Unique Military Weapons

[Amnorix]

The dominance of the English longbow is generally known. Far less known is the bow that allowed the Mongols to become the greatest conquerors in history. The Mongolian recurved bow allowed for phenomenal power and accuracy while shooting from horseback. The concept of "Mongol hordes", sweeping across Europe by sheer weight of numbers, is a gigantic fallacy. In fact, it was Mongolian speed/maneuverability plus the recurved bow, that led to the largest empire in human history.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

The dominance of the English longbow is generally known. Far less known is the bow that allowed the Mongols to become the greatest conquerors in history. The Mongolian recurved bow allowed for phenomenal power and accuracy while shooting from horseback. The concept of "Mongol hordes", sweeping across Europe by sheer weight of numbers, is a gigantic fallacy. In fact, it was Mongolian speed/maneuverability plus the recurved bow, that led to the largest empire in human history.

They fired their bows differently too.

[Easy 6]

I'm a big fan of the A-10 myself, Mikey... had the privelege of watching them do live fire training a number of times. One of the training areas we frequently used was in the mountains overlooking their firing range in the valley below, they are ungainly looking and LOUD. How the Air Force thinks the F-35 will EVER be able to do CAS as well as those things is extremely hard to fathom

Those Polish Hussars outfits are really quite something, Gloucester... I'm guessing they just liked the grand look of them, with the wind whistling through the feathers being a pleasing byproduct

Recurved bow, definitely ahead of its time, the conquered people and their standard bows didnt have a chance, they were outranged every single time

The A-2 Avenger is just WOW, never heard of it, what a beauty. I have some interesting ideas about how the delta/flying wing shape came to be so popular

Thanks for all of the posts, gents

[Easy 6]

"Spray can" sized anti-ballistic deployable barriers by DARPA

[MIAdragon]

Originally Posted by Easy 6

"Spray can" sized anti-ballistic deployable barriers by DARPA

DARPA hq is something else, worked on several projects there.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

They fired their bows differently too.

That guy is full of shit. And his athleticism is comical...

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by Fish

That guy is full of shit. And his athleticism is comical...

Fast as **** with that bow though.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

Fast as **** with that bow though.

He can get some shots off, I'll give him plenty of credit for that...

[Aries Walker]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

They fired their bows differently too.

Yeah, don't count on Lars Anderson for a lot of historical accuracy. He's a stunt archer - a good one - but his 'theories' are not rooted in any kind of reliable history.

[Easy 6]

Very interesting read about the fire balloon deaths, Aries

[Aries Walker]

Originally Posted by Easy 6

Very interesting read about the fire balloon deaths, Aries

Thanks. I really need to get back to writing more articles.

[GloucesterChief]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

The dominance of the English longbow is generally known. Far less known is the bow that allowed the Mongols to become the greatest conquerors in history. The Mongolian recurved bow allowed for phenomenal power and accuracy while shooting from horseback. The concept of "Mongol hordes", sweeping across Europe by sheer weight of numbers, is a gigantic fallacy. In fact, it was Mongolian speed/maneuverability plus the recurved bow, that led to the largest empire in human history.

Most people don't understand exactly what a longobws purpose was. It wasn't to kill knights, though if it penetrated a gap or weak point in the armor it certainly could. It was meant to kill horses thus unmounting the knight at least if not trapping, crippling, or killing them outright.

Once the opposing armies charge was swarmed under a rain of arrows as the longbow had both range and rate of fire, the real killing would be done by the English knights who usually fought dismounted, billmen with their bill hooks with could easily penetrate armor, or the yeoman bowman themselves using long daggers to stab through gaps and weak points in the armor.

Longbowmen also didn't draw and fire from quiver. They stuck the arrows point first into the ground and took them from there. It was faster to draw and shoot that way.

English Bill hook:

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

Armor of the Polish Winged Hussars. As the rest of Europe was going for less armor on cavalry due to the emergence of guns in armies, the Poles continued to field cavalry clad in heavy armor. The wings were actually worn into battle and there are many theories as to why.



First is that the Tartars and Cossacks of the Ukraine and Crimea used lassos in battle to lasso and pull down cavalry and the wings prevented that. Another is that the ostrich feathers in the wings made a whistling sound at full gallop which unnerved horses not used to it. A final theory is that is was simply for flamboyance and to strike fear into the opposing army as the Winged Hussars were the premier cavalry in their age.

Originally Posted by Amnorix

The dominance of the English longbow is generally known. Far less known is the bow that allowed the Mongols to become the greatest conquerors in history. The Mongolian recurved bow allowed for phenomenal power and accuracy while shooting from horseback. The concept of "Mongol hordes", sweeping across Europe by sheer weight of numbers, is a gigantic fallacy. In fact, it was Mongolian speed/maneuverability plus the recurved bow, that led to the largest empire in human history.

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

Most people don't understand exactly what a longobws purpose was. It wasn't to kill knights, though if it penetrated a gap or weak point in the armor it certainly could. It was meant to kill horses thus unmounting the knight at least if not trapping, crippling, or killing them outright.

Once the opposing armies charge was swarmed under a rain of arrows as the longbow had both range and rate of fire, the real killing would be done by the English knights who usually fought dismounted, billmen with their bill hooks with could easily penetrate armor, or the yeoman bowman themselves using long daggers to stab through gaps and weak points in the armor.

Longbowmen also didn't draw and fire from quiver. They stuck the arrows point first into the ground and took them from there. It was faster to draw and shoot that way.

English Bill hook:

This stuff is cool to me.

[Aries Walker]

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

Most people don't understand exactly what a longobws purpose was. It wasn't to kill knights, though if it penetrated a gap or weak point in the armor it certainly could. It was meant to kill horses thus unmounting the knight at least if not trapping, crippling, or killing them outright.

Once the opposing armies charge was swarmed under a rain of arrows as the longbow had both range and rate of fire, the real killing would be done by the English knights who usually fought dismounted, billmen with their bill hooks with could easily penetrate armor, or the yeoman bowman themselves using long daggers to stab through gaps and weak points in the armor.

Longbows certainly took out horses, but I wouldn't say that was their intention; they existed long before cavalry was even used to great effect, and the Welsh and English used them to great effect against both cavalry and infantry. They rose to prominence because they were easy to make and allowed a ridiculous range and rate of fire. What's more, its power and the development of the bodkin arrowhead made it absolutely devastating against all but the heaviest armor - one case had a long bow arrow penetrate mail armor, the wearer's leg, the other side of the mail armor, the leather saddle, the wooden saddle frame, and well into the horse. This was from several hundred yards away.

Of course, super-wealthy knights clad in the heaviest plate could sustain many shots (imagine wearing a trash can and getting hit with a ball-peen hammer; it'll hurt, but you'll live), so yeah, it worked out nicely that it killed the horses. Agincourt, with its huge slop of mud that the French knights were nice enough to thunder right into, was particularly ripe for this. A lot of the French nobles were quite surprised to find out that the usual expectations of mercy and a quick ransom were not being followed by the English any more.