Battle Elephants... Truth or fiction? How they are used and why they aren't used more? They seem like ancient analogue of moderns tanks to me. No way bunch of swordsmen could even harm one.
>>914783
Rare
Not bred in captivity until 18th - 19th century
Good tactics against them were developed when years were still counted down instead of up
Alexander's army fought against and then used some
Elephants are mainly only useful against people who have no fucking idea what an elephant is
>>914783
Definitely truth. Alexander faced them, we have records by the Romans from the first Punic War to the Jewish rebellion and later, and execution by elephant was and may still be a big thing.
Hannibal had some when he was crossing the Alps.
>>914783
>No way bunch of swordsmen could even harm one.
But pikemen on the other hand...
>>914964
Not actually true. Josephus relates an account where a guy in a Jewish army saw a bunch of elephants in the opposing (Ptolemaic or Syrian, I don't recall) army, assumed the largest one with the blingest howdah was the king's, and rushed it and slashed up into its stomach. It died, and fell on top of him, so he died.
>>914807
that pic sounds like bullshit to me
>>914982
This probably should have been linked to OP's post instead.
Also it wasn't even the king's elephant
>>914993
I could suggest you take it up with the author but I presume he died 1600 years ago.
What about Battle Boars/War Hogs? They are more agile, deadlier and faster than most horses and could easily feast on the dead corpses of enemy creating essential fear factor. They also have superior intelligence to docile horses.
Why did not any nation employ them in history? Fully-armored Boar could not be easily stopped
>>915062
>Fully-armored Boar could not be easily stopped
That might be why: What about the poor son of a bitch who has to round them all up again?
>>915062
You forgot battle mules and light cavalry ostriches
>>914840
>Elephants are mainly only useful against people who have no fucking idea what an elephant is
Except in South/Southeast Asia, where fucking Jungles meant that cavalry was useless and enemy infantry get to enjoy being in close quarters with a huge pachyderm surrounded by support infantry with a couple of guys with weapons up top oh and not to mention the beast itself.
In those places where they perfected the art of elephant warfare, the primary job of the Elephant was to break formations so that the infantry following it could follow through.
>>915062
maybe because real life boars are not as big as on your pic?
>>915379
They still fucked shit up. Just release them in groups like Total War tells me they did with dogs.
>>915062
Ive always grieved the fact that Africans never came up with armoured battle rhinos
Elephants were used in warfare and were actually fairly common in the armies of the Hellenic successor states.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraha
>>914783
They look like an easy target for archers to me
