Questions pertaining to characteristics of armed forces' structure, manpower, equipment, or expenditures.
3
votes
1answer
188 views
Missing link in the German tank development?
As you know, the Leopard 1 was not the first tank of postwar Germany. Germany work on different new tanks. There are prototypes as medium tank Indienpanzer (later developed into a Swiss KW30 and its ...
9
votes
1answer
79 views
Identification of a treacherous general of 17th century China
My aunt is part of an informal discussion group interested in the history of China. Apparently, during the Ming dynasty in the 1600s, there was a general whose treachery (I the charge was he was ...
-5
votes
1answer
43 views
Which are the most economic and military based civilizations [closed]
I've been working on an MMOSG game and wanted your opinions about which were the most economic and militarily powerful civilizations in history.
9
votes
1answer
392 views
Did the Soviet Union know when DEFCON levels changed?
The US military uses a scale of alert readiness called DEFCON, with DEFCON 5 being the lowest alert level and DEFCON 1 being the highest, preparing for imminent nuclear war. At least once during the ...
13
votes
5answers
497 views
Why did Civil War officers tell their men to “aim low”?
I'm listening to Gettysburg by Stephen W. Sears and the officers on both sides seem to always exhort their men to "aim low". For instance, General John Gibbon told his 2nd Division infantry:
Do ...
6
votes
3answers
273 views
Why were there “hussars” all across Europe?
From what I read, hussars are originally a cavalry forces in Medieval Hungary. But then it became a class of light cavalry that were in service in many European nations, and during the Napoleonic ...
10
votes
0answers
76 views
Are photos of WWII US Navy damage reports available online?
I have located a PDF of the USS Marblehead's Bomb Damage Report from 4 Feb 1942. The report lists plates of photographs which are not included in the report I have found.
Do copies of this report ...
10
votes
2answers
113 views
Was the Napoleonic era cavalry armour effective against firearms?
During the Napoleonic wars in Europe, many heavy cavalry units still retain the use of armours, for example, French Carabiniers-à-Cheval below,
How effective were these to protect the cavalryman ...
9
votes
2answers
165 views
Was any significant percentage of Mongol army infantry?
Mongols of Khan's time are generally considered to be a cavalry army, which makes sense logistically, given the width and speed of their military maneuvers.
But is there historical evidence of Khan's ...
7
votes
1answer
155 views
What decides who goes in the front rank in a line infantry formation?
In an infantry formation, the front ranks seems to have much higher chance of being killed because they are exposed to the enemy front.
This thread explains how soldiers are arranged in Roman ...
6
votes
4answers
133 views
Two Successive Coups?
Is there any country in which a coup has been overthrown by another coup?
In specific I'm looking for a scenario in which:
1) A ruler was overthrown in a coup by person B
2) Person B left the ...
5
votes
2answers
115 views
Were there many instances when an “overaged” commander was at odds with a much younger second in command?
I can think of two. The first was at Stirling Bridge, in 1297 when the English outnumbered the Scots some 4 to 1, but the 72-year old English commander, John Warrenne, Earl of Surrey was not keen on ...
6
votes
1answer
95 views
British way in construction of AFV
Why have British tanks not changed very much? The USA have moved from the VSS, VVSS, HVSS (Lee and Sherman) suspensions to the torsion bar suspension (T26 and Patton family), USSR - from twin bogies ...
6
votes
5answers
173 views
Historical examples of significant no man's lands between states in perpetual conflict
What are some historical examples, if any, of large-scale (say > 10000 km squared) "no-man's lands" between states in perpetual conflict? These states would be mutually hostile, firmly divided ...
15
votes
1answer
315 views
Military brothels in WW2
Did any of the other belligerents of WW2 besides Japan and Germany provide their troops with authorised military brothels?
9
votes
4answers
171 views
Were there bows employed by tribes living in the desert, and if so, what were they made of?
For tribes that inhabited desert areas (e.g. Arabian Peninsula, Sahara, etc...), there seems to have been a problem: a good bow would likely require materials that would be hard to come by in the ...
9
votes
5answers
446 views
Military intervention in government in India and Pakistan
Although India and Pakistan became independent states simultaneously, they have been travelling in different paths after that. Many believe that democracy is a major reason for the difference in ...
