The Battle of Yarmouk (Podcast)

Script:

In this pod cast I’m going to talk about one of history’s most influential battles, the battle of yarmouk.

Yarmouk was a decisive battle between the arab muslim army and the Byzantine empire. It was fought in August 636 and included a series of engagements that lasted for six days. The battle took place near the Yarmouk river, which is today the border area between Syria and Jordan. It is an example in history where an inferior force defeats a superior force by the use of intelligent, well organized military tactics.

After prophet Muhammed’s death (prayers and peace be upon him) Abu bakr, the muslim caliph started the first Islamic conquests after suppressing the Arabian revolting tribes in the redda wars. Abu Bakr deployed an army to start moving north towards Iraq and Syria acquiring new land for the caliphate. After successfully conquering Iraq, the richest province of the Persian Empire at the time, Abu bakr ordered his troops to move into Syria.

Khalid Ibn al walid was the army commander appointed by Abu bakr to fight the Byzantines in Syria. After a few battles won by the Muslim army in Syria, they conquered Damascus and Palestine. The Byzantine Empire then ruled by Heraclius, prepared an army to reacquire the lost regions. By May 636, they had a large force concentrated at Antioch in northern Syria. Vahan was the overall commander of the army that was divided to 5 units, each with its own leader.

The Arab Muslim force was positioned in four areas, Palestine, Jordan, Damascus, and Emesa. The plan Heraclius meant to apply was to divide his forces and defeat each of the four Muslim armies alone, depriving them of the chance to unite their forces. The Muslims discovered their plan, and Khaled advised his fellow commanders to pull their troops back from Palestine and Syria and to concentrate them in Dar’a, near the Yarmouk plain. As a result, the Byzantine armies had to gather forming one army that faced the Muslims.

After a series of long to medium rage maneuvers, Heraclius Decided to attack the Muslim Army. The battlefield was 65 kilometers south-west of the Golan Heights, and the two armies fought on the Yarmouk plain. Negotiations between the two sides delayed battle for about a month; Meanwhile, Umar then the Muslim Caliph sent reinforcements of about 6000 men to Khalid. Vahan alerted by the growing strength of the Muslim army decided to attack on 15th of August 636.

Estimates of the size of the two armies vary; estimates for the Byzantine forces are between 80,000 and 120,000. Estimates for the Muslim army are between 25000 and 40,000.

The battle lasted for 6 days. In the first day, champions from both sides engaged in fights and many of the Byzantine commanders were killed, destroying the army’s morale. Vahan ordered a limited attack to test out the strength of the Muslim army and exploit any weak points. The fighting wasn’t fierce and both armies broke contact at sunset.
In the second day, Vahan ordered an attack just before dawn as the muslims were unprepared and praying. His armies pushed at the centre of Muslim army and pressed at the wings. The Muslim army was pushed back, but Khalid used his light cavalry unit to support the weak right flank. In day 3 of the battle, Vahan ordered his troops to press upon the Muslim right flank and deployed his cavalry units around the Muslims right side. The light cavalry unit lead by Khalid struck the Byzantine left flank and saved the Muslim right flank.

The battle continued for two more days and on day six, Khaled implemented an intelligent attack plan. He gathered all his cavalry and pressed hard on the left flank of the Byzantine army, while the Muslim infantry pushed forward at the centre. This strategy separated the Byzantine left flank infantry from the cavalry units. The Cavalry units of the Byzantine army soon routed and their left flank was completely exposed. General Byzantine retreat started after the left flank was destroyed. Khalid then deployed his cavalry around the Byzantine army to eliminate their chances of escaping the battlefield. After this Muslim victory, the Byzantine Empire abandoned Syria and Muslim forces established control over the rest of the Syrian land.