227
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Why didn't Germany blockade the Strait of Gibraltar during WW2?
...but if the Strait is guarded such that they can't get them without braving an enfilading strafe of torpedoes, then it wouldn't do much good even if they knew where they are.
From this comment by ...
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133
votes
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Why bother to attack in trench warfare?
Why bother to launch an attack?
First thing is to realize that strategic trench warfare in the Great War was not planned. It's something that happened to prevent being strategically outflanked. While ...
- 54.4k
122
votes
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Why were ships-of-the line not supposed to open fire on frigates during fleet actions?
In age-of-sail fleet actions, the primary use of frigates (and smaller vessels) was to relay messages (usually in the form of flag signals) between the flagships and the rest of the fleet. They ...
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81
votes
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Were kamikaze pilots an effective strategy for Japan?
No.
The general argument goes something like this:
Japan was running out of trained pilots
Japan couldn't spare the fuel to properly train more pilots
But they had plenty of planes.
Thus untrained ...
- 54.4k
67
votes
How did pilots know when to release bombs on airplanes during World War2?
Electronic computing was not available, but a simple and constrained problem like timing a bomb drop can be handled by a dedicated mechanical or electromechanical device, the bombsight. These are "...
- 30.4k
63
votes
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Why didn't the British Grand Fleet force an engagement with the German Imperial Navy in WW1?
tl;dr
Sea control is good. Sea denial is not that much worse.
Sinking an enemy ship at the cost of significant damage to your own is less desirable than keeping your enemy holed up in port (where his ...
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62
votes
How would a Spartan have held his shield?
SHORT ANSWER
Most battles were short and thus the shield did not have to be held for long in combat. Also, Spartans who survived the training which began in early childhood were extremely tough both ...
- 107k
58
votes
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Why were Royal Navy ships forbidden to attack the ARA Veinticinco de Mayo in Argentinian waters?
The exclusion zone mentioned in the article is described in the Wikipedia article as follows:
The Total Exclusion Zone (TEZ) was an area declared by the United Kingdom on 30 April 1982 covering a ...
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55
votes
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Have any kings ever been serving admirals?
It turns out William IV wasn't called the "Sailor King" for nothing. He was a younger son of George III and thus didn't expect ever to become king. His naval career began at the age of ...
- 4,214
53
votes
Was Switzerland really impossible to invade during WW2?
No country is impossible to invade. Andorra could invade the USA.
The question you should have asked was "Was Switzerland Impossible to Conquer during World War II?".
The answer is no ...
- 18.4k
51
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How would a Spartan have held his shield?
Lars' answer has addressed the fact that the shields (know as a hoplon) often didn't need to be held for long; I'd like to address the actual mechanics.
Image showing the shield held close in to the ...
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50
votes
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Why was PTSD not written about as much before the 20th century?
I believe this is as much sociological as medical. Terms such as 'shell shock' or 'battle fatigue' were used from at least WWI - it was believed that shelling actually 'shocked' the brain - but ...
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47
votes
Has there been any "invasive plants warfare" in the past?
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat,
and ...
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46
votes
How did warriors age historically?
The Romans were known to retire their soldiers with a pension after 25 years of service. That would probably have put most of them in their early to mid 40's.
Given that experienced veterans are ...
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46
votes
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Was Switzerland really impossible to invade during WW2?
Ok, since I think I finally got your real question (as I see it):
I'm simply asking if the defense of Switzerland during WW2 was overrated. Many people claim that the country was impossible to occupy,...
- 1,104
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 ...
- 3,596
44
votes
Were slings used for throwing hand grenades? If not, why?
Two reasons why not to put a grenade in a sling, based on the fusing/arming system
(An additional reason is that there are rifle launched grenades, if you need more range).
Features of a hand ...
- 3,509
43
votes
Accepted
Where was gunpowder invented/ discovered?
This confusion is A Thing. I actually looked into it a few weeks back.
Its quite likely that ancient Indians were the first people to harvest and make use of saltpeter. We certainly haven't found ...
- 114k
40
votes
Why didn't Germany blockade the Strait of Gibraltar during WW2?
Gibraltar during the war had a quite formidable British naval presence (Force H), an airfield, and significant coastal gun emplacements easily capable of covering the entire strait.
The primary ...
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39
votes
Accepted
Has anyone ever named a war after their own country or faction?
(1) "The Battle of France" - so called by the French.
The term "Battle of France is widely used for the WW2 fighting of the French against the German invasion. See e.g. Wikipedia ...
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34
votes
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Who said: "Armies prepare to fight their last war, rather than their next war"?
I think this adage is very old and has been rephrased countless times (though with slight modifications), but the modern English adaption might be from the 20th century:
King Wuling, "A talent ...
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33
votes
Accepted
How Did the Mongol Empire Get So Big?
There are a number of tactical and strategic reasons that the Mongols were successful.
Core of strong leaders:
Not only were the upper levels of military leadership strong, but the mid-level and ...
- 7,402
32
votes
Have any kings ever been serving admirals?
Leotychidas II of Sparta
During the Greco-Persian Wars, King Leotychidas II of Sparta (reigned 491 to 476 BC) was appointed admiral in overall command of the Greek fleet in 479 BC, while he was king. ...
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31
votes
Accepted
Did Henry V’s archers at Agincourt fight with no pants / breeches on because of dysentery?
tl; dr
At least some of the archers who fought at the Battle of Agincourt almost were almost certainly suffering from dysentery contracted at Harfleur. However, most of the worst affected had been ...
- 76.9k
30
votes
Were slings used for throwing hand grenades? If not, why?
The main reason for avoiding the sling is that it is a difficult weapon to use.
Requires training to do right EVERY time.
So your slinger could expect a short career indeed which would abruptly end ...
- 1,275
30
votes
Were British infantry trained to shoot attacking aircraft with rifles?
To answer the second part of your question, this WW2 British Army training film includes details of how ground fire from infantry should be directed at enemy aircraft. As you can see at about 20 ...
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29
votes
Has anyone ever named a war after their own country or faction?
The Austro-Prussian War is currently known in Germany as "Deutscher Krieg", or "The German War" - though it was originally known as "Preußisch-Deutscher Krieg", or "Prussian-German War".
Another ...
- 18.1k
29
votes
What was the cleanest war ever fought?
The Anglo-Swedish war of 1810-1812. A phoney war forced upon Sweden after the devastating defeat in the Finnish war; neither side wanted to fight the other, and no battles were fought. There were, ...
- 5,601
29
votes
How did pilots know when to release bombs on airplanes during World War2?
With the Allies, two methods were used.
The USAAF focused on precision daylight bombing, using the Norden bombsight. This was a mechanical computer that also took control of the aircraft controls -- ...
- 3,431
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