Got a Real-World Weapon, Armour or Tactics Question? Mk. XXIX

[DrewID]

Are there any good sources on being a shepherd in the pre-industrial era? As in, types of work that could be done alone, types that needed help, how big a herd one person with dogs could reasonably control, problems that could arise, and so on. It's a broad question I know, I'm just trying to fact check myself.

Any particular location or era is fine, but North Europe/Scandinavia for preference, I'm just trying to get an understanding of the kind of things that can be accomplished with one person and dogs without modern tools, assuming they're up on a mountain relatively alone with their flock, they can get seasonal labour as needed but day to day care and predator watch is done alone, with (a few) fences, paddocks and dogs. Is this a thing that happens or was it more likely to be groups rather than the unwanted younger son? Subsistence farming, all sheep products are consumed locally.

May be an impossible question, but y'all usually know a lot. I want my fantasy protagonist to actually get to do some farming before his life gets hijacked by mages.

Bret Devereaux's A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry had a series on historical textile production, and the first essay in the series covered the source fibers (flax, linen and wool) and gives more of a macro look at historical shepherding and wool production that you might find interesting. Not too much sadly on the lives of the shepherds themselves.

Anyone on this thread will in general probably find Bret's blog interesting. He is an assistant professor of history, and writes primarily on the intersection of historical studies and pop culture. From a four-part series on how textiles were produced in the pre-modern world, to an eight-part series on a military historian's look at The Battle of Helm's Deep (both the movie and book versions). It's fascinating stuff! I highly recommend giving it a look.

DrewID

[Kraynic]

As in, types of work that could be done alone, types that needed help, how big a herd one person with dogs could reasonably control, problems that could arise, and so on. It's a broad question I know, I'm just trying to fact check myself.

A couple things that may or may not be of use to you that haven't been brought up (or I didn't notice).

1. The dogs will be different based on environment and threats. There may even be different breeds in use at the same time. You can check out the Great Pyrenees (flock guard dog) and the Pyrenean Sheep Dog (flock herding dog) as an example of 2 breeds used at the same time in the same region for 2 different tasks.

2. A shepherd will most likely be running on much reduced sleep during lambing season. Not only is this is the time that predators will be have access to the most vulnerable prey, but a shepherd will also be checking on (at the very least) first year ewes every few hours through the night. This is something that is obviously made much easier with more people. If it is late winter or early spring, feel free to have grouchy shepherds...

[Brother Oni]

The Baltic crusades run by the Teutonic knights practised literal battlefield tourism. Nobles would come for a campaign season providing money and materiel and then go home again after their trip.

In true Germanic style, these crusading journeys or Reisen, even had an itinerary worthy of a package holiday - meet up in Marienberg or Konigsberg, from where the knights would organise your travel to Lithuania. From there, you had the options of outdoor feasts, hunting, jousting, killing some pagans, etc, before the knights arranged to get you back to your starting town when you were finished.

You even had had the choice of winter campaigns (faster travel as the ground was frozen, but winter in northern Europe is no joke) or summer campaigns (warmer, but you had to hope the sun dried out the marshes a bit).


Henry Bolingbroke (later Henry IV of England) liked crusading, with his first 1390 trip out to Baltics listing an entourage of 13 knights, 18 squires, 3 heralds, 10 miners, 6 minstrels, 60 servants and others.

On his second trip out in 1392, he combined crusading with some pilgrimage and sightseeing:

• Started out at Gdansk and go to Konigsberg and back
• Headed southwards to Frankfurt an der Oder
• Travel to Bohemia to see Prague and the great castle at Karlstejn
• Onwards to Vienna followed by Klagenfurt
• Crossed the Alps (apparently not too difficult)
• Aim for Venice, spending a few days on the Lido as well as in the city itself.
• From Venice, take a ship to the Holy Land and make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
• Head back to Italy, making stops at Cyprus, Rhodes and the Greek mainland.

This trip took Henry a whole year to complete and among the souvenirs he brought back were a leopard and a parrot.

