312
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Do historians agree that most wars are caused by religion?
The idea that "most wars are caused by religion" is trivially false. From what I can see, this is a rhetoric rooted in a critique of theism, rather than serious historical analysis. Even a casual ...
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107
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Has NATO ever started a war?
There are four main NATO "operations" that can be interpreted as starting a war:
Bosnian War. NATO intervened with Operation Deliberate Force.
Kosovo War. NATO intervened with Operation ...
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99
votes
Where is the bloodiest square mile on Earth?
Strong contenders would likely include the deadlier major WW1 battlefields (Passchendaele, Verdun, Somme, etc.) - they were more spread out than a single square mile, but the amount of casualties in ...
99
votes
Accepted
Where is the bloodiest square mile on Earth?
The square mile around the Colosseum in Rome seems a likely candidate for most deaths using conventional weapons. Within a mile of the Colosseum were the Circus Maximus and the Roman Forum where ...
- 109k
71
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How has hearing loss been avoided in war?
Until the 1940s, it was believed that the cure to loud noises was developing a tolerance to them:
The pervasive attitude of the early 1900s was that hearing loss could be prevented by developing a ...
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69
votes
Was any stimulant used in wars before WW2 that gave a significant advantage to soldiers?
FC: What exactly is a 'stimulant'? We might follow some modern definition and arrive at a certain restricted subset of chemicals that includes meth and modafinil. But that excludes quite a bit of ...
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66
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 "...
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59
votes
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How were tanks scrapped after World War Two?
Once nobody was willing or able to use them(either in other conflicts or as bulldozers), tanks were stripped of any particularly valuable or reusable parts, and whatever was left was disassembled/cut ...
- 4,004
58
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Why can I visit battlefields, but not battleships?
Respect, preservation, and safety.
While it's possible there may still be remains on a battlefield, people do their best to find and remove the bodies and bury them properly.
Sunken ships often ...
- 56.3k
57
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Why are the French and Indian Wars / Seven Years' War not considered WW 1?
Continuous war was not possible
That period of war, mid 18th century, was before the industrial age. The ability to supply an army continuously in the field did not exist until the time of the ...
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55
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Has there ever been an instance of an active nuclear power plant within or near a war zone?
Best example I know of is the Zhaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. Its in Southern Ukraine, which unfortunately put it right within the area that the Russians "separatist rebel forces" wanted to use to ...
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55
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Has there ever been an instance of an active nuclear power plant within or near a war zone?
The Ten-Day War, in 1990, was Slovenia's war of independence from Yugoslavia. During this war, at least a few battles took places within 10-20 km of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant, which had been ...
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54
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Was the Wehrmacht a mechanized army?
You are correct. Parts of the Wehrmacht were mechanized, but the vast majority was foot infantry with horse drawn logistics. Most soldiers walked towards Moscow, and back.
World War II German Military ...
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52
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 ...
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49
votes
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How was Rome able to conscript and equip 400k soldiers during 2nd Punic War in a pre-industrial society?
MCW already mentioned Bret Deveraux; I will be drawing on his blog for the answer to your central question: how did Rome put so many men under arms? Regardless of the precise math, Deveraux agrees ...
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47
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Were there often intra-USSR wars? If not, why not?
Yes, there were insurgencies, wars and inter-ethnic conflicts. Not often.
First of all, the Yakut revolt which was part of the Russian civil war, lasted till June 16, 1923. The USSR was established on ...
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47
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Did the Finns have aluminum screw caps in 1939?
Or is this photo from a modern re-enactment of some sort? The archive this is from is supposed to be photos from that war. Are there other things in this photo (button? carabiner?) that mark it as ...
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46
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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,...
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46
votes
Why can I visit battlefields, but not battleships?
In the UK, the wreckage of military aircraft and designated military vessels is protected under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. Only 12 vessels are currently designated as controlled ...
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42
votes
Was it a war crime to shoot at paratrooper whilst they dropped?
"Hors de combat" means no longer capable of combat duties, a non-combatant. It includes the wounded, the sick, the surrendered.
Aircrew abandoning their aircraft are assumed to no longer be ...
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40
votes
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What pretext did Hitler use to justify Operation Barbarossa?
Radio broadcast to the German people
Hitler gave his reasons to the German people via a radio broadcast on the morning of June 22nd, 1941.
At 0500 GMT, an hour after the invasion began, the Nazi ...
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40
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"Never fight a land war in Asia." Okay, has anyone won a NON-land war in Asia?
Logically, in every war ever fought in Asia, there must have been a winner. If not overly pacifist in its reading, or expecting all too many stalemates.
This dictum is a jokingly formulated advice, ...
- 81.3k
39
votes
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Has any medieval army ever fought 3 or more distinct battles on the same day?
Battle of Mohi might be what you are looking for. It's not a perfect fit but that's the closest I could find.
It was fought on 11th April 1241 between Kingdom of Hungary and Golden Horde. The Battle ...
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39
votes
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Why did the Allies Invade French North Africa?
There were a number of factors that led to the Allied invasions in North Africa in November 1942. Most of these factors were military, but the political element also cannot be ignored. 1942 was an ...
- 77.7k
38
votes
How has hearing loss been avoided in war?
In Germany Maximilian Negwer founded the company "Fabrik pharmazeutischer und kosmetischer Spezialitäten Max Negwer" in 1907. The first package of Ohropax noise protectors was sold in autumn 1908 for ...
- 81.3k
35
votes
Do historians agree that most wars are caused by religion?
In addition to the good answers given already, I'd like to point out that wars are typically not mono-causal. Very often, several reasons as well as causes (i.e. sparks that light the fire) come ...
- 611
34
votes
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How true is this observation concerning battle?
As Mark C. Wallace noted in his comment, this is from the Spartan poet Tyrtaeus whose verse became an integral part of the Spartan military ethos and propaganda. His exhortations to fight bravely were ...
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