Desk Report,
How prepared is Bangladesh for modern warfare?
In the history of war, it is seen that the emergence of some special weapons has completely changed the way of conducting war. Sometimes, instead of using a special weapon, the strategic approach has changed the form of war. However, today we will only talk about the evolution of deadly weapons.
How prepared is Bangladesh for modern warfare?
From the beginning of history, weapons can be divided into two types—direct and indirect. Weapons that are used to kill the enemy from close range are direct, such as swords, spears, light bows and arrows. And weapons that are capable of attacking from a distance, such as catapults, are indirect weapons. These weapons have improved over centuries.
In ancient times, shields and swords were the main weapons. As a child, we used to see pictures of Isha Khan and Mansingh wrestling in history books. Isha Khan’s sword was straight, and Mansingh’s sword was curved.
We used to say, it was curved, so it must have broken! Actually, it wasn’t. For use by mounted warriors, curved swords were more effective, which were suitable for cutting or slicing. And infantry soldiers used straight swords, which were ideal for stabbing.
After the invention of gunpowder, the place of the shield and sword was taken by pistols, rifles, and submachine guns. However, the use of the sword did not completely disappear; rather, it still finds its place on the head of modern assault rifles as a bayonet.
Shields were used for personal protection, the evolved form of which we see in the armor of European knights. They were covered in metal armor all over their heads, and even their horses had armor on their bodies. In the Middle Ages, such knights were the main force of kings. Even today, in England, the honorific title of ‘knight’ is awarded, which gives the person the title of ‘sir’.
The ‘English long bow’ is one of the most famous weapons in history. In 1346, the English defeated a larger French knight army using this powerful bow. The arrows fired from this bow were capable of piercing the knights’ armor from a distance of 300 to 400 meters. Long before that, the Mongol horsemen used to shoot arrows from moving horses with extraordinary skill and defeated the enemy. Relying on this power, they built a huge empire in a short time.
The kings of that time used to build huge forts in important strategic areas. These forts, surrounded by 20-30 feet high stone walls, were inhabited by common people and soldiers and stored a lot of food and other supplies. The defense system of the fort was very strong, the archers would shoot arrows from behind, and if they tried to climb the walls, they would pour fire with liquid flammable substances from above. Almost all the forts were surrounded by deep ditches and the ditches were filled with deep water.
Breaking these forts was very difficult. Often the besiegers would give up. Many would not give up. Wooden catapults were used to break down fortresses, which were used to launch large stones and fireballs. The Mongols even threw the bodies of those who died of the plague into the fortress of Kaffa in the Crimea, so that the epidemic would spread inside.
In the meantime, gunpowder was invented. As a result, it became possible to demolish fortresses with cannons. Babur defeated the huge army of Ibrahim Lodi with that cannon. The Turks captured the present-day Istanbul fortress from the Byzantines.
Then, with the invention of the mace, rifle, and later machine gun, the course of medieval warfare changed completely. The devastating effect of machine guns can be seen in the Boer War of 1902 in South Africa and the Battle of Port Arthur in 1904.
Artillery also improved greatly. The range and destructive power of artillery shells increased manifold. This changed the nature of warfare and led to the Libyan defense or line defense strategy. In the First World War of 1914-18, millions of soldiers lost their lives for just a few hundred yards of land. Infantry soldiers were often trapped in machine guns, barbed wire, and trenches and died in droves, unable to advance.
In this situation, a new weapon was needed. The tank was born. Tanks were used for the first time in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. From this, maneuver and blitzkrieg or lightning-fast warfare were born. German troops used this strategy to quickly occupy most of Western Europe, including Poland, Czechoslovakia, and France.
At the same time, warplanes also developed rapidly. Radar was invented, and towards the end of World War II, the Germans developed the V-2 missile and jet fighter, some of which were actually used. Although Germany was not saved, these technologies determined the shape of future wars.
On the other hand, the United States invented the atomic bomb, which it used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This began a terrifying new chapter in the history of warfare—the nuclear age.
