300 ... Prepare for Glory! Tell of Victory!

Caught 300. Great film, not because it's the best adapted screenplay, or that it's the best film of the year, for these it certainly is not. But because of its classic historical tale itself. Well, some film connoisseurs would like to believe that it could be told with more stylistic poetry and pacing. Yet, this is about a real story of a brutal battle in a brutal age by a brutal people against another brutal people. In that context, the simplicity and starkness of its brutality and directness of its killing stands as a clear image of that age.

The tale of the 300 Spartans in their last stand against the full might of the Persian Empire at the Hot Gates of Greece is a classic one, one in which a few prevailed over many, holding out for an impossible stretch of time, till the bitter end. The Battle of Thermopylae is still studied in all military academies the world over.

It was a battle doomed to failure, but the heroic Spartans still persisted, because they saw the larger victory it would accord Greece, for it forestalled the progress of the Persian army, and allowed the Athenians, Spartans and other Greek nation-states to prepare themselves for the final onslaught. It was not the battle to end all battles, but it was the critical battle that allowed for final victory thereafter.

And the Spartans in their full heroic glory stood the test of time.

Classic quotes from the annals on the Battle:
So much the better, we shall fight in the shade
Prepare for Glory
Tell of Victory

It's heroic and tragic pathos at its very best.
The Last Stand.
300.

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Military Lessons from the Spartans:
... There can be no weak link in the rank and file of the entire formation when one goes into battle. All must be equal in every aspect. All shields must be held at the same height, with no gap possible. All in one and one in all. It's not merely individuals, but a brotherhood. Otherwise, one would fail. The quality of the army is only as good as its weakest link. There can be no weakest link.
... The whole formation must be United As One. All must move with deadly swiftness and precision. The success of the attack will only be as good as how sharp and together one and all executes the thrusts and moves. Attack together, attack fast, be clean and swift, and then move on again.
... Plan well ahead, and plan well. One wrong decision or move can very well cost the entire battle.
... Think not of personal glory alone, but of the ideals and glory of the nation.

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Lessons from Britain, Churchill, WWII:
Winston Churchill: We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the seas, we shall fight in the skies ... we shall never surrender! (WWII)
Britain all alone against the entire might of Nazi Germany, and standing firm, the lone fortress in the sea.... Their Finest Hour.

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Our Battles 2007: SYF, Prelims and 'O' Levels.