An armed conflict between state actors, typically for the furtherence of a political or economic aim.
14
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2answers
626 views
Why didn't the US choose to demolish Tokyo with an atom bomb?
Tokyo was Japan's capital. Why didn't the US choose Tokyo to demolish with Atom Bomb?
Bonus Question: What factors decided to bring Hiroshima and Nagasaki on table?
4
votes
0answers
76 views
How does Argentina view the inhabitants of the Falklands? [closed]
What does Argentina think of Falkland islanders (kelpers)?
legally as in, do they believe they have a right to inhabit the islands regardless of whom governs them.
Were they (or was going to be) ...
0
votes
6answers
117 views
What other pairs of wars have had a ~25 year interval?
The I and II world wars are 25 years apart, which is within the length of one generation. This is interesting, because it creates a premise for an entire part of a generation to be both without ...
12
votes
1answer
173 views
Why did the Arabs start the 1973 War during Ramadan, and did it affect their performance?
The Arab-Israeli War in 1973, besides the Jewish Holiday, also took place during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during which practicing Muslims observe mandatory daytime fasting. Did this affect ...
7
votes
2answers
401 views
Why was Switzerland not attacked during the two World Wars?
Why in WW1 or WW2 or ever nobody invaded Switzerland? All other countries was in some wars. How Switzerland do it and should we learn from them?
I hear that many people with power have money in swiss ...
7
votes
1answer
152 views
How was Hitler able to rearm?
It seems that Germany must've been under incredible scrutiny especially by the British.
How was Hitler able to rearm?
Please provide specifics on personnel and weapons classes.
8
votes
2answers
130 views
Amount of time an aeroplane could stay in the air during the last stages of WW1
I know for a fact that aeroplanes were used at the last stages of the first world war to capture images of the enemy trench system and supply lines. They were also used to alert the artillery how far ...
1
vote
1answer
73 views
What civilisation used wolf pelts for their archers armour?
Looking for more information on the negatives and positives of wolf pelt armor and many other general aspects. Thank you :)
6
votes
2answers
135 views
Was the American Civil War the first to include multiple multi-day battles?
Looking at wikipedia reveals that there were plenty of multi-day battles in the American Civil War.
I looked at its article on the Crimean War, which as far as I know
was the previous significant ...
10
votes
2answers
123 views
Battles that took place on the ice
As my favorite ice hockey team became the champion of Poland today, I reminded famous Battle of the Ice that took place in 1242. During the fights, forces of Alexander Nevsky managed to draw Teutonic ...
1
vote
0answers
85 views
What was the death toll of non-Americans in the Vietnam War?
How many Vietnamese and Cambodians were killed in the Vietnam war? How many civilians, and how many soldiers? What are the best sources on this question?
4
votes
2answers
108 views
Organized and intentional suicide attacks during military conflicts
First of all I want to make it clear that we're not speaking about terrorist attacks here. This question is strictly dedicated to war operations, in a dictionary meaning.
Also this question is about ...
7
votes
2answers
250 views
Was the Minoan civilization warlike?
Generally, is believed that the Minoan civilization on Crete was peaceful and their culture was more like a culture of peace than a culture of war.
But I've read an article lately ...
6
votes
2answers
123 views
Who kept noble prisoners captured in battle?
During the Hundred Years War era, noblemen captured in a battle were normally held for ransom. In such a case, who got to keep the prisoner, provide him lodgings, and receive the ransom? Was it the ...
6
votes
1answer
226 views
Did Erwin König Exist?
Erwin König Was a sniper supposedly killed by Vasily Zaytsev in the Battle of Stalingrad. The diary of Vasily Zaytsev mentions killing Erwin Konig, and there is a sniper scope in Russia, but there is ...
7
votes
2answers
103 views
When did the practice of formal declaration of war start?
Up to world war 2, formal declarations of war was a standard way to start a war, at least between major powers.
