Important Weapons For Modern War
Few will deny that the best technological endeavors of man have been directed towards developing weapons of war. It may be a response to man’s aggressiveness that wants domination of others as means of survival. He who can command others has the least chance of expiring through extraordinary methods because he has more means at his disposal, including human lives.
Others may argue, however, that to respond to aggression of people with greater capabilities, those with less capacities must reduce if not eliminate the numerical advantage of the other via superior weapons. This is the essence of Hitler’s vergeltungswaffen, the V1 and V2 rockets, and the Messerchmitt262, the first jetfighter ever to fly. Hitler may have sought to equalize the Allies’ superiority in quantity of arms by creating better weapons which he called ‘weapons of vengeance’.
Yet the significant world war weapons were not rockets but the armored tanks. In both world wars, tanks, either by greater number or better tactics, forced the outcome of decisive battles in all areas of conflict. In such battles, tank formations either captured territory or inflicted such grave losses on the enemy that caused him to withdraw. The introduction of the first tanks in the Battle of the Somme caused so much consternation on the Germans they were forced to give up so much ground. Technology won the day for the Allies at the time.
Thus Germany used the tank as main offensive weapon –along with air attacks— in their blitzkrieg strategies in World War 2. Heinz Guderian’s panzer-led spearheads were so successful in France in the first days of World War 2 that even Hitler thought Guderian was lying when Guderian said they were nearing the English Channel. The German Army Command and Hitler believed Guderian was lying in his combat progress reports and commanded him to stop for verification. Thus, the miracle of Dunkirk came to pass.
But among the civil war weapons, perhaps the bayonet was the most important. Hand-to-hand- fighting was performed there in significant scale and the bayonet was a decisive weapon for either side. The bayonet eclipsed the sword which was a primarily cavalry weapon, and the repeating rifle which have not come yet in great numbers to play a pivotal role in the conflict. After the musket, the bayonet was the second most effective killing instrument at the time.
Among the medieval weapons, perhaps the most significant weapon –if it may be called so since it is for a defensive purpose— is the knight’s armor. A knight in his armor can kill many largely unprotected yeomanry and duel with a similar knight within a day without himself getting physically damaged —only tired probably—, and still retire for the night to fight again the next day. He is much protected in his suit of armor that he can confident of surviving every battle, until the English long bow gave him his match.
But the long bow is a totally different topic for discussion next.
