Ancient warfare is war as conducted from the beginnings of history to the end of the ancient period. In Europe, the end of antiquity is often equated with the fall of Rome in 476. In China, it can also be seen as ending in the fifth century, with the growing role of mounted warriors needed to counter the ever-growing threat from the north. Ancient warfare - Overview. The difference between prehistoric and ancient warfare is less one of technology than of organization. The development of first city-states, a ...

Including:

• Ancient warfare - Overview
• Ancient warfare - Chariots
• Ancient warfare - Infantry
• Ancient warfare - Cavalry
• Ancient warfare - Naval warfare
• Ancient warfare - Tactics and weapons
• Ancient warfare - Strategy
• Ancient warfare - Tactics
• Ancient warfare - Weapons
• Ancient warfare - Sieges
• Ancient warfare - Cultures
• Ancient warfare - Chinese
• Ancient warfare - Persian
• Ancient warfare - Egyptian
• Ancient warfare - Germanic
• Ancient warfare - Greek
• Ancient warfare - Indus Valley
• Ancient warfare - Japanese
• Ancient warfare - Roman
• Ancient warfare - Important ancient wars
• Ancient warfare - Important ancient battles
• Ancient warfare - Unit types
• Ancient warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Ancient warfare: Encyclopedia - Ancient warfare

See also:

Ancient warfare, Ancient warfare - Overview, Ancient warfare - Chariots, Ancient warfare - Infantry, Ancient warfare - Cavalry, Ancient warfare - Naval warfare, Ancient warfare - Tactics and weapons, Ancient warfare - Strategy, Ancient warfare - Tactics, Ancient warfare - Weapons, Ancient warfare - Sieges, Ancient warfare - Cultures, Ancient warfare - Chinese, Ancient warfare - Persian, Ancient warfare - Egyptian, Ancient warfare - Germanic, Ancient warfare - Greek, Ancient warfare - Indus Valley, Ancient warfare - Japanese, Ancient warfare - Roman, Ancient warfare - Important ancient wars, Ancient warfare - Important ancient battles, Ancient warfare - Unit types, Ancient warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Ancient warfare: Encyclopedia II - Ancient warfare - Cultures

The difference between prehistoric and ancient warfare is less one of technology than of organization. The development of first city-states, and then empires, allowed warfare to change dramatically. Beginning in Mesopotamia, states produced sufficient agricultural surplus that full-time ruling elites and military commanders could emerge. While the bulk of military forces were still farmers, the society could support having them campaigning rather than working the land for a portion of each year. Thus, or ...

See also:

Ancient warfare, Ancient warfare - Overview, Ancient warfare - Chariots, Ancient warfare - Infantry, Ancient warfare - Cavalry, Ancient warfare - Naval warfare, Ancient warfare - Tactics and weapons, Ancient warfare - Strategy, Ancient warfare - Tactics, Ancient warfare - Weapons, Ancient warfare - Sieges, Ancient warfare - Cultures, Ancient warfare - Chinese, Ancient warfare - Persian, Ancient warfare - Egyptian, Ancient warfare - Germanic, Ancient warfare - Greek, Ancient warfare - Indus Valley, Ancient warfare - Japanese, Ancient warfare - Roman, Ancient warfare - Important ancient wars, Ancient warfare - Important ancient battles, Ancient warfare - Unit types, Ancient warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Ancient warfare: Encyclopedia II - Ancient warfare - Overview

Ancient history is the study of significant cultural and political events from the beginning of human history until the Early Middle Ages. Although the ending date is largely arbitrary, most Western scholars use the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476 as the traditional end of ancient history. Another term that is often used to refer to ancient history is antiquity, although this term is most often used to refer specifically to ...

Including:

• Ancient history - The study of ancient history
• Ancient history - Archaeology
• Ancient history - Primary sources
• Ancient history - Chronology
• Ancient history - Prehistory
• Ancient history - Important events
• Ancient history - End of ancient history in Europe
• Ancient history - Some prominent civilizations of ancient history
• Ancient history - Europe and the Mediterranean
• Ancient history - East Asia
• Ancient history - Central and Southwest Asia
• Ancient history - Saharan and Sub-Saharan Africa
• Ancient history - The Americas
• Ancient history - References and further reading

Read more here: » Ancient history: Encyclopedia - Ancient history

Armoured warfare in modern warfare is understood to be the use of armoured fighting vehicles as a central component of the methods of war. Armoured warfare - First World War. Modern armoured warfare began with the development of the tank during the First World War. Following the First World War, the technical and doctrinal aspects of armoured warfare became more sophisticated and diverged into multiple schools. Ancient warfare, Modern warfare, Hist ...

