THE MONGOLS WAY OF WAR ESSAY

THE MONGOLS WAY OF WAR

The Mongol military tactics and organization enabled the Mongol Empire to conquer nearly all of continental Asia, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe. The Mongol’s political structure was purely military, but it adopted the political structure of the Chinese in order to administrate the enormous territory. The most famous of the Mongol’s was Genghis Khan who united the nomadic Mongol tribes and died undefeated in battle. The paper will analyze the Mongols way of war and the vivid reasons for the success. Mongols strong military made them a strong, powerful, and prestigious empire. Apart from the provided source, other sources that will be used are, Turnbull, Stephen. The Mongol invasions of Japan 1274 and 1281. Vol. 217. Osprey Publishing, 2010. Cho, Wonhee. “Empire’s Twilight: Northeast Asia under the Mongols.” The Chinese Historical Review 17.2 (2010): 238-240. Gergő Vér, Márton. “The Role of Information and Disinformation in the Establishment of the Mongolian Empire–A Re-examination of the 13th century Mongolian History from the Viewpoint of Information History.” Session on Information History: perspectives, methods and current topics (2011).

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The Mongol army was the dominant military force of the 13th century. It relied on superior tactics and speed, and was like one massive well-disciplined cavalry, which moved rapidly It also adapted quickly to changing situations and followed complex battle strategies. The core of Genghis Khan’s army consisted of only 23,000 equestrians who fought with composite bows, hand axes, and protected themselves with waterproof leather armor. Chinese and Middle Eastern engineers, experienced with catapults and other siege devises, hired to attack fortified cities. The Mongol armies that established the largest land empire in history, stretching across Asia and into Eastern Europe, were imperfectly understood. They are often viewed as screaming throngs of equestrians who swept over opponents by sheer force rather than as disciplined regiments. The original foundation of that system was an extension of the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongols. Genghis Khan, his generals, and his successors invented other elements. Technologies useful to attack fortifications were adapted from other cultures, and foreign technical experts integrated into the command structures.

For the larger part of the 13th century, the Mongols lost only a few battles using that system. In many cases, they won against significantly larger opposing armies. Their first defeat in the West came in 1223 at the Battle of Samara Bend by the hands of the Volga Bulgars. The second one was at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, against the first army, which had been specifically trained to use their own tactics against them. However, they returned over 40 years later and defeated the Egyptian Mamluks at the Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar in 1299 and annex Syria, Palestine as well as Gaza. The Mongols suffered defeats in attempted invasions of Vietnam and Japan. Although the empire became divided around the same time, its combined size and influence remained largely intact for more than hundred years.

Tactics and strategy

In accordance with Mongol civil and social structure, outstanding obedience and firm discipline provided the backbone for their military. Transfers between units were forbidden. The leaders on each level had significant license to execute their orders in the way they considered best. Individual soldiers were responsible for their equipment, weapons, and up to five mounts, although they fought as part of a unit. The Mongols pioneered the use of feigned flight, surprise attacks, hostage taking, psychological warfare and human shields. Their cavalry, situated around the outside of the tumen, could swiftly advance to the front with little warning, and attack the enemy with a hail of arrows. The size of the Mongol army was exaggerated by placing dummies on the backs of horses and lighting strings of bonfires at night.

In field battles, the Mongols typically showered their enemy with armor-piercing arrows paving the way for a cavalry charge. Swift-moving horsemen then hacked down survivors with hooked lances. Mongol tactics and mobility were so superior to that of their rivals that they easily defeated armies several times larger than theirs were. Such tactics only worked if there was good communication. Mongol scouts could travel at a rate of up to a hundred miles a day to gather intelligence. Messages for these scouts as well news from a large network of spies was relayed back to the khan and between commanders and officers by swift-riding Pony-Express-like messengers and an elaborate system of flag signals. Their ability to live off the land, and in extreme situations off their animal food made their armies far less dependent on the traditional logistical apparatus of agrarian armies. In some cases, as during the invasion of Hungary in early 1241, they covered up to 100 miles per day, which was unheard of by other armies of the time.

Attention to command

Mongol armies practiced horsemanship, archery, and unit tactics, formations and rotations repeatedly. Officers and troopers were usually given a wide leeway by their superiors in carrying out their orders, so long as the larger objectives of the plan was well served. The Mongols thus avoided the pitfalls of overly rigid discipline and micromanagement, which have proven a hobgoblin to armed forces throughout history. However, all members had to be unconditionally loyal to each other and to their superiors, especially to the Khan. If one soldier ran from danger in battle, then he and his nine comrades from the same arban would face the death penalty together.

Logistics

The Mongol armies traveled very light, and were able to live largely off the land. Their equipment included fishhooks and other tools meant to make each warrior independent of any fixed supply source. The most common travel food of the Mongols was dried and ground meat “Borts”, which is still common in the Mongolian cuisine today. Borts is light and easy to transport, and can be cooked with water similarly to a modern “instant soup”. To ensure they would always have fresh horses, each trooper usually had three or four mounts. The horse is viewed much like a cow in Mongolia, and milked and slaughtered for meat as such. Since most of the Mongols’ mounts were mares, they were able to live off their horses’ milk products as they moved through enemy territory. Well-organized supply trains brought up heavier equipment. Wagons and carts carried, amongst other things, large stockpiles of arrows. The Mongols intelligence of war tactics enabled them to conquer most of their enemies.

The Mongols had superior weapons of that era. The primary weapon of the Mongol forces was their composite bows made from laminated horn, wood, and sinew. The layer of horn is on the inner face as it resists compression, while the layer of sinew is on the outer face as it resists tension. Such bows, with minor variations, had been the main weapon of steppe herdsmen and steppe warriors for over two millennia; Mongols (and many of their subject peoples) were extremely skilled with them. Some were said to be able to hit a bird on the wing. Composite construction allows a powerful and relatively efficient bow to be made small enough that it can be used easily from horseback. Mongol swords were a slightly curved Scimitar, which was used for slashing attacks but was also capable of cutting and thrusting, due to its shape and construction, making it easier to use from horseback. Several modern scholars have speculated that Chinese firearms and gunpowder weapons were deployed by the Mongols at the Battle of Mohi. It is well documented that the Mongols used cannons and bombs during the invasions of Japan, which were an early example of Gun power warfare in action.

Mongol sieges

Borrowing technology from the Arabs, Persians and Chinese, the Mongols refined sieges to an art form. During the sieges of walled cities and fortified compounds, the Mongols shot flaming arrows, hurled vessels of oil and fired animals. Siege machines and gunpowder learned from the Chinese and Persians played an important role in the horde.

CONCLUSION

No empire in history has risen so spectacularly as that of the Mongols. In less than 80 years, a band of warriors originally comprised of several men grew to an empire that encompassed all from the Pacific Ocean to the Danube River. From the Above article, it is evident that the Mongols way of warfare ultimately led to their success in the various conquest. It is therefore evident that Mongols were able to defeat their enemies because of the tactics that they used.