What´s your favorite movie phrase?…

@CWO:

@Karl7:

Conan: To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women.

That was originally a Ghengis Khan quote, if I’m not mistaken, but Arnold delivers his version of it nicely.

Yeah, but I don’t get why the guy who says “wind in your hair” didn’t get his asss immediately kicked out of the tent… what a loser…

@Karl7:

Yeah, but I don’t get why the guy who says “wind in your hair” didn’t get his asss immediately kicked out of the tent… what a loser…

I dunno…maybe he works for the chieftain as a staff officer, to handle paperwork, rather than as front-line combat officer, and therefore isn’t expected to be as macho as Arnold.  Douglas MacArthur, who didn’t like Dwight Eisenhower, once said of Eisenhower (who – as a colonel, if I’m not mistaken – had once worked for him as a staff officer) that “He was the best clerk I ever had.”  Eisenhower similarly didn’t like MacArthur, and once said of him “I studied drama under him for three years” (I may have the number wrong; I don’t recall the exact figure).

LOL nice one Marc.

@CWO:

@Karl7:

Yeah, but I don’t get why the guy who says “wind in your hair” didn’t get his asss immediately kicked out of the tent… what a loser…

I dunno…maybe he works for the chieftain as a staff officer, to handle paperwork, rather than as front-line combat officer, and therefore isn’t expected to be as macho as Arnold.  Douglas MacArthur, who didn’t like Dwight Eisenhower, once said of Eisenhower (who – as a colonel, if I’m not mistaken – had once worked for him as a staff officer) that “He was the best clerk I ever had.”  Eisenhower similarly didn’t like MacArthur, and once said of him “I studied drama under him for three years” (I may have the number wrong; I don’t recall the exact figure).

Garg, your killing me…  :lol:

But weren’t all mongol warriors front line fighters?  Did they have “staff officers?”  Interesting historical questions…

You’re gonna eat lightnin’ and you’re gonna crap thunder!

https://youtu.be/t0JXYqxGGnY?t=107

“You played three different teams, and let’s face it, you dominated each and every one of them” - Young Grasshopper

:) :) :)

@Gargantua:

https://youtu.be/t0JXYqxGGnY?t=107

“You played three different teams, and let’s face it, you dominated each and every one of them” - Young Grasshopper

:) :) :)

Wow, never would have thought I could have a line quote in a thread like this… I guess all it takes is a little butt kissing.

LOL

You’re like Clint Eastwood now.

@Karl7:

But weren’t all mongol warriors front line fighters?  Did they have “staff officers?”  Interesting historical questions…

It is indeed an interesting historical question, and one that was actually addressed in something I once read (if I remember correctly, it was Gwynne Dyer’s book War).  The author noted that there was an important difference between agrarian civilizations (like the Roman Empire) and pastoral/nomadic civilizations (like the Mongols) in terms of their military capabilities.  Agrarian civilizations can only devote a small percentage of their labour force to military activities, and more specifically to full-time professional armies; Rome, even at its height, only had about 10% of its adult male population under arms, many of the rest being occupied in farming, and the remainder being in commerce (including food importation and sale), crafts, trades and administration. Nomads, by contrast, tend not to have standing armies in the conventional sense…but by the same token they have no fixed agricultural land to cultivate and to defend, and fewer of the economic and administrative burdens that are required to keep an urban civilization functioning.  Therefore, when the need arises, nomads can put almost 100% of their adult male population into combat, and thus technically have the capacity to fight an agrarian state ten times larger than themselves.  So in that respect: no, barbarian chieftains wouldn’t make much (if any) use of staff officers in the conventional sense.

Two things on Mark’s comments.

Further to Marc’s comments
#1.  Looking at the Agrarian society farmers model.  It’s important to distinguished that in the Nomad society, the Raider/warrior is the Farmer.  Pillaging as he moves along, living off the milk of his horse, loot from the conquest, bounty of the land.

As for Mongol Officers - Let’s review some important distinctions.  I wouldn’t necessary call Mongol officers “Staff” officers in the sense we know them - but it’s important to note that Mongol officers were not needlessly expended - but rather protected.

The Mongol battlefield tactics were a combination of masterful training with excellent communication and discipline in the chaos of combat. They trained for virtually every possibility, so when it occurred, they could react accordingly. Unlike many of their foes, the Mongols also protected their ranking officers well. Their training and discipline allowed them to fight without the need for constant supervision or rallying, which often placed commanders in dangerous positions.

Whenever possible, Mongol commanders found the highest ground available, from which they could make tactical decisions based on the best view of the battlefield as events unfolded. Furthermore, being on high ground allowed their forces to observe commands conveyed by flags more easily than if the ground were level. In addition, keeping the high command on high ground made them easier to defend. Unlike the European armies, which placed enormous emphasis on personal valor, and thus exposed their leaders to death from anyone bold enough to kill them, the Mongols regarded their leaders as a vital asset. A general such as Subutai, unable to ride a horse in the later part of his career due to age and obesity, would have been ridiculed out of most any European army of the time. But the Mongols recognized and respected his still-powerful military mind, who had been one of the Genghis’ most able subordinates, so he was transported around in a cart.