Questions tagged [military]
Questions pertaining to characteristics of armed forces' structure, manpower, equipment, or expenditures.
989 questions
0
votes
0
answers
143
views
Who is this person? what is this uniform? Mid-late 1800's (Belgian/French)
Looks like a 1860s/70s Belgian cavalry uniform to me, but is it?
Google also suggested it's a portrait photograph of Napoleon, Prince Imperial (1856-1879). Is that valid? (They definitely look very ...
4
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How did Louis XIV raise an army half the size of Aurangzeb's with only a tenth of the revenue?
Developing Cultures: Case Studies Lawrence E. Harrison, Peter L. Berger Routledge, 2006 pg. 158 asserts that Aurangzeb's revenue was more than ten times that of his contemporary Louis XIV of France
...
2
votes
3
answers
534
views
Are there any examples of the Douhet model actually working?
In 1921, Italian military theorist Giulio Douhet published his doctrine of strategic bombing. He argued that directly targeting civilian populations and infrastructure would break the enemy’s morale ...
1
vote
1
answer
372
views
What might explain an army's sudden disappearance? [closed]
We've all recently witnessed how the Assad regime collapsed in just about 12 days after 14 years of war, despite having at least 200,000 soldiers and being fully equipped with all types of weapons. ...
1
vote
1
answer
410
views
How did the Romans ram the casement walls of Masada when, according to Josephus, they were 18ft high, 12ft wide, and made of stone?
The Roman siege ramp at Masada was 25 degrees which is pretty steep. They were using a ram that they either dragged up the slope, or transported in pieces in place, all the while under fire from the ...
-2
votes
1
answer
135
views
How did medieval Siam/Ayutthaya politically function as a kingdom/nation-state? [closed]
For context, I'm working on a story based on Thai/Siamese/Ayutthaya history. I love Thai history and culture which is unfortunately criminally underrated here in the U.S./West. I was inspired to make ...
0
votes
2
answers
256
views
Was there a failed coup on Madagascar where the soldiers got arrested at the airport?
I remember reading the following yet cannot find any reference now neither by search engine nor wikipedia.
One of the adjacent continental powers hires [15-50] soldiers to overthrow Madagascar's ...
7
votes
1
answer
450
views
What was the size of Continental European horses during the High Middle Ages?
I'm investigating the size of horses in Continental Europe during the High Middle Ages (roughly 1000-1200 CE). I'm especially interested in France, Spain, and Italy.
I've come across a valuable study, ...
-1
votes
1
answer
218
views
What active defence and reconnaissance did a Roman camp in hostile territory usually deploy?
Things I doubt anyone would contest:
during the whole European campaign forts were built every evening
those fortifications were codified, no thinking was needed in erecting them
it worked.
Question:...
2
votes
1
answer
402
views
Were Japanese WWII atrocities more "Bottom-Up" compared to Nazi "Top-Down" atrocities in terms of hierarchical ordering?
Is it accurate to say that the Japanese atrocities during WW2 were more bottom-up(that is tended to be perpetrated by common soldiers perhaps with the tacit approval or exploitation of higher-ranking ...
1
vote
0
answers
158
views
Is it possible to re-find this obscure photo of a WW2 Japan/Germany alliance badge/tinnie?
Eight years ago, when doing an image search (I can't remember the exact query) for a one-off photo editing job, I found a photo of a Japanese or German (not sure which actually made it) WW2 "...
4
votes
1
answer
233
views
Why did the San Marco Marine Brigade adopt the peacetime winged lion of Venice?
Previously, we learned why the San Marco Marine Brigade of the Italian Navy adopted the winged lion of Venice as its symbol, and the patron saint of Venice as its patron saint:
In 1915 the “Marine” ...
3
votes
0
answers
140
views
How much did the Chassepot MLE 1866, Springfield M.1873, and Mauser Gew. 1871 cost?
How much did the:
Chassepot MLE 1866,
Springfield M.1873, and
Mauser Gew. 1871 cost?
While I can find sources for the original price of early lever-actions such as the Henry Rifle ($42.00) and ...
4
votes
0
answers
210
views
Who are the three civilians in this 1933 postcard from the Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam?
I have this postcard from 1933 that I intend to use on my website about Berlin and the surrounding area, but I'm a little unsure of what it is that you see in the picture. It is clearly from the ...
2
votes
2
answers
526
views
What ranks did the French Garde National have in 1848?
For research on one Frédéric Masson whose father was killed 23 June 1848 as a major in the French Garde Nationale, I am trying to find how high a rank "major" was in that force at that time....