Best Military invention?

[Stefan Haertel]

If I'm going with the precise question, none. There has never been a good weapon and there never will be one, unless someone invents a weapon which destroys itself as soon as it is given command to harm a human or an animal.

 

[Gainy]

The bow, without a doubt.
Without that, the idea for the propulsion of objects -- bullets, shells, bolts, shots etc -- would never have come about.
That basically takes away everything besides Radar, the spear, and the Sword (on that list).

Edit: i'm utterly confused by that post

 

[Xen]

actually, for BOTH weapons it dedpends on how the arrow hits its target- because a suit of plate amrou can with stand a direcet shot from 30 feet away with a crossbow bolt

 

[Adler17]

Although the longbow was a very good weapon the soldiers had to train very long to become master of these weapons. When fire arms were invented the longbow could shoot more shots in a minute than a man with an early fire arm. The duration was only a bit less than a firearm, but because a fire arm could be used very fast from unlearned men they became very fast modern and replaced the longbows and crossbows very fast.

Adler

 

[stormbind]

Originally posted by Xen
actually, for BOTH weapons it dedpends on how the arrow hits its target- because a suit of plate amrou can with stand a direcet shot from 30 feet away with a crossbow bolt

Arrows from longbows had a heavy weight behind the tip for armour penetration. They were very effective over a long range (relative the period).

The bow, without a doubt. Without that, the idea for the propulsion of objects

The bow most likely inspired the...

1. Longbow
2. Crossbow
3. Bolt throwers? forgot the real name, Romans had them

But I fail to see how the bow can be seen as responsible for inspiring...

1. Throwing stones
2. Sling
3. Catapult

From that, I don't see a direct lineage from the bow to the pistol, rifle or cannon. The only thing I do see are changes in warfare tactics, and I still think longbow had the biggest impact

 

[Gainy]

But I fail to see how the bow can be seen as responsible for inspiring...

1. Throwing stones

A popular warfare tactic.

2. Sling

And again.

3. Catapult

The bow introduced the concept of tension - in its case, the bow string propelling an arrow. Catapults were fired by pulling the arm thing back, then letting it go and thus propelling the rocks (or whatever was in it)
It's the same idea, just with summit bigger

From that, I don't see a direct lineage from the bow to the pistol, rifle or cannon.

I do. You propell the arrow from the bow, just like you fire the bullet from the gun. It was the first weapon which required you to aim, pull, and then fire. I doubt people would have thought of the musket if they hadn't realised objects could be sent through the air to a devestating effect. It's the basic concept that i'm talking about, not actually how the things specifically work.

I still think longbow had the biggest impact

The longbow would never have come about if it weren't for yer average bow

 

[Sarevok]

good points!

 

[Vietcong]

what ever is the fist wepion invented, if u donno what this means, then think..

 

[rilnator]

Originally posted by Stefan Haertel
If I'm going with the precise question, none. There has never been a good weapon and there never will be one, unless someone invents a weapon which destroys itself as soon as it is given command to harm a human or an animal.

Wow man, thats deep. Would you like to have a weapon if you saw someone hurting a loved one and you realised fists alone weren't going to help?

 

[thestonesfan]

Originally posted by Gainy bo


I do. You propell the arrow from the bow, just like you fire the bullet from the gun. It was the first weapon which required you to aim, pull, and then fire. I doubt people would have thought of the musket if they hadn't realised objects could be sent through the air to a devestating effect. It's the basic concept that i'm talking about, not actually how the things specifically work.

Don't you propel a rock from your hand when you throw it? So in effect, the thrown rock is the most important weapon of all time, because the concept of the projectile gave rise to the bow and arrow.

 

[Gainy]

I understand what you mean (I thought about it also), but I don't really agree. In the rock case, it doesn't really matter what is thrown - whether it's a rock or a flatbed scanner. You can't really say that you "invented" the rock. Wheras, the bow was the first weapon used to propell things - in its case, the arrow. If you threw a bullet, it wouldn't do too much damage...

(i can't really explain my point any better, i'm not too great at English )

 

[thestonesfan]

I get your point, but you can say that man "invented" the action throwing a rock, just like he invented sign language or some other manipulation of his body.

Anyway, there is no real answer.

 

[Stefan Haertel]

Wow man, thats deep. Would you like to have a weapon if you saw someone hurting a loved one and you realised fists alone weren't going to help?

Don't try to turn this into another "we need guns to protect ourselves against guns" discussion, as they are ridiculous and lead nowhere. In that case, just ignore my statement.

By the way, I'm an atheist.

 

[thestonesfan]

There's nothing evil about weapons. Without them, the biggest guy would make all the rules.

 

[Sarevok]

and that isnt any fun...

 

[Adler17]

...except you are the biggest but then you ahve to proof your position permanently.

Adler