[Clistenes]

In true Germanic style, these crusading journeys or Reisen, even had an itinerary worthy of a package holiday - meet up in Marienberg or Konigsberg, from where the knights would organise your travel to Lithuania. From there, you had the options of outdoor feasts, hunting, jousting, killing some pagans, etc, before the knights arranged to get you back to your starting town when you were finished.

You even had had the choice of winter campaigns (faster travel as the ground was frozen, but winter in northern Europe is no joke) or summer campaigns (warmer, but you had to hope the sun dried out the marshes a bit).


Henry Bolingbroke (later Henry IV of England) liked crusading, with his first 1390 trip out to Baltics listing an entourage of 13 knights, 18 squires, 3 heralds, 10 miners, 6 minstrels, 60 servants and others.

On his second trip out in 1392, he combined crusading with some pilgrimage and sightseeing:

• Started out at Gdansk and go to Konigsberg and back
• Headed southwards to Frankfurt an der Oder
• Travel to Bohemia to see Prague and the great castle at Karlstejn
• Onwards to Vienna followed by Klagenfurt
• Crossed the Alps (apparently not too difficult)
• Aim for Venice, spending a few days on the Lido as well as in the city itself.
• From Venice, take a ship to the Holy Land and make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
• Head back to Italy, making stops at Cyprus, Rhodes and the Greek mainland.

This trip took Henry a whole year to complete and among the souvenirs he brought back were a leopard and a parrot.

King Alfonso VIII of Castile, king Pedro II of Aragon and king Sancho VII of Navarre had trouble with these kind of crusaders in 1212. These came to help against the Almohads, but they got bored during the trip and tended to kill, rape and loot a lot on the way, their logic apparently being "hey, these guys dress and speak funny! how was I supposed to know they were on our side?"

Besides the fact that many of these people were Christian subjects of the kingdom of Castile, king Alfonso was actually trying to have Muslim castles, towns and villages to surrender without a fight by offering them good terms, but the foreign crusaders kept ruining it by going in a rape-loot-murder-arson spree every time. Worse than that, king Alfonso was secretly negotiating with the local Andalusian nobility for them to desert the Almohads, and having Muslim settlements ravaged didn't help at all... in the end, they sent all the foreign crusaders back home and fought the war with Iberian troops alone.

[Max_Killjoy]

Bret Devereaux's A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry had a series on historical textile production, and the first essay in the series covered the source fibers (flax, linen and wool) and gives more of a macro look at historical shepherding and wool production that you might find interesting. Not too much sadly on the lives of the shepherds themselves.

Anyone on this thread will in general probably find Bret's blog interesting. He is an assistant professor of history, and writes primarily on the intersection of historical studies and pop culture. From a four-part series on how textiles were produced in the pre-modern world, to an eight-part series on a military historian's look at The Battle of Helm's Deep (both the movie and book versions). It's fascinating stuff! I highly recommend giving it a look.

DrewID

I'd highly recommend both the takedown of the myth of Sparta, and his "Fremen Mirage" series.

[Sapphire Guard]

I just want to commend you all on not only having a detailed replies but somehow having to hand a contemporary manual to to do with my completely random specific question. This thread's incredible, thank you all.

[Milodiah]

I just want to commend you all on not only having a detailed replies but somehow having to hand a contemporary manual to to do with my completely random specific question. This thread's incredible, thank you all.

This forum's rather a confluence of unusual hobbies, and by virtue of this being such a visible thread a lot of people with said interests wander in here.

I do feel validated sometimes, seeing how many other people are Fountains of Random Facts like myself.

[Martin Greywolf]

I just want to commend you all on not only having a detailed replies but somehow having to hand a contemporary manual to to do with my completely random specific question. This thread's incredible, thank you all.

This is, quite possibly, the nicest way someone called me a weird little gremlin.

[Brother Oni]

Here's something that some people might find interesting: shinai vs epee sparring.

Scoring has been adjusted (limited lateral movement as they're fighting on the piste, kendoka isn't allowed to strike the torso or thrust for the throat), but some interesting exchanges between the fighters.