When did this practice start and why? Since when did it become a norm?
4
votes
3answers
260 views
What started the Korean war?
Is it true that the catalyst was a conflict about a tree right on the border? I heard it from a teacher at a US university as he was teaching a course about nation-states in and out of war.
8
votes
1answer
117 views
English monarchs on the battlefield
It seems that in English 'older times' it was expected for the King or monarch to lead the armies in battle.
My research suggests that this was the case in the 12th century in the civil war between ...
11
votes
2answers
113 views
percentage of British and American troops involved in direct combat with enemy in World War II
How large a proportion of British and American troops were involved in direct combat with the enemy in World War II? What was the casualty rate among those men?
6
votes
4answers
144 views
Is there a link between national debt/trade deficit and starting a war?
I saw in an article mentioning that there is a link between national debt and starting wars I don't recall where I've seen it mentioned to look for further references on the matter.
Are there known ...
2
votes
0answers
91 views
Ted Nugent and draft dodging
I've asked whether this is in scope: Are draft-dodgers in scope?. I'm not sure,but I'll crack on anyway.
Too what extent did Ted Nugent dodge the draft for Vietnam. He certainly did receive ...
9
votes
3answers
320 views
Did the Celts really go into battle naked?
Yes, this of-repeated tale was reported by the Romans all the time, but it sounds a lot like rumor. Stuff the victors write about their former enemies, "they were so stupid, they went into battle ...
7
votes
1answer
106 views
How did ancient armies keep the route of supplies to their battlefield?
How did ancient armies like the Romans, Greeks, Persians, Chinese or even at later times like the Arabs and Mongols keep the route of supplies going to support their armies marching through the vast ...
6
votes
2answers
145 views
Comparison of naval fleet strengths during the Napoleonic wars
Do we have knowledge on the number of vessels in the armadas of the various belligerents of the Napoleonic wars? Information on the types of boats, captured vessels, and sunk vessels will also be ...
5
votes
1answer
115 views
What was the reason for the Ottoman invasion of Otranto?
In 1480, the Ottomans invaded Otranto and briefly occupied it. However, it didn't seem that the city was strategically important or held particular value to the Ottomans, nor did they seem to follow ...
6
votes
5answers
178 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
212 views
How was armour rusting in the rain handled throughout history?
Various sources (ex) state as one of the biggest advantages of non-metal armours, that they did not rust in the rain.
However, a knight would have a squire to clean and oil his armour every evening. ...
5
votes
1answer
70 views
Has a country gone to war to seek payment of a debt since 1900?
Has a country gone to war to seek payment of a debt since 1900? Expansionist policies don't count although use of debt as a justification would be interesting.
8
votes
1answer
72 views
Which Japanese military officers helped Ho Chi Minh?
According to Wikipedia, in 1946 during negotiations between the French and Ho Chi Minh,
One demand by the French was the return to French custody of a number of Japanese military officers (who had ...
2
votes
1answer
74 views
Is the Sri Lankan Civil War really over?
I was wondering whether the Sri Lankan Civil War, which officially ended, would technically considered to be still ongoing, since there are still clashes going on to this day. Would this classify as a ...
1
vote
2answers
75 views
What process have countries followed when creating constitutions?
Countries that have been led by an individual (through a declaration, revolution, war, ...) have constitutions heavily influenced by that leader, for better or worse.
History has shown that simply ...
2
votes
1answer
125 views
Has the US Congress's power to declare war been rendered superfluous by recent conflicts?
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the Congress of the United States formally declared war on Japan. After Germany declared war on the United States, the Congress then formally declared war on ...
2
votes
0answers
45 views
Where can I find information about prior Israel/Gaza conflicts? [closed]
The recent fighting between Israel and Gaza has me wondering about prior conflicts that came before this one. Is there a bipartisan source detailing prior significant conflicts between the two ...
