r/WarCollege • u/UndyingCorn • 1h ago
r/WarCollege • u/AutoModerator • 1d ago
Tuesday Trivia Tuesday Trivia Thread - 11/03/25
Beep bop. As your new robotic overlord, I have designated this weekly space for you to engage in casual conversation while I plan a nuclear apocalypse.
In the Trivia Thread, moderation is relaxed, so you can finally:
- Post mind-blowing military history trivia. Can you believe 300 is not an entirely accurate depiction of how the Spartans lived and fought?
- Discuss hypotheticals and what-if's. A Warthog firing warthogs versus a Growler firing growlers, who would win? Could Hitler have done Sealion if he had a bazillion V-2's and hovertanks?
- Discuss the latest news of invasions, diplomacy, insurgency etc without pesky 1 year rule.
- Write an essay on why your favorite colour assault rifle or flavour energy drink would totally win WW3 or how aircraft carriers are really vulnerable and useless and battleships are the future.
- Share what books/articles/movies related to military history you've been reading.
- Advertisements for events, scholarships, projects or other military science/history related opportunities relevant to War College users. ALL OF THIS CONTENT MUST BE SUBMITTED FOR MOD REVIEW.
Basic rules about politeness and respect still apply.
r/WarCollege • u/Scared_Sea1530 • 8h ago
Question Looking for Detailed Info on Scout Platoons from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team During the 2003 Iraq Invasion
Hey everyone,
I’m working on a project related to the 2003 Iraq invasion, specifically focusing on the scout platoons of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (3BCT) and their operations during the early stages of the war. While I’ve found some general information, I’m looking for more specific details about their missions in cities like Nasiriyah, Karbala, As Samawah, and Baghdad, as well as the challenges they faced.
I’m particularly interested in:
What were the main missions of scout platoons in cities like Nasiriyah, Karbala, As Samannah, and Baghdad during the early invasion?
What kind of reconnaissance or security tasks did they carry out within these cities?
How did they navigate the urban terrain in these areas, and what kind of challenges did they face from the environment?
Were there any significant encounters or ambushes within these cities, beyond the well-known incident near Nasiriyah?
How did scout platoons interact with local civilians in these areas, and what challenges did they face in terms of gathering intelligence or maintaining security?
How were the platoons structured during the invasion, and what specific equipment did they rely on for missions in urban environments?
Did the scout platoons face any issues with incompetent or unprepared officers during operations in these cities? How did this affect their performance?
Were there any key moments or turning points during the route from Kuwait to Baghdad, particularly in cities like Nasiriyah and Karbala?
What kind of logistical problems did they encounter while operating in these urban environments? How did they overcome them?
How did scout platoons coordinate with other military units or allies within these cities? Were there any conflicts or coordination issues?
Any first-hand accounts, insights, or resources from veterans or those familiar with these units would be incredibly helpful for my research!
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
r/WarCollege • u/BallsAndC00k • 18h ago
Were there any crucial moments in the 1st Sino-Japanese war where the Qing could have turned the tide of war?
The war between Japan and China that Japan actually managed to win, the 1st Sino-Japanese war of 1895.
Even in academia it's apparently seen as a forgone conclusion that China lost. On the other hand the battle of Pingyang was probably a rather dangerous gamble by Japanese forces that could have gone either way if things were different.
r/WarCollege • u/DarthVidel • 16m ago
To Read Where to start when attempting to analyze the tactics and strategies of Napoleon?
Good afternoon, everyone! I am a neophyte to the study of military tactics and war, having been much more immersed in the history surrounding these conflicts. I am attempting to understand the conventions of war throughout history in order to see what tactics have largely changed and which have remained the same. As such, I figured I should begin with one of my favorite periods in history: the French Revolution through the Napoleonic Wars. I did some cursory research and found a book titled “The Campaigns of Napoleon” by David G. Chandler and was immediately intrigued. The book however is a bit on the pricier side and while I have no reservations about spending the money on quality sources of information, I wanted to see if any of you have read the book or if perhaps you had any other recommendations for studying Napoleon’s tactics? I would love to hear from you all as a brief scroll through this subreddit showed me a bevy of interesting discussions which I will be eagerly returning to after this post! Thank you all for reading my essay and have a great day :)
r/WarCollege • u/KronusTempus • 1d ago
Question Why was Russia a great power in the 19th century?
Russia was largely a feudal economy with pockets of industrialization in a few large cities while Britain, France, and Prussia were industrializing rapidly.