Including:

• Armoured warfare - First World War
• Armoured warfare - The inter-war period
• Armoured warfare - Second World War
• Armoured warfare - Arab-Israeli wars
• Armoured warfare - NATO and Warsaw Pact
• Armoured warfare - Tank tactics
• Armoured warfare - Airborne threats
• Armoured warfare - Support

Read more here: » Armoured warfare: Encyclopedia - Armoured warfare

War is a state of widespread conflict between states, organisations, or relatively large groups of people, which is characterised by the use of lethal violence between combatants or upon civilians. Other terms for war, which often serve as euphemisms, include armed conflict, hostilities, and police action (note). War is contrasted with peace, which is usually defined as the absence of war. A common perception of war is a series of military campaigns between at least two opposing sides involving a dispute ov ...

Including:

• War - History of war
• War - Morality of war
• War - Limitations on war
• War - Redefining war for legal reasons
• War - Causes of war
• War - Historical theories
• War - Psychological theories
• War - Anthropological theories
• War - Sociological theories
• War - Malthusian theories
• War - Information theories
• War - Economic theories
• War - Marxist theories
• War - Types of war and warfare
• War - Geographic warfare

Read more here: » War: Encyclopedia - War

Close combat is the USMC term for combat within close range. It may include lethal and nonlethal methods across a "spectrum of violence" or within a "continuum of force" as established by rules of engagement. Unarmed close combat is sometimes called combatives. Close combat with weapons may be called close quarter battle at the squad level. Current US Army terminology is to use MOUT for higher-level strategic and tactical considerations of urban warfare or OOTW for "operations other ...

Including:

• Close combat - References and Related Articles

Read more here: » Close combat: Encyclopedia - Close combat

Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. Battles are most often fought during wars or military campaigns and can usually be well defined in time, space and action. Wars and campaigns are guided by strategy whereas battles are the stage on which tactics are employed. German strategist Carl von Clausewitz stated that "the employment of battles to gain the end of war" was the essence of strategy. Battle - Characteristics of battle< ...

Including:

• Battle - Characteristics of battle
• Battle - The factors of battles
• Battle - Types of battle
• Battle - The differences among land battles throughout history
• Battle - The difference of naval battles throughout history
• Battle - Aerial battles throughout history
• Battle - Battle naming
• Battle - The effects of a battle

Read more here: » Battle: Encyclopedia - Battle

Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman, a person versed in fencing with a sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to European Medieval warfare. Swordsman translates gladiator, the term for the professional fencers of Ancient Rome. Several modern sports and martial arts have components based upon older principles of swordfighting. Among these are fencing, kendo, iaido, ken ...

Including:

• Swordsmanship - Styles of swordfighting
• Swordsmanship - Sword and shield
• Swordsmanship - Two-handed sword
• Swordsmanship - Chronology
• Swordsmanship - Middle Ages
• Swordsmanship - Renaissance
• Swordsmanship - Modern fencing

Read more here: » Swordsmanship: Encyclopedia - Swordsmanship

Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of fortifications dug into the ground, facing each other. Trench warfare arose when there was a revolution in firepower without similar advances in mobility and communications. Periods of trench warfare occurred during the American Civil War (1861-5) and the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05, and reached peak brutality and bloodshed on the Western Front in the First World War. Trench warfare - Background. Fortification is almost a ...

