Re: Tech Levels and Quality was Re: DS3 design (long)

On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 14:41:59 +1000, beth.fulton@csiro.au
<beth.fulton@csiro.au> wrote:

> A question for those more learned in military history than I. What
> battles can you name where a technologically inferior force has beaten
a
> force equipped with technologically superior equpipment? I don't know

Sure.  But in every single case the solution was for the
technologically superior force to make mindblowingly stupid decisions,
generally one right after the other.  I pray the Lord gives me stupid,
cowardly enemies (Iraqis will do nicely), but it is not something I'm
going to base military doctrine on or accept as a rule.

> much about modern history but I have the impression (may be
erroneously)
> that the Vietnamese vs the French for one and the Soviets beating the

The Vietnamese were equipped with SKS vs. the POS French battle rifle,
and had artillery from the Sovs and Chinese Communist, to include
American artillery captured in Korea, which the Vietnamese reloaded
with ammunition captured from the French and intended for their
American artillery.  Oh, and the French fought like idiots.  I know,
let's set up a series of strongpoints in a valley!  And let's make
them just far enough apart that they aren't mutually supporting!  And
let's let the enemy drag artillery into the hills around them!	And
not have sufficient mobile forces to relieve the siege or even go
knock out the guns!  And we'll have not nearly enough guns of our own
to perform counterbattery!!  That would be FUN!

> Nazis for another probably fall into that basket (at least for parts
of

Sovs beating Nazis?  Entire books have been written on the stupidities
the Germans carried out.  They violated nearly every principle of
warfare known.	And while you could make an argument for the Sovs
being somewhat lower tech, it is hardly enough to be truly noticable.

> the war). So for those cases where an inferior army has come out, has
it
> required particularly gifted leaders or specific terrain cirumstances
> (like guerrilla fighting) to pull it off?

Yes.

John