Questions tagged [war]
An armed conflict between state actors, typically for a political or economic aim. Use this tag for specific wars.
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Was there a case in which leaders secretly agreed to wage war on each other? [closed]
A 'folklore' conspiracy theory says that, often, a war between two nations is initiated by the nations' leaders, who secretly agree to fight, because it strengthens their position within their nations....
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Did the Crusaders try to justify the First Crusade as a defensive war?
Did any Crusaders participating in the First Crusade characterize it as a defensive, rather than aggressive, campaign? If so, what were their arguments for characterizing it this way? How do modern ...
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Why the wording "land war" rather than just "war"?
Many media outlets call the Russian-Ukraine war the biggest "land war" in Europe since WW2. Examples:
The Economist (2022-11-18):
biggest land war in Europe since 1945
Reuters (2023-09-12):...
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In the Spanish-American War (1898), who formally declared war first?
In particular, did Spain formally declare war on the US first?
Britannica (without sources):
April 24, 1898
Spain declares war on the United States.
April 25, 1898
The United States declares war ...
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Were there any female soldiers in the Soviet army who partook in the mass rapes in Eastern Germany?
Were there female Soviet soldiers that partook in the mass rapes in Eastern Germany?
The only source I found on any reaction of female soldiers on the mass rapes was in a testimony of a veteran:
...
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In the siege of Osaka, how long did Osaka Castle burn?
I've heard that Osaka castle was burned, and I was curious: How long would it take for a structure like this to burn down? I haven't been able to find any records that say how long Osaka Castle ...
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War deaths in France, 1919/1920
In the Sant Sernin basilica in Toulouse there is a monument to local people who died fighting for France, just like a lot of similar monuments in other parts of France (image here, description here). ...
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How were Soviet-Afghanistan War casualties distributed between the Soviet Republics? Were they disproportionately non-Russian?
It's frequently asserted that the impact of the Soviet-Afghanistan War disproportionately fell on Soviet Republics outside Russia, as non-Russians were overrepresented in the Red Army. The resultant ...
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Why did the Siege of Ceuta (1694-1720) take so long?
Why and how exactly did the Siege of Ceuta (1694-1720) take so long? I was reading on sieges, and I am aware they are basically used to force a city into surrender by draining them of resources and ...
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Has there ever been a civilization that had no human enemies? [closed]
Looking at history, it feels like countries/civilizations have historically had to have enemies. Sometimes the enemies are real, other times they're imagined, but there always must be an "enemy&...
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Why did Russia, Cuba, NK, China support the Peruvian government during the internal conflict?
This Wikipedia page has me scratching my head at the righthand information panel especially at the information under "Belligerents". According to the list China, North Korea, Cuba, Russia (...
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How common are historical instances of mercenary armies reversing and attacking their employing country?
The recent events with the Wagner mercenaries, hired by the Russians to attack Ukraine and then turning around and advancing on Moscow, seem unusual.
But how unusual is this historically?
How ...
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When did Athenian archers pepper Spartan hoplites with arrows for days on an island?
The heading is basically all I remember from school. The hoplites lacked mobility and were thus harassed for day by the lightly armored Athenian archers. Athenian victory.
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What's the proxy war that the USSR spent most resources on?
Off the top of my head it might be Afghanistan, but I'm not totally sure despite direct troop participation. They also sent substantial aid to Vietnam, North Korea, and various Arab countries fighting ...
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Why did Mussolini say that people are not really free if they don't have access to the ocean?
On the 10th of June 1940, Benito Mussolini announced his war declaration to the Italian people, and he said (video, at 6:10):
Noi impugnamo le armi per risolvere, dopo il problema risolto delle ...
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Help identifying Italian uniform, rank, regiment
I'm hoping to learn the time period of the photo, any division, rank, and any other information y'all can glean. The photo was passed down so much information has been lost - it is possibly my ...
