I was wondering what people thought was the most important or significant invention that changed the warfare was fought.
I'll just throw one out to get started.
How about the turret. First used on the USS Monitor and the principle is still used today on most military equipment. Can you imagine what tank or navel warfare would be like today with a turret.

How about the airplane, gunpowder, or even the tank. Each significantly changed the way we fight wars.

The wheel. Do I win? Hee Hee...

#:-) #:-) #:-) #:-)

Seriously, though, how about the stirrup? Allowed the mechanical advantage of the horse to be projected by (through) the rider.

Shaun

The machine gun:
This weapon forever put to death the notion of the grand battle lines as seen in pre 1900 warfare.
The airplane:
In all of it's roles from strategic bombardment to reconnaissance, the aircraft has added the verticle dimension to modern warfare. It also greatly shortened the vast distances of oceans separating the various world powers (and pretenders).
Barbed wire:
When properly deployed, this relatively cheap invention allows forces to create barriers quickly to impede the movement and deployment of the infantryman.

Tinned food. Most other inventions were a development from existing systems. The paper cartridge became the modern rifle bullet for example. I consider tinned food a primary development in modern warfare because it allowed armies to need less re-supply than previously. In the 19th century it had been necessary to follow an army corps with huge columns of cattle, large quantities of forage, salt and brine in industrial quanties to preserve the meat and of course enormous quantities of barrels for storage.

Tinned food also allowed an increase in the range of warships as more food could be carried for less tonnage. Allowing logically greater potential for power-projection.

Possibly though the single greatest invention in modern warfare was the aeroplane. Although its tactical use was not developed until WW2, it continues to be a system which continues to evolve and develop in both the strategic and tactical theater.

Jim

I would have to nominate the aeroplane. It would eventually put any enemy within range of millitary action regardless of their geographical location.
Martin

How about the stirrup? People fought on horseback for centuries prior to the introduction of the stirrup but it's use changed the way they were able to fight. This lead to almost a thousand years of horsed cavalary, far longer than the machine gun or the airplane.

Halfyank, I'm with ya. Read my post above. At least I didn't say the cell phone...

Shaun

Actually, one of the most revolutionary inventions/developments was the longbow, which allowed stand off troops who could inflict horrific casualties on all but the most heavily armored opponents.

At some point, we may look at nukes as having forced the major powers to stand down from the huge wars we saw up through 1945.

I'll vote for nuclear weapons.
Once they were developed, they were used only once (twice depending on how you want to view Hiroshima/Nagasaki).
That use ended a major conflict. They've never been used in conflict again.
They've not become obsolete due to a more advanced or destructive weapon.
They represent a thresh hold that no one wants to cross.
And as such, they are still the greatest deterent to all out conflict (I think).
Just my thoughts. Have a nice day!

What about the wheel? The mobility was dramatically increased and it was possible to support much bigger armies, and from then the technology took off...
Ciao

I vote for the machine gun....

i'd vote for the baker rifle.
This put effective skirmishers onto the field and eventually led to a whole change in tactics, no longer did armies face up in line to fight each other and it also increased range and accuracy.

Maybe my focus is too broad. The stirrup and longbow (nobody mentioned this one yet) had an impact that lasted for centuries, socially, politically and militarily. I think nuclear weapons, no matter how the whole SDI thing pans out, will fall into that category. Many of the technologies mentioned had a great impact for a short period but went by the wayside due to the development of effective counter measures or simple obsolescence.

Just my $.02

BTW, The posts in the history forum never cease to amaze me. Some real thinkers post here @ Armorama. Thanks!!

Shaun

Logistics??

When armies realised that they couldnt wage a long campaign and live on the territory conqoured. It was noted long before but became evident with Napoleons war with Russia. Where no fourage were available as Charles XII of Sweden, had experienced a hundred years earlier.

Otherwise I would say that roman formations, longships, stirrups, longbows, gunpowder, cartridge and machineguns changed the warfare when they was invented.

Another thing that made a small country as Sweden to have a large standing army from 1600-1720 was the system of prescripts. Every village had to have a soldier and equip them to be ready and trained for war. I actually cant find any good translations for this system in the moment.

I am going to go with the rifled barrel. This invention gave marksman distance as well as accuracy. Large massed volleys were no longer necessary to be effective.

Patrick

I'm gonna go with gunpowder.
With out it's discovery in China than "perfected" use from the Arabs or by a German monk named Berthold Schwarz (the powder monk) there would be no cannons, machine guns, etc.

How about the radio? Provided near instantaneous communications between the front line and the commander.

Then there's penicillin. Prevented the death of many soldiers who would otherwise have died of their wounds due to infection. Not technically an invention but...

What about the concept of organized drilling, marching (basically bootcamp), regular and standardized organization of units and a regular officer system....

First laid out by the Romans but forgotten, then reintroduced by Maurice of Nassau and his brother in the end of the 16th century. The reinstituted drill, millitary discipline in the modern sence, instated a regular officer system, reorganized the organization of an army. Basic unit was about company size. They (re)introduced theoretical and sand tabletop exercizes to study tactical situations (their collection of toy-soldiers was quite legendary). Basically many if not most of their reforms are still in use and form in some respects even the basics of any modern standing army.

STEEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rifling in the barrel of a gun. Weapons now became accurate and didn't need the mass line up firing of troops that was required in earlier wars. This added to the distance that a man could shoot another man.

It all started with "fire."

The morons of the old age burned their enemies and then cooked and ate them. They could pillage and eat at the same time.. Now hows that for convenience.

I think the HUEY helicopter. I think it had a big change on battle tatics.

I belive it is the computer. This has a far reaching impact on the development and implementation of warfare from design to production ... etc...