An armed conflict between state actors, typically for the furtherence of a political or economic aim.
30
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2answers
1k 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?
...
17
votes
1answer
187 views
Which war games did Napoleon practice with his generals?
I have read that Napoleon actively used to play strategy games with his generals in order to understand how they act in a range of situations. The generals also learned the same thing about each ...
16
votes
2answers
205 views
Private firms (aka mercenaries) as a police force
Since the police invited security firms to bid for roles in the UK, I was wondering if there are historical events where mercenaries were used to police a city (or town or local) and what the effects ...
16
votes
1answer
516 views
When and why did war chariots stopped being used?
Many cultures (Egypt, Celts, etc...) had war chariots either as mobile platforms or as troop transport. What other advance in warfare made them obsolete?
15
votes
1answer
198 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. ...
15
votes
1answer
276 views
When and where did just war theory originate?
I was reading an entry from Victor Reppert's blog (Reppert being a noted apologist), where he mentioned that just war theory, specifically prohibitions on what you could do during a war and ...
14
votes
6answers
295 views
Japan is known for being isolationist, so what cultivated its history of interventionism in the 20th century?
For much of its history, Japan was a very isolationistic country, and in fact, even in modern Japan, there is still a strong isolationist attitude among the Japanese people in some ways.
During the ...
13
votes
2answers
316 views
What was the status of Arab Christians during the crusades?
Did Arab Christians take an active role in the crusades in the Holy Land or at any point on their trip to the Holy Land. Or were they victims of the crusaders? Did the crusaders typically ...
12
votes
3answers
258 views
What was the last battle fought mainly by sail-powered ships?
When and where has the last battle between sail-powered ships been fought? If possible, please include the countries involved as well as the armament and types of ships.
11
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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 ...
11
votes
2answers
316 views
Switzerland's political isolation after World War II
Does anyone know what were the reasons of Switzerland's political isolation on the international scene after World War II and how did it manage to break out of isolation?
11
votes
2answers
103 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?
10
votes
4answers
683 views
Why Did the US Drop Nuclear Weapons on a Weakened Japan
Why did the United States drop two nuclear bombs on the Japanese mainland when they were already on the wining side?
10
votes
3answers
277 views
Was Antarctica a factor in the Falklands war?
Were Argentina's and the UK's Antarctic territorial claims significant in the Falklands War?
10
votes
2answers
119 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 ...
10
votes
1answer
115 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 ...
10
votes
0answers
120 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 ...
9
votes
4answers
154 views
How many recorded incidents are there of attacks on Australian soil?
There are two that I am aware of:
Japanese midget submarines entering Sydney Harbour
The bombing of Darwin 1942 and 1943
I am not looking for Naval battles but actual attacks on Australian soil.
9
votes
2answers
263 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 ...
9
votes
3answers
273 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 ...
9
votes
1answer
5k views
When did the American War of 1812 actually end?
My daughter was recently studying this in high school, and somehow I had always assumed that it had only lasted a year. Apparently it ran on for at least a couple of years, but her textbook only ...
8
votes
1answer
126 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 ...
8
votes
3answers
136 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 ...
8
votes
5answers
282 views
Is there any documentation regarding the use of war elephants in battles?
Does anyone know of any battles where war elephants played either a major or decisive part in the victory of whoever had them? As far as I know, they were mostly used for the fear factor and were ...
8
votes
1answer
338 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 ...
8
votes
2answers
188 views
What was the first recorded use of Aerial Weapons in warfare?
Fighter planes were popularised by their extensive use in WWI. What Aerial weapons were used before that period (if any)? What is earliest recorded use of Aerial Attacking and what was the technology ...
8
votes
2answers
118 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 ...
8
votes
1answer
215 views
Captured nobles in medieval times, were they always ransomed?
Was watching the directors cut of Kingdom of Heaven, and one of the scenes had an actor playing what seemed to be a nobelman stating that he is according the privilege of ransom. While I remember that ...
8
votes
3answers
403 views
When was the earliest recorded battle with the usage of gunpowder as an offensive weapon?
When was the earliest recorded battle (on script) with the usage of gunpowder (in any form) as an offensive weapon?
8
votes
1answer
116 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 ...
8
votes
2answers
196 views
Were any of the major battle plans in WWII changed last minute by officers on the ground?
I haven't found any consistent reference to a particular battle wherein the battle plans were changed by a lower level officer on the ground at the last minute. Specifically, a major battle plan, not ...
8
votes
1answer
177 views
What weapons were manufactured in India by the British forces which were used during world wars?
Recently I came across references to a weapon called the Bangalore Torpedo, which was used in the world wars. These weapons were made in India by the British Indian Army.
I also happened to see ...
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, ...
7
votes
2answers
178 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 ...
7
votes
4answers
257 views
Did the USA win the counter insurgency war in the Vietnam war?
What happened in the aftermath of the Tet offensive to the Viet Cong? Was it actually broken or did it just incorporate into the North Viet Nam army?
Edit: I am fully aware that the USA lost the ...
7
votes
2answers
165 views
Supplies for army of Napoleon
How was such a great army, like the army of Napoleon on its way to Moscow, supplied with food and other needed things? Were they transporting it from France or maybe stealing from territory on their ...
7
votes
1answer
164 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 ...
7
votes
2answers
237 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 ...
7
votes
1answer
102 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 ...
7
votes
3answers
527 views
What was the first known war in history?
Not the first instance of warfare, which surely predates recorded history, but of an organized war between civilizations. For the purposes of this question I'll define a war as:
Defined scope: the ...
7
votes
1answer
123 views
Life expectancy of monarchs and its relation to stability/peace
Has there been any studies on the average life expectancy of a monarch during different time periods? If there had been, can this be used as an indicator of relative peacefulness during the time?
...
7
votes
1answer
109 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 ...
7
votes
1answer
54 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 ...
6
votes
2answers
530 views
WWI trench tactics using shields?
Are there any records of WWI trench tactics involving shield formations similar to the example below of the ancient Testudo formation?
.
I imagine that it could have been successful if used to get ...
6
votes
5answers
266 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?
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 ...
6
votes
2answers
130 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 ...
6
votes
2answers
320 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 ...
6
votes
2answers
171 views
What wars were started when an indebted country refused to pay?
For example, France invaded Mexico (both times) when Mexico stopped some of their payments. What are some other examples?
6
votes
2answers
162 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 ...
