March 22 in Military History — On This Day

Fall of Shenyang and Liaoyang

Following his victory at Sarhu, Nurhaci turned his bannermen against the principal Ming cities of Liaodong. Shenyang, the regional capital, fell after a brief siege when a coordinated attack overwhelmed its defenses. The Ming governor Yuan Yingtai drowned himself rather than surrender. Liaoyang, the other great fortress, fell days later. The twin conquests gave the Manchus the urban and agricultural base they needed to sustain a state capable of challenging China proper.

The fall of Shenyang and Liaoyang marked the end of two centuries of Ming control over southern Manchuria. Nurhaci made Shenyang his capital (later renamed Mukden), transforming it into the springboard for the eventual conquest of China. The loss shocked the Ming court and triggered a political crisis.

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⚔️📍 Oppenheim, Germany1945

U.S. Third Army Crosses the Rhine at Oppenheim

General George Patton's Third Army crossed the Rhine River at Oppenheim under cover of darkness without a preparatory artillery bombardment, catching German defenders completely off guard. Patton reportedly urinated into the Rhine as he crossed, fulfilling a promise.

The rapid Rhine crossing by Patton's forces, coming the same day as Montgomery's massive prepared assault further north, accelerated the collapse of German resistance.

Outcome

Rhine crossed; road to Berlin open

Casualties

Operation Undeniable Victory

Iran's most successful conventional offensive of the war uses surprise, mass, and a combination of regular army and Revolutionary Guards to shatter Iraqi lines. Three simultaneous attacks in darkness overwhelm Iraqi defenses. Over 25,000 Iraqi prisoners are taken. The operation liberates most of occupied Khuzestan and sets the stage for Iran's push toward Basra. Khomeini rejects a ceasefire, demanding Saddam's removal.

Undeniable Victory shifted the strategic momentum entirely to Iran and marked the point where the war could have ended — but didn't. Khomeini's refusal to accept a ceasefire, his demand for reparations and Saddam's removal, transformed what could have been an honorable Iranian peace into a war of aggression against Iraq. This decision cost Iran hundreds of thousands more lives and ultimately achieved nothing.

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