[Vinyadan]

Is using a scope on a rifle while wearing night vision goggles possible? Or would you need to take the goggles off and use a night vision rifle scope?

[Kriegspiel]

Is using a scope on a rifle while wearing night vision goggles possible? Or would you need to take the goggles off and use a night vision rifle scope?

Sorry for not answering sooner, but this thread was locked when I first saw your question.

When you say scope, do you mean a magnified optic or a non-magnified reflex sight (ie a 'red dot' sight)?

If the former then it is effectively no using currently available NVDs.

If it is the later, then it is more 'it depends'.

Red dot sights are useable with monocular NVDs like the PVS-14. The NVD is over your non-dominant eye which allows you to achieve a typical cheek weld/sight picture with your dominant eye. Keeping both eyes open will combine the images from both eyes and you'll see the red dot super-imposed normally.

If you are wearing a binocular style NVD it is much more difficult as you cannot easily maintain a normal sight picture behind the optic. It is technically possible if you mount the weapon optic far forward on a rail but even then it's a hassle. An IR laser is the primary method of sighting in a low light situation.

[Vinyadan]

Hi, thanks for the answer! I was mostly thinking about magnified optical scopes (like the PSO-1), but the information about reflex sights is also interesting.

Are there scope attachments to add NV to a magnified optic?

Also, how free to move are you while wearing NV? Can you run, or does the NVD jump around if you aren't careful? Does the added weight in the front feel bad on your neck after a while?

[Palanan]

I have a fairly broad-scale question for the history folks in these parts.

I’m looking for primary sources that give information on the linkages between land area, agricultural efficiency, population size, and how these help determine the sizes of armies in different historical periods.

I know that’s a tall order, and I’m aware of the difficulties involved with even the most basic estimates. There are any number of threads on Reddit and elsewhere that touch on this issue in one way or another—but unfortunately, those threads tend not to cite any published sources, which is what I’m really looking for.

This may be too broad a question for this thread, but I’m hoping that the folks who often contribute here may be familiar with the kind of sources I’m looking for, and may be able to point me in the right direction. I’ll appreciate any examples in any region or period, from ancient to early modern.

[Vinyadan]

I think the problem here would be a definition of agricultural efficiency. I think it wouldn't be too hard to look for the population of a well-studied city like Florence, the population of its countryside, and the size and composition of its armies in different battles across the centuries. However, Florence was a city of business (traders, bankers, and artisans), so that would need to factor in somehow, as foodstock could be imported from other polities (Venice for example imported massive amounts of food from the Turks during the famine of the early XVII century).

EDIT: about primary sources, the Book of Montaperti is a collection of unusually detailed records held by the Florentine state during the months of preparation before the battle of Montaperti (1260). The book detailed the name and origin of the various men in the army, as well as where the resources originated, and provisions by the autorities concerning the war. It was with the army when it was defeated, and taken as part of the spoils by Siena, which preserved it as a trophy. It's in Latin, and it's a LOT of info; when it was published, it was considered unique, as far as the Middle Ages are concerned. Now more than a century has passed, and maybe there are more documents like this available. https://archive.org/details/illibrod...ge/n5/mode/2up

[Gnoman]

That's kind of a "doctorate in history" level question, where the primary sources would be stuff mouldering in some Italian or French Archive that nobody's looked through in a century or two.

[Brother Oni]

I have a fairly broad-scale question for the history folks in these parts.

I’m looking for primary sources that give information on the linkages between land area, agricultural efficiency, population size, and how these help determine the sizes of armies in different historical periods.

I know that’s a tall order, and I’m aware of the difficulties involved with even the most basic estimates. There are any number of threads on Reddit and elsewhere that touch on this issue in one way or another—but unfortunately, those threads tend not to cite any published sources, which is what I’m really looking for.

This may be too broad a question for this thread, but I’m hoping that the folks who often contribute here may be familiar with the kind of sources I’m looking for, and may be able to point me in the right direction. I’ll appreciate any examples in any region or period, from ancient to early modern.

