Armies
THE TEUTONIC ORDER’S MERCENARIES
During the Baltic crusades against the heathen Prussians and Lithuanians, the Prussian branch of the Teutonic Order was not dependent on mercenaries, because this was a religious war supported not only by the Church, but also by the warlike European aristocracy including kings and emperors. The famous Reisen, the military expeditions to Prussia and from there into Lithuania, were for…
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THE ETHIOPIAN ARMY ATÂ ADOWA
Like many tribal societies, the ethnic groups of Ethiopia put a strong emphasis on martial ability. Boys were trained from early childhood in the use of the sword, spear and shield. Every man yearned to own a gun, not just for what it would do for him on the battlefield,…
Russian Military Weakness in the Seventeenth Century
It has often been said that prior to the accession of Peter the Great, Russia was in a condition of military weakness. Indeed, to Peter himself has gone the credit for transforming Russia into a first-class military power in the course of his twenty-one-year war with the Swedes. Yet what…
The army of the Catholic Liga and the Bavarian army
Maximilian I von Wittelsbach parading through his troops after the Battle of Melnik, AD 1619 If neither the Danes nor the Dutch made use of what could properly be seen as military enterprisers, developments in the Liga/Bavarian army led to a very different relationship between state power and private capital…
116.Panzer-Division
 Origin: Wehrkreis VI Composition: 1944: Pz. Gr. Rgt. 60, Pz. Gr. Rgt. 156, Pz. Rgt. 16, Pz. Aufkl. Abt. 116, Pz. Art. Rgt. 146. Pz. Jag. Abt. 228, HFlakart. Abt. 281, Pi. Btl. 675, Nachr. Abt. 228, Kdr. Pz. Div. Nachsch. Tr. 66. Commanders: Oberst Gerhard MĂĽller (28. III.-30.…
The Rise of Professionalism I
Attack of Prussian Infantry, 4 June 1745, by Carl Röchling From the dawn of recorded history, military organization has assumed many different forms. All of these were ultimately rooted in political, social, and economic structures, but all of them were also partly the product of the technology in use. Little…
The Rise of Professionalism II
DĂ©tachement du rĂ©giment de Picardie, vers 1680Rousselot Lucien (1900-1992) The role played by ordnance, particularly heavy ordnance, in promoting military professionalism is brought out in yet another way. Guns required powder and ammunition, classes of supplies that could neither be gathered in the fields nor plucked from trees. Consequently, nothing…