56
votes
Accepted
How did 300,000 people survive the 3 1/2 year siege of Sarajevo?
A combination of the UN, NATO, the Red Cross, Sarajevo International Airport, the Sarajevo Tunnel, smugglers, and the Bosnian Army saved Sarajevo. While the siege officially ended in Feb 1996, it was ...
- 56.3k
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 ...
- 4,004
18
votes
How did 300,000 people survive the 3 1/2 year siege of Sarajevo?
Because it was not a complete siege thanks to the Sarajevo Tunnel and Operation Irma. The first one was a tunnel that passed below the siege, and the second one was a security zone protected by the ...
- 4,829
13
votes
Accepted
How did they manage accuracy with traction trebuchets?
As Steve Bird implied in his comment, firing at a very large target that isn't moving doesn't require pinpoint accuracy. Nonetheless, some degree of accuracy would undoubtedly have been desirable.
W. ...
- 109k
9
votes
Accepted
Did besiegers ever come up through the latrine?
Short answer: Yes.
One example:
The protruding shaft of masonry that made up the toilet was buttressed from below or might nestle in the junction between a tower and wall. Some waste shafts were ...
- 19.9k
9
votes
Accepted
Which fortress east of Ancient Megiddo did Thutmose III go to during the siege?
Thanks to the "heads-up" I got from your comment on my answer to your last question earlier, I had a chance to do some research on this today (although I'm not sure about your page numbering in ...
- 77.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Are there examples of cities planned for urban combat that actually experienced it?
For Europe, I would say, that most of the major cities were not designed to make urban combat more of a mess than it already is.
Most of the original European cities were not planned at all
but ...
- 10.1k
8
votes
Accepted
Battle of Ulm: why did general Mack surrender to Napoleon instead of retreating to Ulm and wait for the Russian Army?
I can imagine that a lack of provisions and/or logistics of keeping ~70 000 men in a city wouldn't make the situation ideal for Mack, but with the Russian army being not that far away they could have ...
- 4,465
8
votes
Accepted
Why did a Venetian colonel defect to the Ottomans during the siege of Candia?
The question is quite complex to google. Per the comment I dropped, the edit that added the detail seemed somewhat suspicious at first glance due to the lack of citations.
After digging a bit deeper ...
8
votes
Accepted
How effective were the Mongol siege equipment?
One way to evaluate if the siege warfare of the Mongols were better is to look beyond the equipment engines. Ideally, it should include a detailed discussion of the following (and then do a comparison ...
- 6,339
6
votes
Could besieged medieval cities develop a micro-economy during wars to endure the siege for long time?
As answered in comments and by Gort, there is zero chance of this happening by growing crops. It's not just the space that's insufficient, it's the complete and utter lack of soil.
The one workaround ...
- 1,324
5
votes
Why did the Siege of Ceuta (1694-1720) take so long?
Resupply by sea
The Spanish were able to resupply Ceuta by sea. Moroccans were not capable of preventing that. At that time the Spanish navy was no longer the world's dominant sea power, but more than ...
- 23.6k
5
votes
How effective were the Mongol siege equipment?
Mongol siege tactics, not merely siege engines, were among the best in the world for their time.
First, the Mongols employed captured Chinese and Persian engineers to design and manage their siege ...
- 105k
5
votes
What kind of siege weapons were used during Punic wars?
As for siege equipment used during the Punic Wars it's quite a long period and should be looked at in a progressive manner.
When the Roman republic entered the war in 264 BC there was little
siege ...
- 51
4
votes
Could besieged medieval cities develop a micro-economy during wars to endure the siege for long time?
If people could grow enough food in cities, then they wouldn't have farms, they would just have cities.
Even modern farms would not be able to supply enough food, and they are far from self-...
- 316
4
votes
How did Vauban develop his parallel siege technique first used during the 1673 siege of Maastricht?
Vauban was aware of the Candia siege in developing his system, which was described in his treatise Traité de l'attaque et de la deffence des places (Treatise on the attack and defence of places.)
...
- 4,465
4
votes
Accepted
Were ships effective for sieging cities?
Ships were definitely effective in siege warfare during the gunpowder age and the industrial age - effectively from the time when cannons became small enough to install in ships until the time they ...
- 1,798
4
votes
Were ships effective for sieging cities?
Yes, ships were effective in besieging cities, provided of course that the city was close to a waterline or a waterfront. You'll find below some examples of sieges of city that show advantages and ...
- 7,704
3
votes
Did besiegers ever come up through the latrine?
Concrete examples are hard to find.
There is at least one accounts which has stuck in the popular imagination. During the siege of Chateau Gaillard in 1204 some French soldiers gained access to part ...
3
votes
Accepted
What was Masada's Roman ramp steep angle?
What am I missing?
Alex points out in comments that a machine may be transported in sections, and this was apparently the intent here. A 19th century article in the Cyclopædia of Biblical, ...
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3
votes
What was the military background of the Irish company at the Siege of Jadotville?
You should be aware that Ireland was a neutral country during the Second World War, and Ireland had no overseas colonies. As far as I can see, none of the 151 soldiers in "A" Company of the 35th ...
- 77.7k
3
votes
How were siege ladders used to attack medieval castle walls?
how did they prevent the defenders from simply pushing down the ladder as they were climbing it
the ladder does not necessarily reach all the way to the top of the rampart, so, to reach it, defenders ...
- 27.2k
2
votes
Accepted
What is the purpose of this Roman siege tactic as shown in this Illustration?
I am imagining the picture is stylized and not drawn to scale.
Depending on how close the shield on the ramp was placed to the gates of the city, the shield would do two things:
Offer some protection ...
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1
vote
Is this trebuchet based on a real historical model?
No. Game of Thrones is a fantasy series, loosely based on medieval and renaissance history. This is an example of fantasy. I've searched for unusual trebuchet types, and came up blank. All I found ...
- 23.6k
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