Including:

• Trench warfare - Background
• Trench warfare - Siege warfare
• Trench warfare - Maori Pas
• Trench warfare - Development
• Trench warfare - Implementation
• Trench warfare - Defensive system
• Trench warfare - Trench construction
• Trench warfare - Trench geography
• Trench warfare - Life in the trenches
• Trench warfare - Death in the trenches
• Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare
• Trench warfare - Infantry weapons
• Trench warfare - Machine guns
• Trench warfare - Mortars
• Trench warfare - Artillery
• Trench warfare - Gas
• Trench warfare - Helmets
• Trench warfare - Wire
• Trench warfare - Aircraft
• Trench warfare - Other Weapons
• Trench warfare - Mining
• Trench warfare - Trench battles
• Trench warfare - Strategy
• Trench warfare - Tactics
• Trench warfare - Communications
• Trench warfare - Obsolescence
• Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare
• Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia - Trench warfare

A counterattack is a military tactic used by defending forces when under attack by an enemy force. During their assault, the attackers may have become vulnerable through exhaustion or complacency. At the right moment, the defenders aggressively charge out of their fortifications, meeting and stunning their attackers directly, and gain the initiative. This can break a siege or change the tide of a battle. However, if the wrong moment is chosen, or a counterattack is poorly executed, a military disaster could result for the defending side, since the defend ...

Including:

• Counterattack - Historical examples
• Counterattack - Value of the counterattack

Read more here: » Counterattack: Encyclopedia - Counterattack

Chemical warfare is warfare (and associated military operations) using the toxic properties of chemical substances to kill, injure or incapacitate an enemy. Chemical warfare is different from the use of conventional weapons or nuclear weapons because the destructive effects of chemical weapons are not primarily due to any explosive force. The offensive use of living organisms (such as anthrax) is considered to be biological warfare rather than chemical warfare; the use of nonliving toxic products produced by living organisms (e ...

Including:

• Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare technology
• Chemical warfare - Chemical weapon agents
• Chemical warfare - Chemical agent delivery
• Chemical warfare - Sociopolitical climate of chemical warfare
• Chemical warfare - Efforts to eradicate chemical weapons
• Chemical warfare - Chemical weapon proliferation
• Chemical warfare - History
• Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare in ancient and classical times
• Chemical warfare - The rediscovery of chemical warfare
• Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare in World War I
• Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare in the interwar years
• Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare in World War II
• Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare during the Cold War
• Chemical warfare - Chemical weapons and terrorism

Read more here: » Chemical warfare: Encyclopedia - Chemical warfare

For the Boston area punk band see Siege (band). For the James Mason book see Siege (book) A siege is a prolonged military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that refuses to surrender and cannot be easily taken by a frontal assault. Sieges usually involve surrounding the target and blocking the provision of supplies, typically coupled with siege engines, artillery bombardment or sapping (als ...

Including:

• Siege - Ancient and medieval siege warfare
• Siege - Mongol siege warfare
• Siege - Sieges in the age of gunpowder
• Siege - Emerging theories on improving fortifications
• Siege - New styles of fortresses employed
• Siege - Marshal Vauban
• Siege - Advent of mobile warfare
• Siege - Modern warfare
• Siege - Recent sieges
• Siege - Police actions
• Siege - Bibliography
• Siege - Notes

Read more here: » Siege: Encyclopedia - Siege

Military animals are creatures that have been employed by humankind for use in warfare. They are a specific application of working animals. Generally these animals are domesticated creatures, such as the dog or horse; more exotic animals such as the elephant, pig, and even the spider have also seen use during wartime. Animals have even been awarded medals for their courage in battle. Military animal - Transport and hauling. The horse has been the most widely-used animal throughout the recorded histor ...

Including:

• Military animal - Transport and hauling
• Military animal - Other
• Military animal - Pigeons & War
• Military animal - Other specialized functions
• Military animal - Additional reading

Read more here: » Military animal: Encyclopedia - Military animal

The Western Front line for most of World War I extended relatively statically from the English Channel to the Swiss frontier, most of Belgium, all of Luxembourg, and a few important industrial regions of France remained under German control. In addition to the massive casualties and virtually stagnant front lines, the western front saw the introduction of new military technology, including poison gas and tank warfare. Although few territorial gains were made throughout much of the conflict, this front would prove decisive. The ...