You might want to look at muster lists then look at the comparative wealth of the lords and what they brought.


The simplest measurement I know of is a knight's fee in Anglo-Saxon and Norman times, which is the smallest amount of land that is capable of supporting a single knight, his family and any folks tied to the land.

There's not a set acreage as it depends on the fertility of the land, mines, fish stocks, bee hives, etc, etc, but a knight's fee with a manor (ie a fortified home, which supported the knight, their family and their tenants) would be between 1000 - 5000 acres as around 45% of the land was still undeveloped (not arable or pasture/meadow) during the late 11th Century. Circa 1200, a knight's fee was approximately 20 pounds.

According to the Assize of Arms 1181, a single knight's fee got you 40 days a year of military service from:

• the knight himself, who must be equipped with mail hauberk, helmet, shield and lance.
• Richer fiefs require the knight to have at least one set of this equipment per knight's fee (so a 60 knight's fee fief, would require the knight to be able to support 60 armed men of this standard).
• Freemen who had at least 16 marks in chattels and/or rents were also required to be similarly equipped, while those who had 10 marks are required to have a mail shirt, iron cap and lance.
• All burgesses and the remaining freemen shall have a gambeson, an iron cap and a lance.

If you're after a list of fiefs from around this period, you're going to have to go digging around in the Domesday Book, which can be accessed for free through the Open Domesday project.

To help with your guide, English money from back then:
1 pound = 20 shillings
1 crown = 5 shillings
1 shilling = 12 pence
1 penny = 4 farthings
1 mark = 13 shillings and 4 pence.


Going half way around the world and a few hundred years later, the 16th Century Sengoku Era Japanese also ran a similar system, but with different base measurements of 1 koku = the amount of rice required to feed a man for a year. Akechi Mitsuhide's orders/guide to his retainers, dated 1581 required:

• Bring 6 men to muster for every 100 koku. Gather men at that ratio.
• Between 100 and 150 koku: 1 armour, 1 horse, 1 sashimono, 1 yari
• Between 150 koku and 200 koku: 1 armour, 1 horse, 1 sashimono, 2 yari
• Between 200 koku and 300 koku: 1 armour, 1 horse, 2 sashimono, 2 yari
• Between 300 koku and 400 koku: 1 armour, 1 horse, 3 sashimono, 3 yari, 1 flag, 1 gun
• Between 400 koku and 500 koku: 1 armour, 1 horse, 4 sashimono, 4 yari, 1 flag, 1 gun
• Between 500 koku and 600 koku: 2 armours, 2 horses, 5 sashimono, 5 yari, 1 flag, 2 guns
• Between 600 koku and 700 koku: 2 armours, 2 horses, 6 sashimono, 6 yari, 1 flag, 3 guns
• Between 700 koku and 800 koku: 3 armours, 3 horses, 7 sashimono, 7 yari, 1 flag, 3 guns
• Between 800 koku and 900 koku: 4 armours, 4 horses, 8 sashimono, 8 yari, 1 flag, 4 guns
• Those with 1000 koku: 5 armour, 5 horse, 10 sashimono, 10 yari, 1 flag, 5 gun. One mounted man can count for two.

Much later on, there is the 1694 Edo era standardisation by the Tokugawa. The Tokugawa Kinreiko (徳川禁令考) is a list of many of the laws passed by the Tokugawa, first compiled in Meiji 12 (1879) records the following numbers for a hatamoto (personal guard).

