Shortest War in History
HMS Thrush which led the shortest campaign in naval history.
We looked. There seems no debating the consensus. The shortest war in recorded history looks to be about 38 minutes. Who had the stopwatch that was tracking all of this is an open question, but no one seems to be questioning their judgment.
The Anglo-Zanzibar War (1896) was, by all accounts a quick win for the visiting team.
What happened? In 1890, Britain declared Zanzibar a protectorate and installed their own Sultan. He was a lovely fellow, but died three years later. His cousin moved in and took over without British approval. That got London’s attention. the government dispatched two British ships. They entered the harbor demanding the new “sultan” leave the palace. He refused. On August 25, at 9 am the order was given to open fire. Firing commenced at 9:02. The “new” Sultan surrendered at 9:40. By then all the cannon defending the city had been knocked out and the palace was on fire.
The palace after the bombardment
What about the U.S.? The Americans could not come close to matching the British record. The U.S. was involved in the Perdicaris affair (1904), famously distorted in the wonderful film starring staring Sean Connery, The Wind and the Lion (1975), but that wasn’t actually a war. Plus, the U.S. just dispatched some warships and a detachment of Marines and the incident dragged on for weeks. In 1805, the Americans did assault Derna in Tripoli, where the Marines earned the second half of the first line of their battle hymn “From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.” Unfortunately, the fight lasted for an one hour and 15 minutes, though it was also the subject of a Hollywood movie, Tripoli (1950) with John Payne and Maureen O'Hara.
The Marines finish a distant second. The Battle of Derna by Charles Waterhouse
Why does this matter? Throughout history leaders always think they can pull off short brilliant wars. Some times they do manage. The ground campaign in the First Iraq War lasted only 100 hours, though to be fair technically the “war” was a lot longer. Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm (1991) were combined 6 months, 3 weeks and 5 days. Other times, they get it way wrong. The Germans expected to win World War I in a lightening campaign, the Schlieffen Plan. The war dragged on for four years, saw over 40 million casualties, and the Germans lost. Other wars were even longer. Thucydides described war as a great leap into “the dark.” It is too often so. Never unleash the dogs unless you are prepared for all the possible terrible consequences, including the dogs turning on you.
Other Extreme Military History from War and More
Worst Military Defeat in U.S. Military History