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A Pyrrhic victory is a victory in battle which is only achieved with heavy losses on one's own side, often to the point of offsetting potential benefit to such an extent that the war has become less winnable for the Pyrrhic victor than it was before battle commenced.
This alludes to the Battle of Ausculum (Ascoli Satriano, in Apulia). in 279 BCE, when the Epirote King Pyrrhus, aiding the Tarentines, defeated the Romans but with severe casualties of his own. After the battle, Pyrrhus is recorded to have commented: "If we win another such battle against the Romans, we will be completely lost" (Plutarch, Pyrrhus 21,14).
One example could be the Battle of Crete, in which Germany captured and occupied the island, but lost an extreme amount of airborne troops.
See also
External links
fr:victoire à la Pyrrhus
es:Victoria pírrica
ia:Victoria pyrrhic
nl:Pyrrhusoverwinning
sv:Pyrrhusseger
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