Anyone see the Military Channel where they review the 10 top "personal" weapons from history?

A bit interesting, but I was rather frustrated with the "English Longbow".

One, they make it a weapon that seemed to spring from nowhere as opposed to pretty similar to many bows throughout history.

Secondly, they showed it penetrating Plate. Now they used a Hardened arrow (not a bodkin), looked like it was from around 20 yards or so, no backing behind the plate, just the stuff that was to represent flesh, and they really explained nothing about the plate of steel or iron. The bow I believe was in the 140-150 pound pull range.

It could have been 1mm thick or 3mm, who knows? It was perfectly flat, no chance of any deflection. Also no idea of what material it was made, mild steel, iron, etc. etc.

I felt the longbow info perpetuated myth as opposed to realisitically explained anything. What I feel is the Longbow was effective because of the numbers and training of English archers, at least as much if not more than the bow itself.

Myself, I'd just put the bow itself in as opposed to the longbow. It had a huge effect militarily. It's rather Archaic, sure, but no more archaic than the Boomerang that they included on the list.

For weapons of antiquity, I'd put the Bow as one of the top, the crossbow would be in there also. Perhaps stirrups if you consider them a weapon. A shield should be real high on the list as well.

I am not sure that it really was the effectiveness of the "longbow" itself, as much as it was the availability and economic factors relating to the Welsh bowmen that really gave those regimens their reputation. One of the strategically attractive aspects of the Welsh bowmen was that in the 100 years war era they were available in militarily significant "self trained" numbers, and typically made and provided their own bow and spare replacement stave. Some percentage could be passable as fletchers, although I don't know what percentage that was. The 3 volume set "Bowyer's Bible" discusses some of the background. Period inventories mention arrows being stored at various forts and castles in the 100's of thousands. In the era of the 100 years war, there were enough of them to be effective (dispensing 100's of thousands of arrows in what amounted to minutes.) If only the "chinks in the armour" and the spooking of heavy cavlary horses really resulted at ranges of 100 to 200 yards, utilizing the bowmen was probably one of the most practical and expedient tactics that the English could have chosen.

Those "Top Ten" shows aren't worth the time it takes to watch them, imho. They're highly subjective with no real way to objectively substantiate them.

I am the desk sergeant on evening shift, so I get to see alot of these programs at work. I just watched the one you spoke of. Though enjoyable, its not wholly accurate or based on anything other than the writer's somewhat under-informed opinions.

I figured we would have at least seen an entry on the gladius, it ruled the world for centuries. I could list 70 things that should have been included that were not. Yet, the Walther PPK was included because it was a compact 'secret agent gun'? Please... :confused:

Was this on the "History" channel, like on cable, because I must concur, it's either poorly executed hitory programes (leave them to the BBC, they know how to make 'em), excluding the ones with that bald guy who can use every weapon ever made, and fall off horse in plate armour to get back up and keep presenting lol, and (no offence intended) programes about how America won everything it ever engaged in and how the rest of the world should be thankful for it saving the day. Mind you, that may only be because here in Aus our cable tv "History" channel might be different. That's why SBS and the ABC are so much better.

P.S. Notice how I put "History" in quotation marks ;) subtle, yet effective.

Haha, yeah, wouldn't surprise me :D

I don't know about you, but I actually like that old bald guy who could use every weapon and fall off a horse. out of all the 'historic documentaries' I've seen, his was the best. A wee biased, a bit naive but atleast he tried to present the more or less facts instead of complete fiction(at the very least he was an re-enactor/historian and knew a little bit about A&A).

I think eveything he's in improves by 23% more awsome. But what's his name, gah! All I know is that I saw him in a show with some really annoying guy, it was "weapon masters" or somthing, only watched it for the bald dude :lol: I want his job!

Mike Loades.

Awsome, thanks.

Sirs-The greatest weapon of all times is the CLUB.It was and is the weapon of choice among most peoples, espically if guns are not available, and is far easier to make a kill with than knife or gun, both of which require skill to be reliable.Try hitting someone over the head with a baseball bat vs trying to shoot him at 5-10 yards with a pistol. 99% of all untraind people can't, except by accident. I have a friend who is a federal-liscenced firearms instructor as well as a police leutenant. He says the average officer can't hit a human-size target at 10 yards except by accident,and most officers are only trained at 7 yards, which is FBI basic shooting,and the maximum range most fatal gunfights take place at. Not to mention most clubs are quiet and don't have to be re-loaded.

The atlatl has always been my favorite archaic weapon. Clubs and rocks are obvious, simple improvements on the fist, so while effective they're not technologically interesting. The spear even if it's just a sharpened stick shows some thought and deserves respect. But the atlatl was the first weapon system, a tool used to deliver the weapon rather than the weapon itself. It is not obvious, it is the result of insight and engineering.

Expanding a bit on what James R. Fox wrote, not only is the club one of the most easily improvised weapons, but it is the one weapon from antiquity that is still being issued out today. Almost all police agencies carry some form of club: the baton, either a one-piece or expandable type such as the Asp, or the tonfa style baton. I'd give the knife a close second in the "all time greatest," though I'd consider it primarily a tool first, weapon second.

The longbow test always bums me out because it is such a poor test. Mike Loades did much better tests on the Weapons that Made Britain series. However The Great Warbow: From Hastings to the Mary Rose by Matthew Strickland and Robert Hardy who were in that bad demo is an awesome book on the subject.

The show was fun though. Anyone watch the Navy Seals show on before it? That was really cool.

Hello,

Glennan Carnie wrote:

Specialist armour-piercing arrowheads have been found - and found to be extremely effective against plate; even curved plate.

I'd not heard this bit before. Could you elaborate?

Thanks,
Steven

Top 10 weapons. 1. the spear, 2 the spear, 3..... 10. the spear.