Questions pertaining to characteristics of armed forces' structure, manpower, equipment, or expenditures.
9
votes
4answers
172 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
230 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 ...
11
votes
8answers
270 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" ...
4
votes
1answer
163 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 ...
5
votes
2answers
384 views
About Naval Formations?
What are the differences between the "line ahead" and "line abreast" formations in naval warfare? Which is more likely to lead to the (advantageous) of "crossing the opponents' T" (or being crossed)?
6
votes
3answers
275 views
Can One Use Attrition Tactics When There are No Other Clear Means to Win a War.?
In 1864, General Ulysees S. Grant began the "final campaign" against Richmond using a war of attrition. That's because of the Union's 2-to-1 numerical advantage against a qualitatively superior ...
7
votes
2answers
197 views
Did the Gallic army besieged in Alesia conduct itself well when expecting relief?
During a Gallic revolution against Rome, a Gallic army of some 80,000 men took shelter in the fortress town of Alesia, where they were besieged by some 50,000 Romans under Julius Caesar. (His army may ...
8
votes
1answer
136 views
How Did Modern Weapons Change the Dynamics of City Fighting?
In medieval times, an attacking army that had breached the walls/outer defense of a city, could enter it and overrun the defenders at relatively little cost.
A major modern exception was the battle ...
10
votes
2answers
484 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 ...
9
votes
3answers
378 views
What Are the Dynamics of A “Forced March?”
In the "Art of War," Sun Tzu opined that if you put your army on a forced march of a certain speed, you will lose one-third of your troops along the way. A rough rule of thumb was that an army would ...
8
votes
1answer
116 views
What Factors Contributed to the Success of Certain “Long March” Strategies?
In the middle of the 100 years' War, France's Bertrand du Guesclin reportedly used "countermarch" tactics successfully against the English. Another example was General National Greene's "March to the ...
10
votes
2answers
269 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 ...
5
votes
3answers
169 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 ...
13
votes
5answers
1k 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.
7
votes
2answers
188 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, ...
5
votes
1answer
305 views
What rank is S. SGT in the Army Air Force during WW2?
I am looking over my Grandfather's DD214 (Military Discharge Paperwork) from WW2. His grade says "S. SGT" I am trying to figure out his rank conclusively. Nowhere on the DD214 does it display an E-5 ...
17
votes
7answers
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 ...
12
votes
5answers
778 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 ...
30
votes
2answers
2k views
How did Israel win the Six-Day War?
Considering Israel fought several Arab countries, which had troops largely outnumbering the Israeli, how did they manage to win the war decisively, with much fewer casualties than the Arab countries?
...
6
votes
2answers
331 views
When was the last cavalry charge?
When was the last instance of a unit of cavalry charging? I know that the Polish forces had units of cavalry during World War II and those were used against Nazi units but was there any later than ...
14
votes
1answer
545 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 ...
9
votes
4answers
495 views
What new technology/tactics allowed the breakthrough of the trenches in WW I western front?
Reading the answers to this question about WW1 Western Front, it appears that breaking through the trenches was a very difficult task to do. How did the Allies finally make it? Was it the invention of ...
12
votes
2answers
347 views
Why was the Western Front so static in World War I?
Once the German advance was halted, neither side could seriously advance for two years. This seems like an extraordinarily long time. Why didn't anyone succeed at going around the trenches or striking ...
