Questions Thread

[hOMEr_jAy]

Anyone know of some older history? I got a question about pikemen in the 17th century: when in the frontline, your chances were much bigger to die than in a rearline, so how was it determined which guys had to go in front and which ones in the rear?

Atleast in late-medieval German Landsknecht and Swiss Reisläufer formations experienced soldiers were paid twice their usual pay for fighting in the front ranks. Their name was Doppelsöldner, which literally means "double-paid soldier".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppels%C3%B6ldner

[Torenico]

Are poison gas and flamethrowers banned on todays battlefields?

Poison gas are banned, but that won't stop an Army from using it.


I'm not sure about Flamethrowers tho.

[Korsakov829]

When it comes to lines of infantry, those that die are replaced by the ones in the rear. If someone falls over, the individual soldier behind him steps up and takes his place, even if he has to stand on the other soldiers corpse.

And I've never heard of poison gas (prefer the term lethal) and flamethrowers being banned, but its been decades since I've seen gas being used.

Honestly, in warfare no one really gives a damn about any bans on whatever. There is this covention and human rights thing, and when I finally bothered to read its silly rules I had already broken several of them. I know that didn't stop us from plucking the eyes from the muj or something else. The taliban adopted and still use such methods, heh.
I can safely bet that right now that there is a US or UN soldier who was recently tied down with strips of his flesh slowly cut and peeled off infront of another prisoner.

[Surfbird]

Are poison gas and flamethrowers banned on todays battlefields?

Poison gas are banned, but that won't stop an Army from using it.


I'm not sure about Flamethrowers tho.

Flamethrowers are not banned, but not used because of the brutal way of killing people. Within the last century the importance of morality grew. An industrial country can not afford to risk the support from its own country. Furthermore, technology improved and direct close combat confrontations where a flame thrower can be really useful are rare these days and there are different alternatives. Especially when you think about wars being guerilla type wars very often these days with lots of civilians around. Imagine you are a civilian and some defense force from the US in your country (like Afghanistan) burns houses and kills people brutally, not good. As far as I know, the US military removed flamethrowers not too long after Vietnam war from their arsenal already.

[Torenico]

Yes, researching for a bit and the Flamethrower isn't banned at all. The fact is that nearly no countries have Flamethrowers in their arsenals (US stopped using them in late 70's) because of their effectiveness in modern combat scenarios.

Back in the days of WW2, a Flamethrower was much needed because, for example, taking out a bunker with bombs or artillery might take a you a while, so the Flamethrower could get the job done. Today with all the laser guided bombs stuff.. well..

[VonMudra]

Are poison gas and flamethrowers banned on todays battlefields?

Poison gas was banned in 1975, and most signatory nations started destroying their stockpiles after that.  The US is actually still in the process of destruction, and currently is at over 90% destroyed, and is continuing until all but small test samples are left.

Flamethrowers are not banned, but most nations don't use them anymore.  IIRC they became obsolete with long range incendiary rockets like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M202A1_FLASH

[Korsakov829]

Morality is just an excuse. Or at least it was, until to so much as even use such means would have adverse effects, now that we've discontinued use of such weapons and methods. But if the backlash is negligible, then such weapons would see use. After all, in the battlefield there is no balance and fair fights, its all about having the advantage and winning.

[Born2Kill 007]

I wonder why the USA loves waterboarding, why don't they just use a bucket off water and pull the persons under for some time? And secondly, is this even legal or do they do waterboarding since just putting someone under in a bucket is illegal?

[THeTA0123]

China still has flamethrowers equipped to its troops

[VonMudra]

I wonder why the USA loves waterboarding, why don't they just use a bucket off water and pull the persons under for some time? And secondly, is this even legal or do they do waterboarding since just putting someone under in a bucket is illegal?

Bucket would be illegal.  Waterboarding is mostly pyschological torture, as it tricks the body into thinking it's drowning when actually it's not, though it can cause physical harm through the person's struggling and such.  Either way, torture is bad, mkay.

[Kading]

I wonder why the USA loves waterboarding, why don't they just use a bucket off water and pull the persons under for some time? And secondly, is this even legal or do they do waterboarding since just putting someone under in a bucket is illegal?

As I understand, it is just the CIA that loves waterboarding. Military intel doesn't like to resort to that kind of thing because they believe it is not effective. Indeed, there have been extremely few operations that were successfully conducted based on information attained through waterboarding. It is actually a pretty horrible thing to do to someone, torture in a very clear form.

[Zeno]

have anyone in this forum served in the army? what was your role? Infantry, armor, artillery, support?

i want to learn more about how their training and service is compared the conscription that we are using.

(im currently in artillery, loader in a M109 A3GNM Self propelled Howitzer)

[Korsakov829]

I joined the Soviet army in 1975. In those days training was longer because there was no war. I imagine that when the Afghan war started everyone elses training was a lot shorter, no time for extra teaching. There was physical endurance conditioning every day, with breaks every now and then (during the war I doubt anyone else training was given as much free time as I had been given) and there was also mental conditioning. That came first or rather at the same time as basic training, then came advanced courses (marksmanship, airborne ops, etc). After the war there was more time on our hands for more training, those with qualifications could ask about learning the basics of flying helicopters and such. But by the time that was offered to me it wasn't the Soviet army anymore. Now in the modern Russian army, I'm not too familiar with their basic training but I doubt its changed much.

[THeTA0123]

I joined the Soviet army in 1975. In those days training was longer because there was no war. I imagine that when the Afghan war started everyone elses training was a lot shorter, no time for extra teaching. There was physical endurance conditioning every day, with breaks every now and then (during the war I doubt anyone else training was given as much free time as I had been given) and there was also mental conditioning. That came first or rather at the same time as basic training, then came advanced courses (marksmanship, airborne ops, etc). After the war there was more time on our hands for more training, those with qualifications could ask about learning the basics of flying helicopters and such. But by the time that was offered to me it wasn't the Soviet army anymore. Now in the modern Russian army, I'm not too familiar with their basic training but I doubt its changed much.

Please! tell us more!    Where did you served?

[Korsakov829]

345th Guards airborne regiment, 1979-1989. First in, last out. After the Afghan war I found myself in Abkhazia for a few years until we were fighting the Georgians in 92-93 for a whole year. That was a whole new experience, us veterens were so used to fighting guerillas. That was real ugly, as in you'd find someones finger or guts in the street but nothing else of them. Theres a sound you instantly recognize when someone falls down, it becomes familiar and distinct after awhile.
Its strange because they were like us then, but in 2008 they seemed so different, and everyone who was there back then wanted to get back at them. We were killing each other because we were killing each other, if that makes any sense.