Blåhaj PieFedDamn right he is
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LadyButterfly she/her
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Let’s not leave out the flag bearers, creating a tempting target for any artillery or siege weapons.
In case anyone was ignorant amidst the jokes, the purpose of both flag bearers and drummers was basically communication, and was utterly crucial for command and control of an army. It wasn’t just an honor thing, though adding honor on top made sure that soldiers wouldn’t abandon it.
In movies it’s just for ambiance.
The only guy giving the actual reason in the whole thread!
Not just tempting, but with convenient windage markers.
Flag bearers were largely used for communication. In a hectic battle, distributing orders to your troops was a problem. Flag bearers were essentially a way for orders to be communicated. By looking at the flag (which was really more of a banner, held taut so it wouldn’t wave too much in the wind), you could get a rough idea of what you were supposed to be doing. Its direction, angle, height, and front/back face could be used to communicate orders like “push left”, “push right”, “hold position”, and “retreat”.
Flag bearers weren’t targeted just because they were easy targets… They were targeted because eliminating them meant you were hamstringing your enemy’s communication.
Reminds me of a Scottish bagpiper, Bill Millin, during WW2 who played during the D-Day landing. The German snipers deliberately avoided shooting at him because they thought it was so ballsy and awesome. The guy survived the war.
I can imagine…
— Hans, look at that lunatic with the bagpipes!
— I’ll be dogged, Fritz! It’s true! - points machine gun at him
— Nein, nein, nein! It’s a mood. Kill him last. Besides, he’s not fighting.
so it is true
There was also that guy who somehow wasn’t Scottish, who fought WWII with bagpipes and a longbow, and then went on to become a pioneer in the sport of surfing. Quoted to have said “If it weren’t for the damn yanks we could have kept the war going another ten years.”
What a fucking Scottish way to assert dominance, I love it
Didn’t they rather think he was mad?
Poetic license
The music of war was often psychological warfare. Some of the battles in india that I have read about describe the drums as so loud you cannot hear someone speaking next to you. They communicated in sign. It could be quite intimidating and during a siege it could stop you from sleeping.
Scottish bagpipes were considered a weapon of war rather than a musical instrument for a good time of history.
Honestly if they’re not being played by someone in the top 10%, I’d say they still are.
They need the right context. I am unsure if it’s a sampled bagpipe, actual bagpipe or something that sounds like a bagpipe, but it sounds fucking awesome here.
https://youtu.be/JeCgD8NLDIc?t=121
Weapons of mass distraction
Not just drums. This phalanx has a double flute.
And later the Celts had the carnyx!
God damn, who brings a vuvuzela to battle?
Drums are loud, so they could be used for signalling over relatively long distances in a time where there were limited options for conveying messages further than you could yell.
Audible signals do have the added benefit that in order to receive them, you don’t need to look in a specific direction, so you don’t cause any undue distraction with your signalling.
Also, in the time of line tactics, keeping the movements of your units uniform and steady was extremely important, and keeping them in step using drums was a big part of that.
The Chinese PLA still trains bugle call communications, because unlike radios they can’t be jammed.
relatedly there are people whose whole role in the military is using quadbikes to transport messages in times of war, because it’s basically impossible to intercept such messages.
Just dig a hole
skill issue (whoever made their radios)
Eh. Even DSSS or FHSS can be jammed, you just need the right equipment with enough power.
Drums and horns. “Remember lads, the sax solo is for advancing up the flanks and the kick drum is for the artillery barrage.”
Now divisions have Instagram accounts, boasting content.
And occasionally delivering free intelligence to their opponent while doing so.
You ever been in a high pressure environment vs being in a high pressure environment while rocking out? Idk if it makes me more or less productive but certainly makes me feel better.
Absolutely insane that armies in the 21st century used to have radiomen. Like hello yes we’re here to slaughter eachother but before that my main man DJ Oorah is gonna play nothing but rock, rock and more rock, this ain’t your granny’’s net Radioactive by imagine dragons starts playing
Drummers were used for communication, its impossible to hear someone shouting or see a flag/signal when hundreds of people are firing off black powder firearms.
Imagine if they’d had the Amen break and battlefield sound systems back then.
This makes me want to boot up Patapon again
With a blistering fife solo.