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Use of fire in battles in pre-gunpowder age

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snowybeagle View Drop Down
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  Quote snowybeagle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Use of fire in battles in pre-gunpowder age
    Posted: 13-Dec-2004 at 04:10

Are there any accounts of battles won or lost by the use of fire in military battles in the pre-gunpowder age?

Besides those from China, I mean.

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vagabond View Drop Down
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  Quote vagabond Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-Dec-2004 at 14:15
Several wins were attributed to the  use of Greek Fire - but no one knows precisely what that was AFAIK.
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  Quote El_Bandito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06-Jan-2005 at 02:55
There was this one time when Scipio Africanus defeated two large Carthaginian army by torching their camps at  night and cutting down the survivors.
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  Quote J.M.Finegold Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06-Jan-2005 at 20:04
Originally posted by vagabond

Several wins were attributed to the  use of Greek Fire - but no one knows precisely what that was AFAIK.


Most likely a premitive form of Napalm, or Octane (which is basically Napalm).
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  Quote Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-Jan-2005 at 07:58
The Mongols, especially when facing armies with substantial infantry would send a squad to ride upwind of the the enemy infantry and light fires. This way with little visibily enemy units could be isolated from supporting units and not see a cavalry charge to their flank until it's too late to react.
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