50 WEAPONS 50 WEAPONS THAT CHANGED THAT CHANGED WARFARE WARFARE ppt

[...]... such missiles And in the 7th century, the Eastern Romans came up with the ultimate weapon in galley warfare: Greek fire That s worth a separate chapter (see Chapter 8) 25 This page intentionally left blank 5 To Foil All Weapons: Body Armor Frankish warrior of the 10th century 27 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare A ccording to George Cameron Stone in his classic A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration... began to disappear Leg 29 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare armor was replaced by heavy “jack boots,” thick leather boots that covered the thighs, and by the 17th century much of the upper body armor was replaced by a “buff coat,” a coat of heavy buffalo leather that was worn under a steel corselet Sometimes it was worn instead of the corselet All of the preceding refers to armor that was worn like clothing... 33 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare Egyptian weaponry was nowhere near as advanced as that of the people of Mesopotamia, where warfare was almost constant The deserts had protected the Egyptians from all but occasional clashes with the Nubians, the black inhabitants of the much-less-populous kingdom on the Upper Nile And if the Egyptians’ military equipment and organization was primitive compared to that. . .50 Weapons That Changed Warfare T he first warriors probably used whatever weapons they could find on the ground Sticks, stones, and bones have all been used to smash, pierce, or otherwise do in an enemy Most likely it wasn’t long before people began improving what they found One of the earliest, and certainly the deadliest of these first purpose-made weapons, was the spear The... of it Guns were cast there, warships were built there, galleys were docked there, and all kinds of weapons were stored there Venice was one of the two great powers of the eastern Mediterranean But the explosion, it seemed, had instantly rendered the republic helpless 21 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare That blast was a disaster for Venice, but for the other great power of the eastern Mediterranean, it... important part in naval warfare, but it had had a long and honorable career 23 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare As did the spear and the bow, the origins of the galley are lost in the mists of prehistory The first boats were probably dugout canoes, propelled by paddles They were followed by lighter boats with a covering of leather or bark stretched over a framework of wood Someone discovered that rowing provided... narrow pointed blades) that were useful mostly for stabbing, because the blade was not securely joined to the hit These early Bronze Age rapiers have been found everywhere from Crete to Ireland That type was followed by a broader bladed weapon that had a tang that ran all the way through the hilt The iron swords that followed them retained this cut-and-thrust style Swords were important weapons for the nobles... close in and chop them up Those were infantry weapons When horsemen carried a thrusting spear, it was called a lance Alexander the Great relied on his lance-armed heavy cavalry to deliver the knock-out blow after his phalanx succeeded in holding enemy forces in place The lance was the principal weapon of European cavalry from 11 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare the Dark Ages through the 16th century... ship Missile weapons have always been important in naval warfare The descendants of the Northmen, the Normans, didn’t lose their taste for archery during the time they stayed in France Archery played a big part in Duke William’s victory at Hastings over Harold Godwinsson King Harold was even struck down by an arrow A 15 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare longbow was difficult to shoot from horseback, so... of War: The Sword A variety of swords From top: Turkish yataghan, Philippine Moro kris, French naval cutlass, Japanese naval officer’s sword, Indian Tulwar, U.S Model 1913 cavalry sword 17 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare “M asters of the sword are called strategists As for the other military arts, those who master the bow are called archers, those who master the spear are called spearmen, those who . 50 WEAPONS THAT CHANGED WARFARE By William Weir Author of 50 Battles That Changed the World N EW PAGE BOOKS A division of The Career Press, Inc. Franklin Lakes, NJ 50 WEAPONS THAT CHANGED WARFARE Copyright. their tactics. That s why the American Civil War is the bloodiest war in our history. Most of the weapons that change warfare eventually become obsolete. The weapons that replace them may further change warfare, . quickly countered by other new weapons such as antitank land mines and shaped-charge rockets and artillery shells. 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare 8 One war-changing weapon that did not become obsolete