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2013-07-29, 02:22 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
Re: Random Worldbuilding Questions (Biology, Geography, Society, etc.)
I would argue that those changes were due to strategic considerations, and not tactical responses to "new" technology. By late 1863 the Confederacy was losing - it lacked the resources (and to some extent morale) to sustain the casualties that large open battles entailed. Increasingly, they became more defense oriented; trenches and breastworks help mitigate losses. The Union also had it's problems, although not to the same extent -- fortifications have traditionally always been an effective force multiplier, and when throwing men at them didn't work the Union also had to get creative, or just wait it out.
This was not a response to the new technology, it's actually a fairly well established theme. How did the American Revolution end? Cornwallis's army was holed up in trenches on the Virginia coast. The Peninsular War during the Napoleonic Wars, involved a lot of sieges too. When one side is tired and losing, they dig trenches and try to hold onto what they have. Possibly, they regroup, reorganize, and can take to the field again (which happened in the Peninsular War). However, if they're supply lines are cut, or not sufficient, they may not ever be able to take to the field again (like Cornwallis at Yorktown). A sharp aggressive campaign like the Franco-Austrian War might avoid this situation, but it was a very short war.
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2013-07-29, 03:09 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2012
Re: Random Worldbuilding Questions (Biology, Geography, Society, etc.)
Thanks for the elaboration. I certainly hold no claim to be an expert on the American Civil War. And I understand your position better now. As you probably know, I merely repeated the standard thing to say. It’s very commonly stressed that technology had run ahead of the methods. As I’ve written a little above, I agree there wasn’t much of anything that the commanders could have done to dislodge massed infantry than to send massed infantry at them. We also shouldn’t forget that the major killer in armies was disease, so the extra casualties from a swift resolution should be balanced against that.
I was merely curious to what extent you disagreed, and about the reasons. Thanks again.My D&D 5th ed. Druid Handbook
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2013-07-29, 05:28 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2010
- Location
- Indonesia
- Gender
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2013-07-29, 07:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
Re: Random Worldbuilding Questions (Biology, Geography, Society, etc.)
No problem. I know that the new weapons/old tactics argument is often played up, so I didn't mean to sound accusatory. In general I think that technology tends to be overrated, not that it doesn't make a difference, but that the difference is often exaggerated. As I said above, differences in technology are easy to see -- what's difficult is to determine if that difference is meaningful, and to what extent. Sometimes it even runs the other way around: Side X lost the war, so side X's technology must have been inferior. Which can further obscure the real reasons for defeat/victory.
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2013-07-29, 07:13 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2010
- Location
- 127.0.0.1
- Gender
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2014-08-25, 04:56 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2013
Re: Random Worldbuilding Questions (Biology, Geography, Society, etc.)
I am working on a campaign that deals with large scale armies fighting each other for control of a continent.
Where can I learn about war related things like this?
Battle formations, psychological aspects, logistics of running a large army, training, war eddiquite, etc.
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2014-08-25, 09:36 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: Random Worldbuilding Questions (Biology, Geography, Society, etc.)
Depends how deeply you'd like to learn them, I suppose. I'd recommend the Battlefield series, which closely examines WW1, 2, and Vietnam: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlef...ies_Six_-_2002
The WW1 episodes are listed somewhere else, I think.
If you want deeper information on any of those aspects than that, then you'll need to look at sources that investigate each aspect more individually or to look at a lot of documentation about war and piece bits together. You can also try out the Got a Real Weapon or Armor Question? Thread on this board to ask questions you have (you can also ask them here, I guess).
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2014-08-28, 01:45 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2011
- Location
- California
- Gender
Re: Random Worldbuilding Questions (Biology, Geography, Society, etc.)
http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Life-Dur...ss+world+war+1
It's overpriced new, but the used price is pretty reasonable. I own it, and it's a very good book if you want an overview of defense heavy industrial warfare. It covers every single point you raised to come degree, but it focuses mainly on the experiences of the individual soldier and civilian, so you will find little in the way of grand strategy, biographies of major figures, or historical timelines.That said, I am an idiot, so I could be mistaken.
Avatars made for me:
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2014-08-28, 05:38 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2009
- Location
- Germany
Re: Random Worldbuilding Questions (Biology, Geography, Society, etc.)
We got a newer thread here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?296276
We are not standing on the shoulders of giants, but on very tall tower of other dwarves.
Spriggan's Den Heroic Fantasy Roleplaying