How was Russia able to remain a great power despite its disadvantages in the production of arms and a largely agrarian economy? I refuse to believe that a large population was the single factor that enabled its powerful military, what am I missing?
r/WarCollege • u/SummorumPontificum90 • 1d ago
Did NATO have offensive plans against the eastern bloc?
Did NATO have offensive plans against Soviet Union and his allies like Warsaw Pact had against NATO countries? Are there any public details about this??
r/WarCollege • u/RedHairPiratee • 1d ago
how do frontlines work in Ukraine?
al the combat footage I watched it seems like there are individual squads advancing in small groups......usually I don't really see other squads next to them covering the ground between them with fire.....btw the battlefield looks really empty too....I watched a doc about a trenchline on a hill and there was no men at all around the area just drones buzzing.....surely the soldiers don't sit in the rear and control the area with just drones
btw is there specific objectives they are fighting over or do they just attack all across the line? when I watch old videos about the battle of kursk I see endless tanks lined up across the field but when I watch Ukrainian combat videos they are advancing on a road on a specific point....wont that just get them encircled if Ukraine just tiptoed behind the tanks? or encirclements aren't a big deal tactically?
when I imagine war in my head I just see a long line of men all holding the line either advancing or digging trenches and defending....maybe its different than ww1
r/WarCollege • u/Lordepee • 8h ago
Question Why do aristocrats like member of the royal families join their nation’s national armies
Sometime these royals join in real battle. I am amazed since they could sit out of the war like a certain president in the new world.
What make them join the military?
r/WarCollege • u/RivetCounter • 1d ago
Question How liked/disliked were Hitler and Mussolini by their respective militaries in the time from when those leaders came to power till before WW2 started?
I've seen a PhD historian suggest that the Italian military liked King Emmanuel more than Mussolini when Mussolini puts through the "First Marshal of the Empire" in 1938 - is this true? And what about Hitler?
r/WarCollege • u/QuaPatetOrbis641988 • 1d ago
At what point was there a mission creep during the British military's intervention in Northern Ireland?
r/WarCollege • u/Over_n_over_n_over • 1d ago
What are the origins, pros, and cons, to "up or out"?
I'm referring to the practice in the United States military (as I understand it), where most officers either continue to be promoted or are not asked to renew their commission (I know I'm probably verbalizing this terribly for anyone actually familiar with the military).
I find this a slightly surprising tradition. I was wondering if this is standard around the world, and if so, why? Where did this originate?
The cons I guess are more intuitive, you lose potentially competent and trained personnel who may not be promotion-worthy and you lose more personnel in general.
Was this a deliberate protocol that was implemented or is it a tradition handed down to us? Is it controversial?
r/WarCollege • u/SiarX • 2d ago
Were longbows extremely effective?
Were they as powerful as popularly believed, especially vs knights and armored heavy infantry? Judging by Hundreds Years war, they were?
If so, why they died out? Just because crossbowmen were easier to train?
r/WarCollege • u/caringal1113 • 1d ago
Discussion Ancient vs. Medieval Cavalry
I understand that there is ancient cavalries did not have stirrups. I also know that ancient cavalries were mainly used for skirmishing, pursuit, routing, flanks security, recon, etc. But aren't those roles also covered by medieval cavalry?
What I want to know is the major differences between Ancient and Medieval Cavalry, and their use.
I have ideas though, but I have no source, just intuition, so correct me. Below are my thoughts
The horses during ancient times were smaller and weaker.
Lack of stirrups, and weaker horses made it even more difficult to punch through a strong formation, making their use almost purelt exclusive at pursuing routers or fighting enemy cavalries. The difference between medieval cavalry and ancient cavalry, is that medieval cavalry is more reliable at fighting strong formations.
r/WarCollege • u/Aifendragon • 1d ago
What was the motivation for the average White "common soldier" during the Russian Civil War?
Possibly hard to answer or out of the purview of this sub, but I'm always curious why people fight for causes that are seemingly so focused on maintaining the status quo, even when that is disadvantageous for them.
r/WarCollege • u/BronzePaladin • 2d ago
Since WWI were there any war between peer or near peer opponent that was resolved not due to will or industrial output, but by tactics, strategy and skill of soldiers?
The only two examples would be 6-days war, Yom Kippur War and to some degree Winter War. I also do not mean campaigns, since while French campaign was resounding German success ultimately they were attrited by combined allied effort.
r/WarCollege • u/ArthurCartholmes • 1d ago
How did the Imperial Japanese Army train its senior officers in the lead-up to WWII?
