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War wagon

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For other uses, see War wagon (disambiguation).
Modern reconstruction of Hussite war wagon

A war wagon is any of several historical types of early fighting vehicle involving an armed or armored animal-drawn cart or wagon.

China

One of the earliest example of using conjoined wagons in warfare as fortification is described in the Chinese historical record Book of Han. During the 119 BC Battle of Mobei of the Han–Xiongnu War, the famous Han general Wei Qing led his army through a fatiguing expeditionary march across the Gobi Desert only to find Yizhixie Chanyu's main force waiting to encircle them on the other side. Using armored heavy wagons known as "Military Sturdy Wagon" (Chinese: 武剛車; pinyin: wŭ gāng chē) in ring formations as temporary defensive fortifications, which provided archers, crossbowmen and infantry protection from the Xiongnu's powerful cavalry charges, and allowed Han troops to utilize their ranged weapons' advantages of precision. Wei Qing neutralised the Xiongnu's initial cavalry charges, forcing a stalemate and buying time for his troops to recover strength, before using the cover of a sandstorm to launch a counteroffensive which overran the nomads.[1]

The Guangwu Emperor (AD 25–57) introduced an ox-pulled war wagon several stories high with an observation tower, which was deployed at the Great Wall against the Xiongnu.[2] By the 6th century such war wagons reached several meters in height and had up to 20 wheels.[3]

Europe

Medieval depiction of the Hussite war wagon, c.1437

A medieval European war wagon was developed in the Hussite Wars around 1420 by Hussite forces led by the Czech general Jan Žižka rebelling in Bohemia.[4][5] It was a heavy wagon given protective sides with firing slits and heavy firepower from either a cannon or a force of hand-gunners, archers and crossbowmen, supported by infantry using spears, pikes and flails. Groups of them could form defensive works, but they also were used as hard points for formations or as firepower in pincer movements.[6] This early use of gunpowder and innovative tactics helped a largely peasant infantry stave off attacks by the Holy Roman Empire's larger forces of mounted knights.

The wagon was first used in war in Battle of Sudoměř on March 25, 1420, where it was found to be a powerful weapon for the Hussite army. Despite being outnumbered by approximately 400 to 2000, the war wagon allowed the Hussite forces to emerge victorious in the battle. The wagon was then used throughout the rest of the Hussite Wars with great success.[7]

After the Hussite wars, they stayed in usage as the special tactical weapon of Bohemian mercenaries which prevailed against knights or foot soldiers. Its successful history came to an end, at least for large scale engagements, with the development of field-piece artillery: a battle wagon wall "fortress" of approximately 300 wagons was broken at the Battle of Wenzenbach on September 12, 1504 by the culverines and muskets of the landsknecht regiment of Georg von Frundsberg.

See also

References

  1. ^ The Book of Han, Ban Gu, 111 CE
  2. ^ Peter Lorge (2013). Debating War in Chinese History. BRILL. p. 44. ISBN 978-9004244795.
  3. ^ Ce Zhang (3 January 2020). A History of Mechanical Engineering. Springer. p. 34. ISBN 978-9811508332.
  4. ^ Arnold, Thomas. ‘’The Renaissance at War’’. Cassell & Co. 2001. p. 82.
  5. ^ Wilson, Norman J. (April 28, 2023). "Politics, Law, and the Military: Overview". Gale. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  6. ^ Arnold, 82.
  7. ^ Mark, Joshua J. "Hussite Wars". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
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