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 ...
- 97.6k
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 ...
- 72.5k
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 ...
- 56k
37
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 ...
- 913
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 ...
- 1,015
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 ...
- 72.5k
34
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 ...
- 19.8k
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 ...
- 8,739
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 ...
- 14.1k
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 - ...
- 1,014
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 ...
- 4,010
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 ...
- 22.7k
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 ...
- 19.8k
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 ...
- 72.5k
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
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
How could 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 ...
- 72.5k
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 ...
- 56k
10
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 ...
- 22.7k
9
votes
Did ancient or medieval warriors "substitute" in and out of combat?
From Book 3 of Caesar's Gallic Wars, Chapters 4 through 6:
Chapter 4
.... Our men at first, while their strength was fresh, resisted bravely, nor did they cast any weapon ineffectually from their ...
- 72.5k
9
votes
What tactical situations made the use of traditional horse cavalry effective in World War II?
Sometimes Soviet Army (especially during the first two years of the war agains Germany, 1941-43) successfully used its cavalry units. Success depended on many factors including tactical skills of its ...
- 6,225
8
votes
Accepted
What were German submarine tactics?
From the events you've described, you are talking about U-123's 7th Patrol.
For Question #1, it is likely they did go to periscope depth first. Aircraft would be hard to see from a periscope. Wakes ...
- 415
7
votes
Accepted
Did Song troops spread black beans on the ground as a means to defeat the superior Jin cavalry? If so, in which battle?
Not sure if anyone will read this, but...
From Baidu (https://baike.baidu.com/item/连环计/5842#ref_[2]_5340118):
1.毕再遇连环计
“Bi Zaiyu Uses Chain Stratagems”
宋代将领毕再遇就曾经运用连环计，打过漂亮的仗。他分析金人强悍，骑兵尤其勇猛，...
- 94
7
votes
WW1 tunneling - bypassing the front line?
While the above answers are quite valid, here's something else to think about: It's highly likely that the enemy would pick up on a tunnel dug for such a purpose, and move to defeat it, as counter ...
- 247
6
votes
How tight were shield walls in Saxon England?
Best explanation of a shield wall I've ever seen can be found on YouTube.
It was rows of men standing...no one in their right mind would try one of those triple-stacked "shield walls" shown on "...
- 61
6
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the Allies attack Germany from the South?
The Germans managed to hold northern Italy, by defending the Gothic Line, until March 1945. After that, the German position began to crumble rapidly, until they surrendered on 29th April, with ...
- 32k
6
votes
How "old" is mechanized infantry in terms of usage in warfare and what should be called as such?
Mechanised infantry were used in very small quantities during WWI, with extra troops carried in German A7V tanks, and became reasonably commonplace during WWII, with the advent of armoured personnel ...
- 32k
6
votes
Why didn't line infantry tactics try to keep up a constant volley of fire?
Oda Nobunaga mowed down the Takeda clan's cavalry this way at the Battle of Nagashino (1575). Here is a dramatization.
Nobunaga built a stockade and positioned three rows of arquebusiers behind it. ...
- 61
6
votes
Battles where baits are overlooked by the enemy in expense of the baiter
Midway battle.
Japan planned to invade Midway on 1942. This invasion included a diversion in the Aleutian islands. But the United States, having broken Japanese naval codes, knew that main battle ...
- 4,819
6
votes
Accepted
When did opposing armies in close proximity engage each other during the American Civil war?
I think Pieter very clearly answers the primary question of "why does this map show them so close together" which is "that's the start points they withdrew out of range/line of sight in ...
- 76
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible