Throughout history, the balance between building defenses and finding ways to overcome them has been a constant struggle. In the modern age, siege warfare has largely disappeared, replaced by the supremacy of offensive weaponry. Firearms pierce body armor, anti-tank weapons destroy armored vehicles, and missiles can reduce fortified bunkers to rubble.
Yet, offensive tactics haven’t always held the upper hand. For much of history, defenses were dominant. When clubs were the pinnacle of weaponry, how could an attacker hope to prevail against a solid stone wall? This conundrum spurred humanity to develop ingenious methods for breaching defenses. Here are some of the more unconventional techniques, presented in no particular order.
1. Rocket cats
In the 16th century, an artilleryman named Franz Helm, who resided in what is now Germany, wrote a book on munitions, weaponry, and artillery tactics. Within this book, he described a method for wreaking havoc on a defensive system or town using a cat. Helm explained:
Create a small sack like a fire-arrow. If you would like to get at a town or castle, seek to obtain a cat from that place. And bind the sack to the back of the cat, ignite it, let it glow well and thereafter let the cat go, so it runs to the nearest castle or town, and out of fear it thinks to hide itself where it ends up in barn hay or straw it will be ignited.
It remains unclear whether this rather ambitious plan was ever implemented, but if it was, it would have likely caused more harm to one’s own property than to the enemy’s.
2. Up the toilet
This form of entry was through a part of a castle itself, rather than bringing your own equipment. Château Gaillard, a medieval castle, was completed in 1198 in France by Richard the Lionheart and was considered impenetrable at the time. Within 10 years of its competition, the castle had fallen into the hands of French King Philip II. His forces managed to enter and capture the castle’s outer areas, but couldn’t break through the central keep.
One of his men noticed a channel in the wall leading to one of the castle’s toilets. A man climbed up this filthy channel, through the toilet, and into the castle, where he opened a window to allow his fellow troops to enter too.
3. Flinging corpses
During a siege, armies often established a nearby camp to serve as their base of operations. These camps were typically filled with unwell, unclean soldiers, creating conditions where disease spread rapidly.
In 1346, the Mongols besieged the Crimean city of Caffa, leading to a prolonged standoff. Over time, the Mongol forces themselves fell victim to the Black Death, which ravaged their camp. Instead of withdrawing, as many armies might in such a situation, the Mongols seized the moment, using catapults to hurl disease-ridden corpses over the city walls in an effort to spread the disease among the defenders.
While it is uncertain, some fleeing residents of Caffa may have carried the Black Death into Europe.
4. Hot Sand
Those under siege often used this method to fend off attackers. Castles implemented a range of tactics to keep enemies at a distance, such as dropping hot or burning materials from the walls.
In 332 BC, during Alexander the Great’s siege of the city of Tyre, the defenders inside heated fine sand until it glowed red, then poured it onto the attackers below. This approach was highly effective because the tiny sand particles slipped through the gaps in soldiers’ armor. The only escape was to remove the armor, which exposed them to archers.
Other similar tactics included the use of burning hay, hot water, and boiling oil.
5. Bees and beer
When attacking a walled area, the Vikings, who knew the defenders would be firing down onto them, used wooden structures called hurdles for protection while they made their way through the walls.
When they attacked the English town of Chester, the defenders gathered up as much beer as possible and heated it up, then poured it down onto the attackers, literally burning off their skin. Their wooden covers could resist projectiles, but the hot beer was able to seep through the gaps.
New! Want to become a trivia master? Sign up for our War History Fact of the Day newsletter!
More from us: The Mulberry Harbor Paved The Way For Victory On D-Day
In response, the Vikings sealed their shielding with animal hides, deflecting the hot beer. Again in response, the defenders began throwing beehives at the Vikings, who were then savagely swarmed by angry bees.
Leave a Comment