• 200 Koku: 1 Samurai, 1 Yari, 1 Armour carrier, 1 Groom, 1 Porter, 5 men in total
• 250 Koku: 1 Samurai, 1 Yari, 1 Armour carrier, 1 Groom, 1 Porter, 6 men in total
• 300 Koku: 1 Samurai, 1 Yari, 1 Armour carrier, 1 Groom, 1 Porter, 1 Sandal bearer, 1 Large chest, 7 men in total
• 400 Koku: 2 Samurai, 1 Yari, 1 Armour carrier, 1 Groom, 2 Porter, 1 Sandal bearer, 1 Large chest, 9 men in total
• 500 Koku: 2 Samurai, 1 Yari, 1 Bow, 1 Armour carrier, 1 Groom, 2 Porter, 1 Sandal bearer, 1 Large chest, 11 men in total
• 600 Koku: 3 Samurai, 1 Yari, 1 Bow, 1 Gun, 1 Armour carrier, 1 Groom, 2 Porter, 1 Sandal bearer, 1 Large chest, 13 men in total
• 700 Koku: 4 Samurai, 2 Yari, 1 Bow, 1 Gun, 1 Armour carrier, 2 Groom, 2 Porter, 1 Sandal bearer, 1 Large chest, 15 men in total
• 800 Koku: 4 Samurai, 2 Yari, 1 Bow, 1 Gun, 1 Armour carrier, 2 Groom, 2 Porter, 1 Sandal bearer, 1 Large chest, 17 men in total
• 900 Koku: 5 Samurai, 2 Yari, 1 Bow, 1 Gun, 2 Armour carrier, 2 Groom, 2 Porter, 1 Sandal bearer, 1 Large chest, 1 Small chest, 19 men in total

Sources:
"The Knight and the Knight's Fee in England", Sally Harvey, Past and Present, No. 49. (Nov., 1970), pp. 3–43. JSTOR 650206
Assize of Arms, 1181
"English Weapons & Warfare", 449-1660, A. V. B. Norman and Don Pottinger, Barnes & Noble, 1992 (orig. 1966)
Domesday Book, 1086
Tokugawa Kinreiko, Meiji 27 (1894)

Spoiler: First three items of the Assize of Arms 1181

Show

1. Quicunque habet feodum unius militis habeat loricam, et cassidem, clypeum et lanceam: et omnis miles habeat tot loricas et cassides, et clypeos et lanceas quot habuerit feoda militum in dominico suo.
2. Quicunque vero liber laicus habuerit in catallo vel in redditu ad valentiam de xvi. marcis, habeat loricam et cassidem et clypeum et lanceam: quicunque vero liber laicus habuerit in catallo vel redditu x. marcas, habeat aubergel, et capellet ferri et lanceam.
3. III. Item omnes burgenses et tota communa liberorum hominum habeant wambais, et capellet ferri et lanceam.

Spoiler: Tokugawa Kinreiko, p32-33

Show

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Vinyadan
…about primary sources, the Book of Montaperti is a collection of unusually detailed records held by the Florentine state during the months of preparation before the battle of Montaperti (1260).

Great suggestion to look into, thanks.

Originally Posted by Brother Oni
You might want to look at muster lists then look at the comparative wealth of the lords and what they brought.

Thanks for the excellent numbers, and for listing your sources.

When I wrote “primary sources,” I was thinking in terms of primary academic literature—either journal articles, book chapters, full books or dissertations. I’m assuming there’s been a lot of research on this topic already, and those publications are what I’m trying to find.

[Brother Oni]

When I wrote “primary sources,” I was thinking in terms of primary academic literature—either journal articles, book chapters, full books or dissertations. I’m assuming there’s been a lot of research on this topic already, and those publications are what I’m trying to find.

I'd count those as secondary sources - the Domesday Book and the original Latin text of the 1181 Assize of Arms are primary sources, while academic literature drawing on those primary sources and things like the Tokugawa Kinreiko are secondary sources.

[Palanan]

However you describe it, what I’m looking for is published historical research on the topic—whether journal articles, full books, edited volumes, etc.

There are endless discussions on Reddit about this issue, but no one ever cites anything, apart from a very few web pages or blog posts. Those in turn only cite works which barely touch on the topic, or often enough don’t cite anything at all.

Hope this clarifies what I’m looking for.

[Clistenes]

I have a question:

In all TV shows, when they test a sword on a dead animal, be it a pig, a goat, a deer or whatever, they use a carcass without any of the internal organs or blood...

