1815: Napoleon attacked the Duke of Wellington's Allied Army deployed along the ridge line of Mont Saint Jean, near the village of Waterloo, south of Brussels. Less than half of Wellington's troops were British, the majority being Dutch, Belgian, and Germans from Hanover, Brunswick and Nassau. The Emperor was confident of victory, expecting Marshal Grouchy, with the right wing of the French Armee du Nord both to keep Blucher and Gneisenau's Prussians from joining forces with Wellington, and to attack the Duke's left flank.

The initial French infantry attack became bogged down around the chateau of Hougomont, defended by light infantry from the Foot Guards, Nassauers and Hanoverians. However, following a massed artillery barrage, another massive French infantry attack against Wellington's centre broke the Dutch and British infantry lines there.

However, just as victory appeared to be France's, the Earl of Uxbridge led the heavy cavalry of the Household and Union Brigades into the confusion. Uxbridge led the 2nd Life Guards in person, routing French cuirassiers preparing to exploit the infantry's success. The Scots Greys, unable to advance at faster than a walk due to the terrain and men in the way, pushed through the routed Highlanders of the 92nd Foot and simply hacked their way into the victorious French column. Having destroyed it, they pressed on to attack a second French column.

This had the time to prepare its defence, and the Scots Greys attacked in vain, but then a squadron of the Royal Dragoons hit the French, and completed the destruction of an entire French corps. The British heavy cavalry then suffered grievous losses from a counter-attack by the French cavalry. But they had delivered the fatal blow to Napoleon's prospects of victory.

His infantry decimated, Napoleon resorted to massed cavalry charges led by Marshal Ney. The allied infantry formed squares, and although these proved excellent artillery targets, with some suffering heavy losses, Napoleon failed to give Ney the support of close range horse artillery necessary to let the cavalry break into the squares. Three successive charges by 9,000 French cavalry suffered badly from British and Netherlands' artillery, broke on the squares with little effect, and then were hit by the Allied cavalry waiting in the rear. Blucher and Gneisenau's Prussians were also arriving on the French right flank, drawing off increasing numbers of French reserves, including the Young Guard, to hold them at bay.

However, troops were then seen to be approaching behind Wellington's flank. Thinking these to be Grouchy's men, Napoleon threw in the Old and Middle Guard to lead a last push at Wellington's damaged centre. The Old Guard had never been defeated on the field of battle. But as the columns pushed back three weakened British and Brunswick battalions, a Dutch battery caught them with enfilading fire. General Detmers led a charge by his Netherlands brigade which routed the French Grenadiers. Maitland's brigade of Foot Guards famously rose from a cornfield to stop the Chasseurs. Sir John Colborne then swung the 52nd Light Infantry round onto the flank of the Imperial Guard to complete their defeat.

As the French realised that the Imperial Guard had, unthinkably, failed, General Ziethen, whose Prussian troops were those seen behind Wellington's flank, ignored orders from Blucher to reinforce him further south on Napoleon's extreme right, and instead led his men to punch through the French line and deliver the coup de grace. The French army turned and ran, only the remaining battalions of the Imperial Guard attempting to withdraw in good order.

1855: No less than twelve Victoria Crosses were won at Sevastopol, during an unsuccessful assault on the Russian Redan fortress.

1915: On the hundreth anniversary of the victory at Waterloo, Australian engineers working under enemy fire completed Watson's Pier at Gallipoli Cove. To mark the occasion, they held a dinner that night at the pier-head Since that occasion the Royal Australian Engineers have held an annual Waterloo Dinner.

1916: Oberleutnant Max Immelmann, one of the first German aces, with 15 victories to his credit, was finally brought down and killed whilst attacking an FE2b of 25 Squadron Royal Flying Corps.

1944: A German V-1 flying bomb hit the Guards Chapel at Wellington Barracks during a service. 119 troops and civilian worshippers were killed, with another 102 wounded: the worst casualties to be inflicted by a single V-1.