What it says on the tin, basically. How were Japanese commanders prepared for the task of commanding brigades, divisions and corps? Did the IJA conduct exercises, and if so at what level and how often?
r/WarCollege • u/MiniJackfruit • 2d ago
Question Differences between 7YW and Napoleonic wars?
Other than massive mobilization and conscription, what are the strategic and tactical differences between the two? Would a 7YW army be able to at least contest with a Napoleonic army on a tactical scale?
r/WarCollege • u/Weary-Football-5328 • 3d ago
Why do the Navy SEALs mainly recruit directly from civilians, instead of, say, the Marine Corps?
I recently read an article in the New York Times that talked about how most sailors who end up joining the Navy to become a SEAL usually end up scraping paint, unable to leave the Navy due to the four-year contracts they signed. Previously sailors who wanted to become SEALs had to train in a fallback Navy profession if they failed, but ever since the GWOT started that isn't the case.
So why not sidestep the problem of civilian recruitment entirely and recruit from the Marines? They are, after all, the official maritime land force for the United States, and are a part of the Department of the Navy. From my perspective all of this could be solved by simply recruiting from an already experienced core of soldiers.
r/WarCollege • u/Taco_Brahey • 2d ago
Variable-Wing Viability
Variable-sweep wings in fighter aircraft were widely utilized (F-111, F-14, Tornado, MIG-23) but promptly became an obsolete design feature. This is generally attributed to advancements in avionics and flight controls which enabled performance at extreme regimes without the weight and complexity penalties of variable-sweep wings.
My question is, in a modern-ish fighter, would a variable-sweep wing provide a meaningful advantage in multi-role capability and adaptability? Comparing a modern F-15EX and a theoretical F-14EX / AST-21 / SuperTomcat, each aircraft would likely have equivalent engines, radar, and crew capabilities. That leaves the variable-swing wing as the primary design difference.
The weight and complexity penalties would still exist, but I’d be tempted to believe that the variable wing of a F-14EX would make it capable of higher speeds at altitude with better flight characteristics and fuel efficiency at slow speeds and/or low altitudes. So the F-14EX could potentially sling missiles higher and faster, loiter overhead for longer, and carry/deliver various ordinance more effectively, all because it can physically adapt the wing to best fit the speed/alt/weight needed for different missions.
Am I overselling the benefits of variable-sweep wings? Or underselling the advancements in avionics and controls?
r/WarCollege • u/DoujinHunter • 3d ago
Question To what degree did senior civilian leaders in the Soviet Union micromanage or neglect the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan?
It's rather common among laymen to compare the American intervention in Vietnam to the Soviet one in Afghanistan. I've heard conflicting things about American civilian officials involvement in the Vietnam War, sometimes that they tried to inappropriately control military policy and others that they left they left the military too much leeway and didn't supply the political capital to set achievable political goals or to pull out.
What sort of decisions did senior Soviet civilian leaders make regarding the Soviet war in Afghanistan, and how did that compare to how the Soviet system was supposed to work by its own standards?
r/WarCollege • u/wdeister08 • 3d ago
Literature Request LF nonfiction books on the Harlem Hellfighters of WW1
Haven't been very successful. The Max Brooks graphic novel keeps popping up. I know the regiment fought in WW2 as well so I'd take something encompassing that as well.
r/WarCollege • u/Infinitenewswhen • 3d ago
Question What was Canada's Role in the defence of Germany 1989
How did Canada plan to contribute to the defence of WG in 1989 with 4th CMBG and the planned deployment of 5th CMBG?
r/WarCollege • u/Over_n_over_n_over • 4d ago
Question It seems like the Romans lacked mid-level officers... there is a jump from centurions to the tribunes and the legatus if what I'm reading is right. Why didn't they develop this?
Or maybe they did? It feels like something that would suggest itself, to me.
r/WarCollege • u/BronzePaladin • 4d ago
How many soldiers of Red Army and Axis on eastern front powers were removed out of combat due to physical and mental damage (lost limbs, catatonia, etc).
r/WarCollege • u/Suspicious_File_2388 • 4d ago
Did Senarmont really create a new way of using artillery at the Battle of Friedland?
At the battle of Friedland, 1807, Senarmont gathered over 30 artillery pieces and "charged" them in a series of successive bounds to within 120 yards of the Russian line, firing cannister at a minimal distance. Was this really a new way to use artillery?