Do you know if anybody has ever tried to test a sword on a whole dead animal, blood and lungs and guts and all? I suspect the result of the test would be FAR less impressive than when using a clean carcass...

[tomandtish]

I have a question:

In all TV shows, when they test a sword on a dead animal, be it a pig, a goat, a deer or whatever, they use a carcass without any of the internal organs or blood...

Do you know if anybody has ever tried to test a sword on a whole dead animal, blood and lungs and guts and all? I suspect the result of the test would be FAR less impressive than when using a clean carcass...

Depends on what you mean by impressive. The blade MIGHT not go as far, but you'd have much more of a visual image as blood and intestines flowed out.

Which is probably why most shows won't do it. The blood/gore could bump up the rating.

[fusilier]

I have a fairly broad-scale question for the history folks in these parts.

IÂ’m looking for primary sources that give information on the linkages between land area, agricultural efficiency, population size, and how these help determine the sizes of armies in different historical periods.

I know that’s a tall order, and I’m aware of the difficulties involved with even the most basic estimates. There are any number of threads on Reddit and elsewhere that touch on this issue in one way or another—but unfortunately, those threads tend not to cite any published sources, which is what I’m really looking for.

This may be too broad a question for this thread, but IÂ’m hoping that the folks who often contribute here may be familiar with the kind of sources IÂ’m looking for, and may be able to point me in the right direction. IÂ’ll appreciate any examples in any region or period, from ancient to early modern.

However you describe it, what I’m looking for is published historical research on the topic—whether journal articles, full books, edited volumes, etc.

Mercenaries and their Masters, Michael Mallett, pp. 115-120, lists the strengths of armies of the Italian states at various points in the 15th century. The examples consist of reports of troops actually in the field, and estimates for how many troops could be called up in wartime. He doesn't give the size of the corresponding populations, but he does give dates, and it may be possible to find out the relevant information.

• "At the beginning of the century Giangaleazzo Visconti was reputed to have 20,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry under arms. It is not an impossible figure as Milan was often fighting on two fronts, and the surprisingly large proportion of infantry clearly includes auxiliaries."
  
• While the condotte are more reliable for assessing army strength than many assume, the difficulty in getting good estimates of the total force are further explained: "One always has to bear in mind that total numbers and actual fighting strength have to be distinguished in the figure available, and that many of the non-combatants, who accompanied armies and often had to be paid, never appear in most official records. This confuses the issue particularly when one tries to asses the size of armies in the field when the numbers of auxiliaries, pioneers, and even lightly armed militia, are rarely given more than approximately."
  
• To find out the number of soldiers engaged in a particular battle, it's usually necessary to compare a variety of sources to get a reasonable picture. So even getting the basic information to perform the analysis is not that straightforward.

Works like Mercenaries and their Masters have useful information, because they aren't focused on a battle/campaign, but instead on the organization, structure, effectiveness, tactics, etc. (and their development). But there's a lot to search through to find the relevant information. Even then, in this case, it's going to be limited to various Italian states at different points in the 15th century. And state organization is probably going to be another factor (the Italian states were fielding a lot of troops for their size).

Maybe some of those keywords would be useful? Perhaps there are works about the "organization of medieval armies", that will cover troop strength?

I don't know of a work that's tackled this question across history, but would be interested in one. Maybe there's some journal article, or thesis/dissertation paper, on this topic?

This seems like the kind of thing that may have been partially addressed by one of the articles on https://acoup.blog

The author, Dr. Bret Devereaux, is usually good about providing sources. But off the top of my head I can't remember a source covering this subject.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by fusilier
Mercenaries and their Masters, Michael Mallett, pp. 115-120, lists the strengths of armies of the Italian states at various points in the 15th century. The examples consist of reports of troops actually in the field, and estimates for how many troops could be called up in wartime. He doesn't give the size of the corresponding populations, but he does give dates, and it may be possible to find out the relevant information.

Looks like an excellent resource, thanks.

