Questions tagged [defense]
Questions related to the history of the strategy designed for the protection of assets or territory, usually with regards to military, political, sporting, gaming, or other similar activities.
29
questions
21
votes
8
answers
9k
views
Why did the Soviets not shoot down US spy satellites during the Cold War?
The USSR was not happy with unauthorised overflights, shooting down everything it could, from spy balloons to U-2s. Also, despite repeated US proposals, something like the Open Skies treaty was only ...
-1
votes
3
answers
161
views
What are some examples that show medieval stone construction on top of older foundations?
Are there any more blatant examples that show new construction or repairs on older construction? Buildings like castles or walls With visible differences between the two construction eras? For example ...
- 71
15
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Why weren’t the Dutch and Belgian borders fortified with wire, trenches, mines, etc., as it became clear Germany would invade during WW2?
Following standard military doctrine, a full mobilization of the opponent nation is the clearest indication of hostile intentions, short of an actual declaration of war.
Considering that massive, ...
- 518
3
votes
2
answers
584
views
How did the United Kingdom government come to be responsible for defence of the Channel Islands?
The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the defence of, and foreign relations of, the Channel Islands.
How did this arrangement come about?
Was there a specific agreement/decision/...
- 155
0
votes
2
answers
305
views
Are there any modern history examples of large scale conflicts where warfare technology provides a great advantage to the defender, except WWI? [closed]
One of the characteristics of World War I was the Trench warfare which shows one of those cases when defender has a large advantage over the attacker:
(..) a revolution in firepower was not matched ...
- 1,077
0
votes
2
answers
401
views
Was there any sort of medieval defensive contraption which dropped rocks on attackers?
I was wondering if there's any evidence of such a contraption in the Middle Ages? I'm imagining this as a cousin to the catapult; instead of catapulting rocks on attackers, they simply drop rocks on ...
- 13
2
votes
0
answers
269
views
How were Japanese elite divisions defeated? [closed]
During the early months of the involvement of Japan in World War 2, Japanese land armies performed well against British, American and other Allied (Filipino, Dutch) troops. From my research, on books ...
- 6,748
2
votes
1
answer
127
views
How much protection did Fort Warren afford Boston?
Fort Warren (constructed 1833–1861) was built on Georges Island in Boston Harbor, by my understanding to guard what was then the main channel into Boston, marked "Main Shipping Channel" on ...
- 403
-1
votes
1
answer
274
views
Where can I buy a tank trap? [closed]
Where could one procure a full size tank trap? I am looking for a reproduction of a full size hedgehog style tank trap meeting whatever specs exist for that sort of thing.
- 185
3
votes
1
answer
567
views
Are there examples of cities planned for urban combat that actually experienced it?
I was under the impression some cities are built to make urban combat more of a mess than it already is. Specifically they are built to have bad sight lines, confusing routes for the enemy and planned ...
- 213
6
votes
5
answers
2k
views
What's the point of fortified castles inside fortified cities?
In the Middle Ages, people built highly fortified castles for royalty inside cities that were already fortified by walls. What was the reasoning behind that? Were they made to protect royal families ...
- 169
3
votes
1
answer
239
views
How were the invasions of Korea by the Mongols and the Manchus similar?
The first Mongol invasions of 1231 forced the Koreans to capitulate and reconsider their defensive posture.
In an attempt to overthrow the newly imposed tributes of the Mongols, the Koreans (at the ...
- 1,661
6
votes
1
answer
896
views
Did the Arab League create a Joint Defense Council and a Permanent Military Commission?
Were the Arab League's Joint Defense Council and the Permanent Military Commission ever created?
There seems to be a lack of information concerning this topic on the internet, but by the Treaty of ...
- 163
4
votes
1
answer
455
views
Has an armed gang ever taken a medieval city? [closed]
Are there any instances of a medium small armed gang (<100 men) entering and taking over a medieval city (in any part of the world)? How well did medieval city defenses work against medium-small ...
- 603
2
votes
2
answers
647
views
Why didn’t the Franco-Belgian accord of 1920 lead to extending the construction of the Maginot line along the Belgium-Netherlands border?
The Franco-Belgian Accord, which lasted from 1920 until October 1936 when Belgium declared itself neutral, included an article which 'discussed greater integration of frontier defenses' (according to ...
- 107k