BROADCASTS.com

b'In the years that followed Alexander the Great\\u2019s victory at Gaugamela on October 1, 331 BC, his Macedonian and Greek army fought a truly \\u2018Herculean\\u2019 series of campaigns in what is today Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. But it was in the Indus Valley, on the banks of the Hydaspes River (known today as the Jhelum) in 326 BC that Alexander would fight his last major battle against King Poros.
Alexander used feints and deception to transport a select force from his army across the swollen River Hydaspes without attracting the enemy\\u2019s attention, allowing his troops the crucial element of surprise. There was a fascinating array of forces that clashed in the battle, including Indian war elephants and chariots, and horse archers and phalanx formations.
Although a tactical masterpiece, the Hydaspes was the closest that Alexander the Great came to defeat, and was one of the costliest battles fought by his near- exhausted army. To examine this battle is today\\u2019s guest, Nic Fields, author of \\u201cThe Hydaspes 326 BC: The Limit of Alexander the Great\\u2019s Conquests.'