Originally Posted by fusilier
I don't know of a work that's tackled this question across history, but would be interested in one. Maybe there's some journal article, or thesis/dissertation paper, on this topic?

I’m hoping there is, since it seems like it would be a fundamental question.

[Clistenes]

Depends on what you mean by impressive. The blade MIGHT not go as far, but you'd have much more of a visual image as blood and intestines flowed out.

Which is probably why most shows won't do it. The blood/gore could bump up the rating.

What I mean is, the soft guts and liquid probably would soak a lot of the force, so you would end with a blade stuck inside a dead pig instead of a pig carcass cleanly cut in two...

So these shows make the cuts more impressive than they really are because they are making you believe you could cut somebody in two with that sword, which isn't true (well, maybe somebody with a lot of strength and training could really do it, like these samurai who tested swords on dead bodies during the Edo period and before, but not the guys testing the swords in the modern shows...).

That's the reason I as if you know of somebody who has ever tested the swords on dead animals with all their innnards. I am not speaking of just TV shows, but about serious scientific studies, or even about sword fanatics trying it on their own...

[Grim Portent]

Does anyone know what kind of armouring was used on war elephants in late medieval India, as in the materials and weight and how long they were expected to wear it?

I've seen images of elephants covered with what looks to be steel lamellar barding, but I'm having a bit of a hard time finding information about the way such armoured elephants were actually used or what weapons they were needing protected from.

[DrewID]

What I mean is, the soft guts and liquid probably would soak a lot of the force, so you would end with a blade stuck inside a dead pig instead of a pig carcass cleanly cut in two...

So these shows make the cuts more impressive than they really are because they are making you believe you could cut somebody in two with that sword, which isn't true (well, maybe somebody with a lot of strength and training could really do it, like these samurai who tested swords on dead bodies during the Edo period and before, but not the guys testing the swords in the modern shows...).

That's the reason I as if you know of somebody who has ever tested the swords on dead animals with all their innnards. I am not speaking of just TV shows, but about serious scientific studies, or even about sword fanatics trying it on their own...

Search for information on deer hunting sites.

DrewID

[DrewID]

Does anyone know what kind of armouring was used on war elephants in late medieval India, as in the materials and weight and how long they were expected to wear it?

I've seen images of elephants covered with what looks to be steel lamellar barding, but I'm having a bit of a hard time finding information about the way such armoured elephants were actually used or what weapons they were needing protected from.

Not to harp on Prof. Devereaux's acoup.blog, but he did do a three-part series on war elephants starting here. I don't remember how much detail he went into on their armoring, but I know there was scholarly discussion on their expense, which would have at least touched on how much was spent to armor them, I would think.

DrewID

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Grim Portent
Does anyone know what kind of armouring was used on war elephants in late medieval India, as in the materials and weight and how long they were expected to wear it?

I've seen images of elephants covered with what looks to be steel lamellar barding, but I'm having a bit of a hard time finding information about the way such armoured elephants were actually used or what weapons they were needing protected from.

Originally Posted by DrewID
Not to harp on Prof. Devereaux's acoup.blog, but he did do a three-part series on war elephants starting here.

From glancing over the blog posts, it looks like the discussion is focused primarily on Greek and Roman use of elephants. The third post touches on India, but superficially, and there’s no mention of armor on their elephants.

Your best bet is to look at Elephants and Kings (cited by the blog) which mentions elephants wearing armor, and looks like a really interesting read on the use of war elephants throughout India’s history.

[Kriegspiel]

Are there scope attachments to add NV to a magnified optic?

Yes absolutely. Not counting dedicated sights, the PVS-14 itself is capable of being rail mounted

Also, how free to move are you while wearing NV? Can you run, or does the NVD jump around if you aren't careful? Does the added weight in the front feel bad on your neck after a while?

If everything is properly attached/tightened the NVD will stay in place even when running.

I'd course like anything mounts can loosen up over time when used enough.

Adding another pound or so to an already 3-4 lb helmet isn't fun but you get used to it.

[Sapphire Guard]

Le Bon Berger arrived today, thanks again everyone.