"This Is How Europe Conquered Asia" Topic

"In our tech-obsessed world, many tend to believe that military superiority is largely the product of superior military technology: The more advanced a country's missile force, the more likely it is to prevail in a military confrontation in the 21st century. While this is certainly correct up to a point, we often tend to neglect a more mundane and less exciting component of guaranteeing a military force's superiority over an adversary: military drills.

Today, we take intense close-order and extended-order (combat) drills in militaries across the world for granted. However, military drilling has been a relatively modern invention. First introduced by the ancient Romans in training their legionnaires, it was largely forgotten until the 16th century when it was rediscovered by Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange (1567-1625) who laid the foundations for modern routines of army drills.

Trying to beat the Spanish Empire in the Low Countries, Maurice introduced systematic drills on the basis of Roman precedents, endlessly forcing his soldiers to load and fire their matchlock muskets (42 separate, successive moves) in unison. Maurice also regularized marching, enabling his soldiers to maintain close-order formation even on the move. By keeping in step, his soldiers were able to advance simultaneously with every man ready to fire at the same time…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Europe conquered Asia?

Dan

Bits of Asia.

I thought the Macedonians were the first to drill their troops?

LOL. I guess everyone has a different definition of what a conquest is.

Some people talk of defeat as if it was conquest. I feel conquest must include more than just the defeat of the other nation's armies, and the seizing of all its resources. I think these two things must be followed by a lot more than just a few years of occupation.

Dan

forwardmarchstudios, I thought the Spartans were drilling long before the Macedonians.

Imho the spirit of the article is to show that in close-order and extended-order (combat)or drills in militaries
always there was a notorious superiority on the part of European forces…. among the technology of course.

Amicalement
Armand