9
votes
2answers
262 views
Why did the Monitor and Merrimac (aka Virginia) have such radically different designs?
This is something that's always baffled me. You have one ship that appears to sit just above the water with one little canon on a turret (the Monitor) and a second that sits high and is brimming with ...
17
votes
6answers
1k views
Why wasn't the Republic of Ireland invaded (by either side) in WW2?
Ireland was neutral in WW2, however it was never invaded (by either side). How come? Why wasn't Ireland invaded by the UK to prevent the Germans invading? Why didn't germany invade ireland? It would ...
8
votes
2answers
324 views
How was Israel able to build a powerful military within days of the formation of the state?
The State of Israel was formed in May 14, 1948.
I guess the first Arab-Israel war broke out in the same month of the same year.
Israel won the war decisively.
The question is not "How did they win ...
3
votes
0answers
63 views
Changing troops in first line during battle [closed]
I remember Caesar in De Bello Gallico mentioning Romans changing fighting/resting troops in some siege defense while Celtic attackers didn't do this and lost the battle because of it (it was somewhere ...
13
votes
3answers
505 views
Was the US Navy larger in 1917, and if so, why?
Following the recent discussion in the third US Presidental Debate about the size of the Navy, there actually seemed to be a good discussion buried in there.
How does the US Navy compare to its ...
14
votes
2answers
305 views
When people use spears to fight cavalry do infantry stab the horse or the rider?
I am just curious. In most games spear infantry is a "counter" against cavalry. How does that really work anyway?
Any clips on actual cavalry fighting infantry that's historically accurate would be ...
8
votes
1answer
125 views
Gengkhis Khan armor secret
Gengkhis Khan the king of the Mongolian Empire used a specific kind of cloth material for his military fatigues. This cloth material worked as an armor and was an advantage for his soldiers to win ...
13
votes
3answers
360 views
Does the number of legs in the air of a horse statue indicate how its rider died?
I have heard that the number of legs a horse has in the air in a statue indicates how the rider died. According to what I have understood:
2 legs in the air: rider died in battle
1 leg in the air: ...
4
votes
3answers
225 views
What was the first confirmed use of black powder to blow stuff up in war (in China and in Europe)?
In this SciFi SE answer to "Can we date the technology in the Lord of the Rings movies?" , I made a statement that I wasn't able to research as fully as I'd have liked, and therefore would like a ...
14
votes
1answer
361 views
Any notable battles fought with steel vs. bronze weapons?
In answering the question Was the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age violent I found out a few facts that I hadn't expected. Namely, that the early iron weapons weren't necessarily much ...
14
votes
1answer
511 views
What is this military patch with the silhouette of a pegasus on it?
I found this patch among my grandfather's things. I know it's a military patch of some sort because it was with his war memorabilia. He served in the European theater during WWII, if that helps at ...
11
votes
2answers
168 views
In which situation is the broadside more preferable than every gun firing on their own time?
Mathematically, a ship should be able to fire more shots if each of the cannons fire at their fastest speed, instead of waiting for everyone to be ready, but it seems that a broadside is sometimes ...
16
votes
2answers
445 views
How did Medieval Armies survive the use of mail armor in the deserts of the Middle East?
Something that has long puzzled me is the use of full mail hauberks and the like in the Crusades. How did Crusaders and their various enemies avoid cooking inside their armor? I know many of them did ...
13
votes
4answers
647 views
Why doesn't Russia maintain significant numbers of Aircraft carriers?
The United States has 11 aircraft carriers in total. Russia has only one. We saw in the past that the USSR also didn't put much importance on constructing aircraft carriers and putting them into ...
7
votes
2answers
350 views
Why was the US so against Japanese aggression in China but did nothing about Germany in Europe?
The US was very vocal against Japanese aggression in China in the 1930's and early 1940's but said nothing against German aggression in Europe. The US finally placed an embargo on sending oil and ...
8
votes
2answers
157 views
How many soldiers were present at the charge down Little Round Top?
The events of July 2, 1863 have been discussed endlessly, from Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels to the film Gettysburg. Since reading the book and seeing the film many times, I can't help but wonder ...