Including:

• Western Front World War I - 1914 - German invasion of France and Belgium
• Western Front World War I - 1915 - Stalemate
• Western Front World War I - 1916 - Artillery duels and attrition
• Western Front World War I - 1917 - Commonwealth takes the lead
• Western Front World War I - 1918 - Final offensives
• Western Front World War I - Consequences
• Western Front World War I - Dramatizations
• Western Front World War I - Notes

Read more here: » Western Front World War I: Encyclopedia - Western Front World War I

The Caucasus Campaign was fought from 1914 until 1918 in the Caucasus during World War I between the Russian Empire a member of the Allied Powers and the Ottoman Empire a member of the Central Powers. The Russians had best of it in the Caucasus but the Russian Revolution forced them to halt their military operations. The collapse of the Russian government and the start of the Civil War in 1918 allowed the Turks to recapture all the territory they had lost and more. Caucasus Campaign - The First Year. The ch ...

Including:

• Caucasus Campaign - The First Year
• Caucasus Campaign - 1916
• Caucasus Campaign - 1918
• Caucasus Campaign - Battles of the Caucasus Campaign
• Caucasus Campaign - Sources

Read more here: » Caucasus Campaign: Encyclopedia - Caucasus Campaign

Black powder is a type of gunpowder invented in the 9th century and was practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. It has been superseded by more efficient explosives such as smokeless powders and TNT. It is still manufactured today but primarily for use in fireworks, model rocket engines, and reproductions of muzzleloading weapons. Black powder - Description. Black powder consists of the granular ingredients sulphur (S), charcoal (provides carbon to the reacti ...

Including:

• Black powder - Description
• Black powder - History
• Black powder - Reference

Read more here: » Black powder: Encyclopedia - Black powder

The Art of War (Chinese: 孫子兵法; Hanyu Pinyin: Sūn Zĭ Bīng Fǎ; literally "Sun Tzu's Military Strategy") is a Chinese military treatise written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. Composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare, it has long been praised as the definitive work on military strategies and tactics. It is one of the most famous studies of strategy and has had a huge influence ...

Including:

• The Art of War - The 13 chapters
• The Art of War - Quotations
• The Art of War - Military applications
• The Art of War - Applicability outside the military
• The Art of War - Depiction in media
• The Art of War - Film
• The Art of War - Television
• The Art of War - Games
• The Art of War - Translations
• The Art of War - Related topics

Read more here: » The Art of War: Encyclopedia - The Art of War

While the study of chemicals and their military uses was widespread in China, the use of toxic materials has historically been viewed with mixed emotions and some disdain in the West. One of the earliest reactions to the use of chemical agents was from Rome. Struggling to defend themselves from the Roman legions, Germanic tribes poisoned the wells of their enemies, with Roman jurists having been recorded as declaring "armis b ...

See also:

Chemical warfare, Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare technology, Chemical warfare - Chemical weapon agents, Chemical warfare - Chemical agent delivery, Chemical warfare - Sociopolitical climate of chemical warfare, Chemical warfare - Efforts to eradicate chemical weapons, Chemical warfare - Chemical weapon proliferation, Chemical warfare - History, Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare in ancient and classical times, Chemical warfare - The rediscovery of chemical warfare, Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare in World War I, Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare in the interwar years, Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare in World War II, Chemical warfare - Chemical warfare during the Cold War, Chemical warfare - Chemical weapons and terrorism

Read more here: » Chemical warfare: Encyclopedia II - Chemical warfare - Sociopolitical climate of chemical warfare

The German Schlieffen plan was to deal with the Franco-Russian alliance involved delivering a knock-out blow to the French and then turning to deal with the more slowly mobilised Russian army. At the start of the First World War, Germany attacked France through Belgium to avoid French defenses on the French-German border. They were beat back at the First Battle of the Marne. Years of stalemated trench warfare followed on the Western Front. In the East, however, the war was very different. The Russian initial plans for war had called f ...

See also:

Military history of Germany, Military history of Germany - Ancient times, Military history of Germany - The Holy Roman Empire 843-1806, Military history of Germany - The Napoleonic Wars 1805-1815, Military history of Germany - The making of a united Germany 1815-1871, Military history of Germany - German Empire 1871-1914, Military history of Germany - The First World War 1914-1918, Military history of Germany - The Interwar Period 1918-1939, Military history of Germany - The Second World War 1939-1945, Military history of Germany - The Cold War 1945-1989, Military history of Germany - Military today

Read more here: » Military history of Germany: Encyclopedia II - Military history of Germany - The First World War 1914-1918