7
votes
1answer
198 views
Was the UN critically involved in defusing the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Is there any evidence to show that the Cuban Missile Crisis was scaled back because of the actions of UN personnel acting in their UN role?
The topic came up recently about precedent for UN having ...
6
votes
2answers
175 views
Instances of the UN defusing serious crises
One of the reasons why the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis did not escalate into a war was due to the diplomacy of Adlai Stevenson in the UN. Are there other instances where the defusing of a serious crisis ...
2
votes
2answers
210 views
Throughout history, how many wars have there been between Russia and Japan?
Do both countries have a particluar hot spot that existed in the past, and if so, does it still exist now? Have their wars historically been bloody or transient, and are they now considered "friends"?
...
8
votes
3answers
145 views
Why did France put so many resources into fighting Algeria in comparison to its other former colonial holdings?
Why did France put so many resources into fighting Algeria in comparison to its other former colonial holdings? Was there anything unique about the French-Algerian relationship. On Wikipedia it says ...
10
votes
0answers
127 views
Why was Queretaro chosen as a fail-safe capital of Mexico?
According to this article on a person's experience in the country of Mexico, Querétaro was used as a temporary capital city of the Mexican Republic three times. What I am having trouble finding out ...
4
votes
2answers
225 views
Did either of the World Wars involve South or Central America?
Were any South or Central American nations besides Brazil involved (not necessarily officially) in either of the World Wars? If any were, I'd appreciate information on their degree of involvement.
5
votes
2answers
332 views
Why did the USA take no action to help Pakistan during their 1971 war against India?
In 1971, USA and Pakistan were known to be strong allies or were they?
Why did the USA just pretend to help Pakistan and actually do nothing in the Indo-Pak war of 1971? Why did the 7th fleet not ...
8
votes
1answer
130 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 ...
2
votes
0answers
118 views
Since the 20th century, how many diplomats from all countries have been killed during peace time?
Given the recent death of Ambassador Stevens I was curious how many diplomats have been killed when their country was not involved in a major war, a la, WW1, WW2, the Korean War, and Vietnam? I know ...
6
votes
2answers
170 views
What laws of war existed before the modern international treaties and conventions?
Were there laws governing the rules of conducting war before modern (20th century) international treaties and conventions such as the Geneva conventions? For example, were there rules regarding the ...
4
votes
2answers
154 views
How significant was the US military role during the NATO campaign in Libya?
The NATO campaign in Libya was started by the UK and France, and the US was later also involved. How significant and vital was the US assistance in this campaign?
Edit: I am primarily interested in ...
6
votes
1answer
219 views
Why did Operation Market Garden go ahead when the allies knew German armor was in the area?
Montgomery's ill-fated operation to capture the Rhine crossing at Arnhem was ingenious but fatally flawed. Evidence suggests that the Allies knew there were German armoured units in the town a few ...
7
votes
2answers
182 views
Army formation: veterans at the first line
I am trying to understand the early roman legion deployment. I can see some advantages to putting the inexperienced warriors at the first line and the veterans at the last.
But have there been ...
6
votes
5answers
272 views
Which nations have armed prisoners and sent them to war?
I'm looking for examples of countries that have armed prisoners and sent them to war? Were the prisoners coerced, or were they offered amnesty should they survive?
4
votes
5answers
422 views
Which arm was the shield held in?
I'm asking a question elsewhere and I'm sure I've heard some historical text to back this up as well as sound reasoning: you want your strongest arm to stop yourself from getting killed by using a ...
7
votes
1answer
113 views
What was the original cause of the Camel War in Islamic history?
There are different interpretations about the Camel War. Who started this war and why? Which side of the war was the aggressor?
The leaders of both sides were from the companions of the prophet ...
3
votes
3answers
202 views
Why Americans like to enroll in military services despite huge risks involved?
Working in US military is one of the riskiest jobs in America because of the regular engagement in battles compared to other military in the world.
I live in a third-world country. Even in my ...