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Was there a major Mexican military disaster in the Navajo Wars?
Back in the previous millennium I read a book from the Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia about the Navajo Wars. I believe that book was Navajo Wars: Military Campaigns, Slave Raids, ...
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Books on Ukrainian War of Independence 1917-1921
I would like to know more about the period in the history of Ukraine between 1917 and 1921. Therefore, I am looking for a book that methodologically describes the events in the territory where ...
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Has there been a war whose declared goal was a mere land grab without any attempts to ethically justify it?
TL&DR: To put it simply, I am looking for a good example (as modern and well-known as possible) of an invader who was very upfront about the evil, criminal character of his invasion from its ...
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Why did it have to be Clausewitz who wrote the best book on war, namely On War? [closed]
If we go over the career of Clausewitz, one wonders how a man of his stature was able to write the most influential book on war?
For starters, he was merely a major general. It was high ranking, yes, ...
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So why were medics ever shot at?
It is well known that medics are not supposed to be shot at; this benefits both sides in theory and the wounded would tend not to go back to battle immediately if ever.
Furthermore, are there not ...
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Where can I find military records for soldiers in Merrill's Marauders?
My uncle fought with Merrill's Marauders. Can I get more information on his military awards?
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Which American Civil War admiral said he would not punish people for getting their ship close to the enemy?
I recall reading an anecdote (it was definitely in Civil War: a History by Shelby Foote, but I don't remember exactly which volume; I believe that it occurred during the Vicksburg campaign in the ...
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Did the Finns have aluminum screw caps in 1939?
I was looking at images from the 1939 Winter War
https://www.rferl.org/a/finlands-winter-war-with-the-soviet-union/30280490.html
and found this interesting one.
source
The Molotov cocktail has an ...
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Is there a database of wars in Europe since 1945?
I'm currently improving a Timeline I build some time ago, this Timeline of Wars in Europe since 1945. I did used several sources, including Wikidata, to get the list of conflicts to include. Yet, ...
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Why are there holidays marking VE/VJ/Armistice Day in different cultures, while many other wars aren't commemorated at their conclusion?
I have tried to research why there seems to be commemorations and/or holidays marking the end of the World War in countries around the world, but seemingly in the United states we do not mark the end ...
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Did Hannibal's elephants wear protective footwear?
Researching the logistics of Hannibal's march I can not find any reference to whether his elephants wore protective footwear. Hannibal was a supreme field commander so it's impossible to imagine he ...
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How were Ceasar's troops supplied with food during the Siege of Alexandria?
During the Siege of Alexandria, Julius Ceasar and a few thousand troops were stuck in the royal quarter of Alexandria for several months, with a local army surrounding them.
Did the royal quarter have ...
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Has Sun Tzu ever advocated for something that in modern society is a war crime, or what has Sun Tzu ever said about war crimes? [closed]
I've read The Art of War 3x, but I didn't yet know the concept of 'war crime'. So I never really paid much attention to the text in that regard.
Question: Has Sun Tzu ever advocated for something that ...
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How did public opinion of the wars change from 19th to the 21th century?
This question is inspired by a discussion I had with my friend recently, about ordinary people's perception and support of the many wars in the 19 and 20th century. Nowadays, the overwhelming majority ...
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Where can I find information on a WWI soldier?
Does anyone know where to find details on WWI soldiers? I am researching a captain called Thomas Zachary Woods. Thus far I have found this website: http://doingourbit.ca/profile/thomas-woods. Where ...
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Is there any historical precedent for two countries being at war and agreeing to allow some commerce to continue?
The situation in the Ukraine seems remarkable, with two countries at war agreeing a deal to allow commercial shipment of food to continue.
I wondered if this kind of situation has every happend before?...
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Did West Pakistan not factor in Indian miltary intervention when it cracked down on East Pakistan in 1971?
When West Pakistan launched "Operation Searchlight" to quell Bengali dissidents in March 1971, did the think-tank know that India would soon be involved in the war?
