Harold A. Skaarup - Siegecraft II: No Fortress Impregnable

Siegecraft II

No Fortress Impregnable

Harold A. Skaarup

Copyright 2021 Harold A. Skaarup.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review.

ISBN: 978-1-63795-733-2 (Paperback Edition)

ISBN: 978-1-63795-734-9 (Hardcover Edition)

ISBN: 978-1-63795-732-5 (E-book Edition)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The information presented here has been gleaned from a great number of living and historical sources, many of whom were participants in the sieges described. They were there, I was not, and an individual eyewitnesses view is often open to many interpretations. You must choose for yourself what to believe in these accounts, and remember that it is your right to do so.

E Tenebris Lux and Ex Coelis.

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To the currently serving members of the Allied Forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Canadian Armed Forces, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), United States Space Command (USSPACECOM), and the United Nations (UN) Security Forces currently deployed, thank you. Grant we keep the peace.

Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed.

The great struggles of the 20th century between liberty and totalitarianism ended with a decisive victory for the forces of freedom and a single sustainable model for national success: freedom, democracy, and free enterprise. In the 21st century, only nations that share a commitment to protecting basic human rights and guaranteeing political and economic freedom will be able to unleash the potential of their people and assure their future prosperity. People everywhere want to be able to speak freely; choose who will govern them; worship as they please; educate their children - male and female; own property; and enjoy the benefits of their labor. These values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every society - and the duty of protecting these values against their enemies is the common calling of freedom-loving people across the globe and across the ages.

1. NATO flag, Canadian Armed Forces logo, NORAD logo, USNORTHCOM logo, USSPACECOM logo, and UN logo.

2. Medieval trebuchet in action during the First Crusade (10951099).

3. Chevaux-de-frise.

4. Abatis.

5. Fortification diagrams.

6. Battle of Crcy, 26 August 1346.

7. King John at the Battle of Poitiers, 1356.

8. Battle of Agincourt, 25th October 1415.

9. Dragons teeth tank traps from the Second World War.

10. Great Wall of China, Jinshanling.

11. Siege of Jericho, c1405/1406 BC.

12. Assyrians using siege ladders in a relief of attack on an enemy town during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III 720-738 BCE.

13. Chateau Gaillard.

14. Verdun Ossuary.

15. Plan view of the star fortifications in Nicosia, Cyprus, 1597.

16. Assyrian relief of Tiglath-Pileser III besieging a town.

17. The capture of Miletus, engraving.

18. Naval Action during the Siege of Tyre, engraving.

19. Castle of Arvalo (Castillo de Arvalo), built between the 12th and 16th centuries in the north of the province of Avila in Spain.

20. Chteau de Vincennes, a massive 14th and 17th century French royal fortress in the town of Vincennes, to the east of Paris.

21. General Daumesnil, Je rendrai Vincennes quand on me rendra ma jambe, from a painting by Gaston Mlingue.

22. Engraving of Echafaud donjon, Coucy, France.

23. Engraving of the Siege of Holschnitt, Germany, 1502.

24. Engraving of the Siege of Magdeburg, Germany 1630-1631.

25. Ramesses II in a chariot, with his Egyptian Army engaged in the siege of Dapur, from a mural in Thebes.

26. The Egyptian siege of Dapur in the 13th century BC, Bas-relief from the Ramesseum, Thebes.

27. Ramesses II (The great Sesostris), at the Battle of Khadesh, ca 1274 BC, engraving.

28. Reconstructed Trebuchets at Chteau de Castelnaud, France.

29. Chteau de Castelnaud, in the commune of Castelnaud-la-Chapelle overlooking the Dordogne River in Prigord, southern France.

30. Chteau de Beynac.

31. Chteau de Beynac, castle keep.

32. The fall of the walls of Jericho, ca 1400 BC.

33. Medieval Castle under siege.

34. Crusader fortress Krak des Chevaliers, Northwest Syria.

35. British First World War Mk. IV (Male) Tank with a fascine.

36. 13th century CE illustration showing a medieval siege in France.

37. Roman watchtower on the lower Danube frontier, c113 AD.

38. Roman fortress reconstruction, Saalburg Main Gate (Porta Praetoria), Germany.

39. Roman castle of Iciniacum near Theilenhofen in Bavaria Germany.

40. Muse Mmorial de la Ligne Maginot du Rhin,Maginot Line Casemate, south of Strasbourg, France.

41. Model of the Fortress of Megiddo, 1457 BC.

42. A wheeled siege engine, 9th century BC bas-relief of an Assyrian attack, found in the palace of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC), at Nimrud.

43. Mykonos vase depicting the Trojan Horse.

44. Triumphant Achilles dragging Hectors body around Troy, from a panoramic fresco of the Achilleion by Franz Matsch.

45. Engraving of a 13th century catapult throwing Greek fire.

46. The Catapult, painting by Sir Edward Poynter.

47. Roman Mangonel.

48. Ballista siege engine, engraving.

49. Roman Ballista with Roman soldiers.

50. Roman one talent ballista (26 kg weight projectile).

51. Medieval Ballista, drawing.

52. Trebuchet, Middle Ages.

53. Siege tower, engraving.

54. Belfry.

55. Medieval Siege Tower.

56. Bohemond of Taranto mounts the rampart of Antioch, engraving by Gustave Dor.

57. The process of sapping in the 17th century, engraving.

58. Engraving of a Counter Ram in operation.

59. Rams in operation.

60. Romans under the cover of their shields in an assault formation known as a tortoise.

61. Roman Onager in action.

62. Roman Javelin catapult.

63. Catapult drawing from the Dictionary of French Architecture from 11th to 16th Century.

64. Boudicca statue, London.

65. The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, under the command of Titus, AD 70. Painting by David Roberts.

66. Aerial view of the fortress of Masada, Israel.

67. The Goths at the Battle of Mons Lactarius during the Gothic War, 535-553. Painting by Alexander Zick.

68. Raiding Huns attack a Roman Villa. Roche Grosse.

69. Engraving of Ostrogoths entering Rome.