2
votes
5answers
180 views
Why are the police never responsible for guarding the Head of the State?
Why does the military provide the Head of State's honor guard? Why is the Head of State always accompanied by military personnel? Why don't the police escort the Head of State?
7
votes
1answer
121 views
What is the history of standing armies in India?
Specifically, the points I am looking answers to are:
1) What is the first recorded instance of a standing army in the Indian subcontinent.
2) When did it become a general practice to have standing ...
8
votes
1answer
337 views
In WW2, which midget submarine program was the most successful?
In WW2, which midget submarine program was the most successful? I know at least Great Britain and Japan had midget submarines and used them during the course of the conflict. Which WW2 combatant had ...
3
votes
2answers
120 views
What is the origination of the Forlorn Hope?
Going back to a comment I had made in the question on What were the types of sieges something I had seen often referred to in the Bernard Cornwell Sharpe series was the Forlorn Hope. Basically these ...
4
votes
3answers
162 views
What Were the Types of Sieges?
As I understand it, there were two types of sieges. One was where the attacking army would "camp," surrounding the city, and let the defenders run out of food. An example was Ulysses S. Grant's siege ...
4
votes
1answer
110 views
Was the “Mot Pulk” formation simply a propaganda ploy?
The "Mot Pulk" was a motorized formation used by the Germans during World War II.
Based on when it was introduced (after heavy defeats in the USSR) and the vague descriptions that I've found, it ...
8
votes
4answers
697 views
How did a besieged city/castle defend itself vs. catapulting diseased dead bodies into it?
I was a bit shocked to read that diseased dead bodies/animals where catapulted into besieged castles/towns. Biological warfare in the middle ages. But this "method" of warfare had probably alot ...
10
votes
2answers
418 views
Did the U.S. and Soviet Union have a submarine battle in 1968?
There are books and articles about the Soviet submarine K-129 and the USS Scorpion in 1968, with various stories of attempted nuclear attacks and reprisals. Is there a factual narrative about these ...
11
votes
5answers
1k views
How did the US/South Vietnam lose the Vietnam war?
South Vietnam was helped by US. Even when the US was gone, they had a 1 million army.
So why did they lose?
Even without US support, South Vietnam had about the same manpower, higher technology, and ...
7
votes
2answers
186 views
Why did Robert E. Lee stop offensive maneuvers?
According to the Wikipedia article on the Battle of Gettysburg, after that battle Robert E. Lee stopped making offensive maneuvers and rather started reacting to Union offensives. Is this 100% true, ...
13
votes
5answers
996 views
Why weren't aircraft carriers utilized during D-day?
Why were aircraft carriers not used during and following D-Day? They could have added a great deal of range to the air support operations.
10
votes
1answer
137 views
Are there examples of well known medieval battles with very little archaeological evidence?
When I was researching the history of The Battle of Kulikovo (битва на Куликовом поле), I was struck by the seemingly complete dearth of available archaeological evidence at the site of the battle ...
11
votes
8answers
262 views
Is there a confirmed historic record of using “non-standard” live animals for military purposes?
Is there a confirmed historic record of using "non-standard" live animals for military purposes?
To clarify, the following doesn't count due to either being standard or non-military:
"Standard" ...
1
vote
0answers
81 views
What was the end of Indian Army Leader Netaji Subash Chandra Bose? [closed]
I heard many things about Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, He was a great and brave man in india. But i dont the end of that great leader. Anyone Knows this..
4
votes
1answer
162 views
Were sailing ships of the line understaffed with gunnery crews so that there were not enough for 2 broadsides?
Is there any data to support or refute the hypothesis that sailing ships of the line were only complemented with enough gunnery crews to simultaneously fire 1 broadside but not 2?
If it matters for ...
4
votes
1answer
82 views
Explosive Ordinance Yield Over History
I'm writing an essay, and one of the elements of it has to do with the development of military technology throughout history. I've noticed that there is a quickly increasing and disturbing trend in ...
12
votes
2answers
694 views
Why did the Moors invade the Iberian peninsula?
Almost all of the information that I can find with regards to the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula simply states when the Moors invaded. There seems to be very little on what the motivation ...
