. But hours after the horse was allowed to pass through the walled city, a few dozen armed soldiers emerged from the horse’s hollow belly, and opened the fortress gates in the dead of night. Their comrades, who had secretly sailed back, swiftly entered the city and decimated the surprised Trojans, leaving the entire place in ruins.
2. Battle of Lake Trasimene
In 218 BC, a Roman declaration of war against Carthage triggered the Second Punic War, a 17-year-long conflict that saw the two regions fight for dominance of the western Mediterranean. Carthaginian general and statesman Hannibal showed off his legendary acumen during his third battle, when he set a deadly trap for Roman general Gaius Flaminius on a narrow road beside Lake Trasimene. The Roman forces had about 30,000 men and pursued a small contingent of Hannibal’s troops at the far end of the lake, unaware that most of his 40,000 fighters were lying in wait, in the forested hills beside the road. With the lake on one side, and hills on the other, the Romans had nowhere to go – many fled to the lake and drowned in their armour. About 15,000 Romans died and a similar number were taken prisoner, resulting in an enormous defeat.
3. Battle of Medway
In 1665, the Great Plague ravaged London, England, and in the following year, the Great Fire of London wiped out much of the city’s housing. The Dutch decided to take advantage of their weakened state when in 1667, they sent a flotilla and launched a surprise attack that no one saw coming. The audacious plan was masterminded by Dutch political leader Johann de Witt, in an attempt for his nation to get the upper hand in upcoming treaty talks. The Dutch captured the English seaport of Sheerness, and sent a fleet along the treacherous River Medway. The fleet destroyed a protective iron chain stretch across it, and came upon battleships anchored in the supposedly impenetrable ports of Gillingham and Chatham. It turned out that deep budget cuts had left the battleships mostly unguarded, so the Dutch sacked 13 of them and, to the great humiliation of the British, confiscated two battleships – one of which was the HMS Royal Charles, the Royal Navy’s flagship.
Did you know about these historic ambushes? Play today’s Crossword and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
