All Questions
20
questions
30
votes
2
answers
10k
views
How was Rome able to conscript and equip 400k soldiers during 2nd Punic War in a pre-industrial society?
I have counted legions and allied legions Rome conscripted during 16 years of Punic War. It's roughly 400k and could be even more.
Battle
Year
Result
Battle of Ticinus
218 BC
2,000 Roman casualties, ...
- 411
0
votes
1
answer
141
views
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.
- 1,097
1
vote
0
answers
85
views
Did any army try speed volley fire by passing pre-loaded muskets to the front line? [duplicate]
Early 16th to 18th century muskets had 2 big disadvantages. Musketeers needed minimum 20-30 seconds to reload them and they were very inaccurate, because projectile (usually small lead ball) was much ...
- 111
10
votes
2
answers
4k
views
How true is this observation concerning battle?
I came across a quote:
“One who risks his life in battle has the best chance of saving it; one who flees to save it is most likely to lose it” (Anthologia Lyrica Graeca, ed. E. Diehl2 1936-42.)
The ...
- 219
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What was the aftermath of a battle in the Middle Ages? How did wounded soldiers proceed?
The Red Cross was founded by 1859 over these circumstances:
Until the middle of the 19th century, there were no organized and/or well-established army nursing systems for casualties and no safe and ...
- 1,394
20
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Has any medieval army ever fought 3 or more distinct battles on the same day?
In the fantasy fiction A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of thrones, during Robert's Rebellion, three battles were fought in the same day, in the same place.
There where particular conditions that lead to ...
- 997
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why were there so many US military deaths outside of the major battles in WW2?
Recently I have started to take a huge interest in WW2. I've been researching new information everyday about it. But one of the things I've been interested in is the number of deaths each country ...
- 149
9
votes
1
answer
371
views
Which town or village in Britain lost the greatest percentage of men in WWI due to "Pals Battalions"?
The British decision to create "Pals Battalions" of men from a single town or village led to unanticipated disasters when Pals battalions ran into heavy resistance, with large numbers of men from a ...
- 4,269
2
votes
2
answers
707
views
Why the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55) was "the last of the old sieges"?
During the Crimean War (1853–56), Charles George Gordon took part in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55), calling it "the last of the old sieges".
What made Sevastopol so "old fashioned" for a comment ...
- 3,159
0
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Has there ever a period in history when people were not killing each other? [closed]
Has there ever a period in history when people were nice to each other and not killing each other?
In other words, since humans arrived, have the inhabitants of this planet ever enjoyed world peace?
...
5
votes
2
answers
960
views
What were the most used drugs in battles and wars?
I have read that germans used extensively Pervitin (Methamphetamine) in WWII. So, I guess there are other drugs used in wars and battles throughout history.
What were the most used drugs in battles ...
- 183
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What are the top 5 bloodiest battles in terms of British casualties?
I have done a bit of research and it seems the Somme, Towton and maybe Bannockburn are up there? Any more to throw into the mix?
Great site by the way!
- 95
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Why was Luodian important in the Battle of Shanghai?
In the middle of the 3-month long Battle of Shanghai, the small town of Luodian on the outskirts of Shanghai saw some of the heaviest fighting. After Japanese troops made successful amphibious ...
- 14.4k
4
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Battles that ended with a disaster for all the parties
Have there ever been (recorded) battles (in the middle-ages) which ended badly for all parties?
I would like to explain what could be meant by disaster giving to possible scenarios:
by disaster I ...
- 1,499
5
votes
1
answer
323
views
What was the custom/consensus regarding irregular combatants 19th century?
Immediately prior to the battle of Sedan, the German soldiers who captured the town of Bazeilles executed a number of armed civilians who had been firing on German troops that day. This happened in ...
- 51