74
votes
Accepted
Why didn't line infantry tactics try to keep up a constant volley of fire?
That's actually exactly what they did. In the early 17th century, Maurice of Orange reformed the Dutch army and drilled them to use volley fire. This involved the first rank (i.e. the first row of the ...
- 96.6k
56
votes
How were drawbridges and portcullises used tactically?
Any gate is, by definition, an opening in the stone curtain wall that is the main defense of the castle. A pulled up wooden drawbridge is much less secure than the stone wall:
it's flammable, even ...
- 70.2k
46
votes
Accepted
Why did the Roman military start to favour swords over the spear phalanx?
Actually, the Romans used the same phalanx everyone else did for a very long time. Past Hannibal.
The essence of winning a phalanx battle is to attack the flank of the phalanx. One may achieve that ...
- 556
46
votes
Accepted
What tactical situations made the use of traditional horse cavalry effective in World War II?
Whenever 20th century cavalry comes up, it often gets confused with mounted infantry. So let's clear that up.
Cavalry is trained to fight from horseback using pistol, sabre, carbine, lance, and the ...
- 54.4k
45
votes
Why did Sun Tzu believe you shouldn't wait beside a river when eager to fight?
Verse 3. After crossing a river, you should get far away from it.
If the river is a barrier, you can be hemmed in against it. If your enemy is the one hemmed in, they also have a defense on at ...
- 3,597
38
votes
Accepted
Are tanks the only reason for the abandonment of trench warfare?
Yet another concurring (tanks were important, but not the only reason), but different, answer.
Already at the end of WWI, the tactics for trench assault had improved. Instead of just swarming enemy ...
- 12.3k
36
votes
WW1 tunneling - bypassing the front line?
While I like your thinking there are a few issues with such a plan:
Emerging behind enemy lines means there may well have been other enemy troops (just as fresh) in the general area.
With WWI ...
- 893
36
votes
Accepted
WW1 tunneling - bypassing the front line?
One of the main problems with any mine, military or resource-extraction, is ventilation. It was clearly not possible to dig ventilation shafts in No-Man's-Land, so all the air for the tunnel ...
- 1,005
36
votes
How difficult was to escape from a naval battle after engaging into one during the Age of Sail?
This is where the wind gauge becomes critical. Having the wind gauge, contrary to popular perception, was of little tactical benefit; but rather enabled one to prevent the enemy from escaping. This is ...
- 70.2k
35
votes
Accepted
Why were the losses in the Battle of Norfolk so lopsided?
The ongoing arms race in armored warfare between defensive measures and offensive weapons generally means that a given tank is able to resist the weapons of the previous generation and, in turn, be ...
- 18.8k
30
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the Roman maniple make a comeback in the Renaissance?
Although the two formations look similar, the pike square was developed in a very different tactical environment than the phalanx.
The phalanx and the maniple were developed in an environment where ...
- 8,470
27
votes
Accepted
What was the tactical benefit of using flamethrowers as weapons?
Flamethrowers can be useful for the assault on field fortifications:
Burning fuel can splash through the firing slits of a bunker and reach inside.
Smoke and oxygen depletion can kill troops in ...
- 16.4k
27
votes
What are the grenades and artillery cited in this testimony?
Both weapons are AA guns
The answer has nothing to do with what different languages mean by "grenade." The testimony is just a very bad translation.
Wikipedia cites a Voice of Russia article ...
- 6,044
23
votes
Why were the losses in the Battle of Norfolk so lopsided?
According to AAR reports, the losses the Coalition took in this battle were almost all friendly fire incidents.
Same AARs indicate that Coalition forces had decisive advantage in:
Effective range - ...
- 902
23
votes
Accepted
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
20
votes
Why didn't line infantry tactics try to keep up a constant volley of fire?
That's roughly what they did. Both sides would line up their men, where the defender had the advantage: they could form two or more lines. The first line fired, then reloaded, while the second line ...
- 19.1k
20
votes
How difficult was to escape from a naval battle after engaging into one during the Age of Sail?
The subject of disengagement and, possibly, the subsequent chase is one that fills chapters and even whole books on Age-of-Sail tactics. Determining the possibility of escape involves a large number ...
- 18.8k
17
votes
Why did the Roman military start to favour swords over the spear phalanx?
The Romans were very good in copying tactics and equipment from other peoples.
They learned the Phalanx from the Etruscans. The phalanx works like a wall: difficult to get through, but also almost ...
- 171
17
votes
Accepted
Why did ramming reappear then disappear in 1800s shipborn warfare?
The reason for the re-emergence of the ram in the mid-1800s is essentially a technological one. The introduction of the nautical steam engine gave ships a reliable source of power and the ability to ...
- 18.8k
16
votes
Are tanks the only reason for the abandonment of trench warfare?
No, tanks are not, evolving strategy for using new technology was.
A quick look at the Principles of War as espoused in many military doctrines over time and across the globe (and usually posited as ...
- 161
16
votes
Physics of a heavy cavalry charge?
Your question is underpinned by a key misunderstanding of the course of an ancient or medieval battle: the slaughter occurs in the pursuit (or endgame if you will), not what might be termed the battle ...
- 70.2k
15
votes
Why bother attacking castles at all? Why not go around?
Let's make a quick simulation in head, hereby I present a sketch of a realistic scenario: what if they ignore forts:
Let's assume Invader decides to ignore forts and let's just capture the capital ...
- 6,454
15
votes
What was the tactical benefit of using flamethrowers as weapons?
Basic flame weapons are effective against flammable targets or in very close quarters. Normally they are not used in any situation where the defenders would have a clear view of the attackers. Flame ...
- 37.6k
12
votes
Accepted
What equipment and formations did the Muslim armies employ against the Crusades?
Equipment
Armour:
Unlike the Western European Crusaders, Muslim Soldiers never wore fully body armour. It is without a doubt a fact that Europeans were more heavily armoured than Muslims but that was ...
- 8,153
12
votes
Accepted
Was the flexibility of German army a big contributor to their success?
Yes. The Germans developed the concept of "Auftragstaktik", or "mission tactics", whereby officers and even non-coms were given their missions and objectives, but left to their own devices as to how ...
- 104k
11
votes
Why were the losses in the Battle of Norfolk so lopsided?
Although it isn't a complete answer to your question, you can gain some insight into the lopsidedness of this and other similar confrontations by reading this analysis:
http://www.meforum.org/441/...
- 261
11
votes
Was it possible to "aim for the epaulette boys" during the Middle Ages?
Yes and no. Uniforms and rank insignia as we understand them didn't exist back then. It was very easy to see who was high(er) in rank, though. Members of the knightly class wore their coat of arms on ...
- 19.1k
11
votes
During the American Civil war did gunboats range far into enemy territory?
Both the Union and Confederacy employed river gunboats during the US Civil War. They were often improvised from flat-bottomed side- or stern-wheeler civilian river boats and armored with layers of ...
- 54.4k
10
votes
Why did the Roman military start to favour swords over the spear phalanx?
As I remember, the biggest problems of phalanx were slow pace and inability to operate on a rough terrain (consider the length of their spears). In the battle of Pydna the macedonians had early ...
- 4,268
10
votes
How can a skilled battle commander like Napoleon Bonaparte lose to Prussians at Waterloo (Belgium) as such?
We have no evidence that Napoleon was ill during June 1815. None. Nada. Zilch. While on St. Helena, Napoleon wrote extensively about his final campaign, blaming Ney and Grouchy extensively and usually ...
- 70.2k
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