Did they not forsee that ...
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What was the last conflict in which radio Morse code communications were extensively used?
It did not become possible to encrypt voice communications in practical ways in the field until well after WWII (during WWII, the state of the art was SIGSALY - a SIGSALY terminal weighed about 50 ...
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What examples from history are there of a dictator successfully annexing countries by force over the long term? [closed]
This question is indirectly about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and attempting to predict the future by studying the past.
This article claims:
Wartime land grabs tend to end badly for tyrants, ...
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How many wars have there been in Europe since WW2?
As far as I know, there has been:
Yugoslavian War
War between Albanians and Serbs about Kosovo
NATO bombing of Serbia and Montenegro (which could be included above)
And currently Russian-Ukrainian ...
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Was Russia or the USSR ever involved in a large military embarrassment alongside or against Vietnam?
I was listening to a Russian politician's (2021, pre-war) declaration of what would happen with the current war in Ukraine, and I was caught offguard by him mentioning a Russian military-related ...
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Why Finland received so little foreign support during the winter war?
Considering the following four facts:
Many western countries helped the anti-communist government during the Russian civil war,
League of Nation supports Finland,
The war lasts really long comparing ...
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When and why did it become frowned upon to win a siege by starvation?
(Not sure if this should be on the Politics SE)
Wikipedia article on siege:
The universal method for defending against siege is the use of fortifications, principally walls and ditches, to supplement ...
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Do negotiations/concessions to dictatorial powers always bring them to wanting more? [closed]
Let's focus on European powers that existed from the 18th century until today.
There's a common theory which basically says:
giving concessions or not being firm enough towards dictators always ...
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What's the date of this army uniform?
I have two photos of man and women. Guessing sweethearts. I’m thinking 1800s, there is writing on the back but I can’t read it.
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Has NATO ever started a war?
From my reading it appears to me that NATO has never initiated a war but only reacted to conflicts already happening? Is this interpretation correct? I find it important to answer as many pro-russian ...
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What were the cost of comparable aircraft?
When comparing military equipment, little attention is paid to cost, at least in the popular resources (obviously, military establishments pay close attention to how much they are paying!)
E.g., there ...
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Why didn't Iran declare war on the United States for shooting down flight-655? [closed]
In 1988, an American warship captain fired a missile on an Iranian civilian Airbus killing all 290 civilians onboard. From this documentary, it looks like the captain who was already exposed to ...
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How realistic are the number of battle deaths in the Anabasis?
I have been reading "The Anabasis and the Indica" by Arrian.
In the battle at Sangala Pimprana, the numbers are hundred dead on Alexander's army and seventeen thousand dead on the other side....
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How many soldiers fought in the Mongol conquest of Song
Wikipedia says the Mongols invaded the Song with an initial force of 90 tumens, or 900,000 soldiers at full strength. Considering the war lasted 44 years and the Mongols must have provided continuous ...
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"Never fight a land war in Asia." Okay, has anyone won a NON-land war in Asia?
The statement "Never fight a land war in Asia" has been variously attributed to Bernard Montgomery, Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur. More famously, it appeared in the book and movie ...
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Did Pele spark a 48-hour ceasefire during the Nigerian Civil War?
According to Wikipedia there was a 48-hour ceasefire during the Nigerian Civil War sparked by Pele.
Wikipedia, Santos
In 1969, the two factions involved in the Nigerian Civil War agreed to a 48-hour ...
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How many Scots were present at the Battle of Bauge?
The Battle of Bauge
According to Wikipedia the Battle of Bauge was a decisive battle in liberating France from England during the one hundred years war. Apparently the battle was won by a five ...
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Which of the Roman wars was the most important and riskiest for Rome? [closed]
The Roman republic and later empire existed for quite some time and there was quite a few wars, but if I where to look up the most important ones, which would they be?
Understood in the way that the ...
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