56
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Accepted
How did 300,000 people survive the 3 1/2 year siege of Sarajevo?
A combination of the UN, NATO, the Red Cross, Sarajevo International Airport, the Sarajevo Tunnel, smugglers, and the Bosnian Army saved Sarajevo. While the siege officially ended in Feb 1996, it was ...
- 54.4k
33
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Could besieged medieval cities develop a micro-economy during wars to endure the siege for long time?
No. Cities were simply too small physically to feed themselves. Constantinople was one of the biggest cities of its time, at 2.3 sq miles. This works out to around 1500 acres. To feed a single ...
- 8,256
24
votes
Accepted
Were any fortified castles self-sufficient in food?
Obviously this depends on how many defenders there were inside the castle. A castle garrisoned by a single person could probably live reasonably well off the chickens that might be in the bailey, for ...
- 96.6k
23
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How were siege ladders used to attack medieval castle walls?
Although illustrations in medieval manuscripts often take a creative approach to reality, they can give a good interpretation of how ladders were used during an escalade.
There are depictions of ...
- 3,993
18
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How did 300,000 people survive the 3 1/2 year siege of Sarajevo?
Because it was not a complete siege thanks to the Sarajevo Tunnel and Operation Irma. The first one was a tunnel that passed below the siege, and the second one was a security zone protected by the ...
- 4,845
13
votes
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How did they manage accuracy with traction trebuchets?
As Steve Bird implied in his comment, firing at a very large target that isn't moving doesn't require pinpoint accuracy. Nonetheless, some degree of accuracy would undoubtedly have been desirable.
W. ...
- 107k
12
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Would every Roman army have dedicated engineers?
As the comment above indicates, the Roman army before Julius Caesar's time seems to have had a dedicated engineer corps, but this group would also be expected to fight if necessary. From Julius ...
- 329
10
votes
Were any fortified castles self-sufficient in food?
Simple answer, no.
As you increase the size of your fortified enclosure to contain more land for cultivation, you obviously increase the length of the walls. The longer the walls are, the more people ...
- 4,717
9
votes
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Which fortress east of Ancient Megiddo did Thutmose III go to during the siege?
Thanks to the "heads-up" I got from your comment on my answer to your last question earlier, I had a chance to do some research on this today (although I'm not sure about your page numbering in ...
- 76.9k
9
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Are there examples of cities planned for urban combat that actually experienced it?
For Europe, I would say, that most of the major cities were not designed to make urban combat more of a mess than it already is.
Most of the original European cities were not planned at all
but ...
- 8,402
8
votes
Accepted
How effective were the Mongol siege equipment?
One way to evaluate if the siege warfare of the Mongols were better is to look beyond the equipment engines. Ideally, it should include a detailed discussion of the following (and then do a comparison ...
- 6,275
8
votes
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Why did a Venetian colonel defect to the Ottomans during the siege of Candia?
The question is quite complex to google. Per the comment I dropped, the edit that added the detail seemed somewhat suspicious at first glance due to the lack of citations.
After digging a bit deeper ...
- 23.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Did besiegers ever come up through the latrine?
Short answer: Yes.
One example:
The protruding shaft of masonry that made up the toilet was buttressed from below or might nestle in the junction between a tower and wall. Some waste shafts were ...
- 18.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Why the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55) was "the last of the old sieges"?
The context is clear in the previous paragraph. Charles George Gordon was referring to the end of "old arms and tactics of Frederick and Napoleon". Here's the full context:
It was in the ...
- 14.4k
6
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Could besieged medieval cities develop a micro-economy during wars to endure the siege for long time?
As answered in comments and by Gort, there is zero chance of this happening by growing crops. It's not just the space that's insufficient, it's the complete and utter lack of soil.
The one workaround ...
- 1,334
5
votes
Could besieged medieval cities develop a micro-economy during wars to endure the siege for long time?
If people could grow enough food in cities, then they wouldn't have farms, they would just have cities.
Even modern farms would not be able to supply enough food, and they are far from self-...
- 276
5
votes
How effective were the Mongol siege equipment?
Mongol siege tactics, not merely siege engines, were among the best in the world for their time.
First, the Mongols employed captured Chinese and Persian engineers to design and manage their siege ...
- 104k
4
votes
What kind of siege weapons were used during Punic wars?
As for siege equipment used during the Punic Wars it's quite a long period and should be looked at in a progressive manner.
When the Roman republic entered the war in 264 BC there was little
siege ...
- 41
4
votes
Are there any examples of balistas, scorpions, or other catapult-like weapons being used in field battles
From Wikipedia:
Several attempts to use artillery in the field are recorded but they were mostly unsuccessful, except when the artillery could be deployed in some protected place. For example, in ...
- 38.1k
4
votes
Were ships effective for sieging cities?
Yes, ships were effective in besieging cities, provided of course that the city was close to a waterline or a waterfront. You'll find below some examples of sieges of city that show advantages and ...
- 5,893
4
votes
Accepted
Were ships effective for sieging cities?
Ships were definitely effective in siege warfare during the gunpowder age and the industrial age - effectively from the time when cannons became small enough to install in ships until the time they ...
- 1,384
3
votes
Accepted
What was the purpose of tunnel fighting in a 17th century siege?
During the 17th century, combat for control of tunnels was primarily enacted as a defensive maneuver utilized by a besieged fortification.
Defenders would counter-mine to prevent successful entry ...
- 1,671
3
votes
Would every Roman army have dedicated engineers?
Yes, they had dedicated engineers for siege engines and works. Simple fortifications were handled by the legionnaires, but more complicated efforts had specialists.
No, not every army had them.
A ...
- 503
3
votes
Accepted
Did "el Empecinado" fight in the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1810)?
According to the Wikipedia article on the defence of Ciudad Rodrigo the siege lasted from 26th April to 10th July 1810. However, a book on the military exploits of Juan Martín Díez makes no mention of ...
- 18.8k
3
votes
Accepted
What was Masada's Roman ramp steep angle?
What am I missing?
Alex points out in comments that a machine may be transported in sections, and this was apparently the intent here. A 19th century article in the Cyclopædia of Biblical, ...
- 36.2k
3
votes
What was the military background of the Irish company at the Siege of Jadotville?
You should be aware that Ireland was a neutral country during the Second World War, and Ireland had no overseas colonies. As far as I can see, none of the 151 soldiers in "A" Company of the 35th ...
- 76.9k
3
votes
How were siege ladders used to attack medieval castle walls?
how did they prevent the defenders from simply pushing down the ladder as they were climbing it
the ladder does not necessarily reach all the way to the top of the rampart, so, to reach it, defenders ...
- 26.6k
2
votes
Accepted
What is the purpose of this Roman siege tactic as shown in this Illustration?
I am imagining the picture is stylized and not drawn to scale.
Depending on how close the shield on the ramp was placed to the gates of the city, the shield would do two things:
Offer some protection ...
- 2,876
2
votes
Why the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55) was "the last of the old sieges"?
C. G. Gordon died in 1885, so what was "last" for him is not necessarily last for us. So it is not clear what exactly you are asking. In what context he said this, and what he did exactly mean is also ...
- 38.1k
2
votes
What happened to people who lived outside a castle when the castle was under siege?
I suppose you are asking about people who lived in the immediate vicinity and who were subjects of the castle owners. Normally they would be admitted and hide in the castle, with their movable ...
- 38.1k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible