Every battle is different, taking place in a different context—the war, the campaign, the weapons. Across the centuries, whether fought with spears and swords or advanced technology, conflicts also have much in common; human nature doesn't change. Looking at the variables of some iconic clashes and a few not so well known, Allan Mallinson assesses the margin of victory and defeat for Hastings, Towton, Waterloo, Sword Beach, Korea's Imjin River; and the 2009 British strike in Afghanistan, Operation Panther's Claw.