11-22-2003, 01:43 AM
[quote name='dhaval.shah' date='Nov 21 2003, 10:33 PM'] It is always possible that War Elephants of the yore were breeded for specific purposes. Note that Elephant is a very intelligent animal and has probably more memory than a human. So an elephant bred for war purposes can be quite threatening to an enemy. It will become an active participant in the war alongside with the human "master"!
The only downside with an Elephant based cavalry is the amount of food and water required for its maintenance. Assuming an elephant requires 200 Kg of food and 40 litres of water a day, an armour of 100 elephants will require @20000 kg of food and 4000 litres of water a day!!!! [And not to mention emission problems]Now imagine the enemy cuts out the support lines and an enormous cavalry is stranded. The only way it can be effective is to live off the land and that is not easy in a war fighting mode. [/quote]
Dhaval, regarding marching an army of elephants, Chanakya's Arthashastra would be a great source. My primary source (so far) of ancient *Indian* warfare involving elephants has been the Arthashastra..
Arthashastra also talks about rations for elephants and how to train War elephants..
here is an excerpt on marching an army.
My teacher says that one should almost invariably march against an enemy in troubles.
But Kautilya says: that when one's resources are sufficient one should march, since the troubles of an enemy cannot be properly recognised; or whenever one finds it possible to reduce or destroy an enemy by marching against him, then one may undertake a march.
When the weather is free from heat, one should march with an army mostly composed of elephants. Elephants with profuse sweat in hot weather are attacked by leprosy; and when they have no water for bathing and drinking, they lose their quickness and become obstinate. Hence, against a country containing plenty of water and during the rainy season, one should march with an army mostly composed of elephants. Against a country of the reverse description, i.e., which as little rain and muddy water, one should march with an army mostly composed of asses, camels, and horses.
Against a desert, one should march during the rainy season with all the four constituents of the army (elephants, horses, chariots, and men). One should prepare a programme of short and long distances to be marched in accordance with the nature of the ground to be traversed, viz., even ground, uneven ground, valleys and plains.
When the work to be accomplished is small, march against all kinds of enemies should be of short duration; and when it is great, it should also be of long duration; during the rains, encampment should be made abroad.
[Thus ends Chapter I, âThe Knowledge of Power, Place, Time, Strength and Weakness, the Time of Invasion,â in Book IX, âThe Work of an Invader,â of the Arthasástra of Kautilya. End of the hundred and twenty-second chapter from the beginning.]
The only downside with an Elephant based cavalry is the amount of food and water required for its maintenance. Assuming an elephant requires 200 Kg of food and 40 litres of water a day, an armour of 100 elephants will require @20000 kg of food and 4000 litres of water a day!!!! [And not to mention emission problems]Now imagine the enemy cuts out the support lines and an enormous cavalry is stranded. The only way it can be effective is to live off the land and that is not easy in a war fighting mode. [/quote]
Dhaval, regarding marching an army of elephants, Chanakya's Arthashastra would be a great source. My primary source (so far) of ancient *Indian* warfare involving elephants has been the Arthashastra..
Arthashastra also talks about rations for elephants and how to train War elephants..
here is an excerpt on marching an army.
My teacher says that one should almost invariably march against an enemy in troubles.
But Kautilya says: that when one's resources are sufficient one should march, since the troubles of an enemy cannot be properly recognised; or whenever one finds it possible to reduce or destroy an enemy by marching against him, then one may undertake a march.
When the weather is free from heat, one should march with an army mostly composed of elephants. Elephants with profuse sweat in hot weather are attacked by leprosy; and when they have no water for bathing and drinking, they lose their quickness and become obstinate. Hence, against a country containing plenty of water and during the rainy season, one should march with an army mostly composed of elephants. Against a country of the reverse description, i.e., which as little rain and muddy water, one should march with an army mostly composed of asses, camels, and horses.
Against a desert, one should march during the rainy season with all the four constituents of the army (elephants, horses, chariots, and men). One should prepare a programme of short and long distances to be marched in accordance with the nature of the ground to be traversed, viz., even ground, uneven ground, valleys and plains.
When the work to be accomplished is small, march against all kinds of enemies should be of short duration; and when it is great, it should also be of long duration; during the rains, encampment should be made abroad.
[Thus ends Chapter I, âThe Knowledge of Power, Place, Time, Strength and Weakness, the Time of Invasion,â in Book IX, âThe Work of an Invader,â of the Arthasástra of Kautilya. End of the hundred and twenty-second chapter from the beginning.]