The smallest army
The Danish king Nils, who ruled from 1104-1134, had the smallest army ever in the world. It consisted of 7 people - his personal assistants. With this army, he ruled Denmark for 30 years, and at that time Denmark also included large parts of Sweden and Norway, as well as some parts of Northern Germany.
The easiest entry into the army
In England during the time of James I, in order to become a soldier, it was enough to drink a glass of beer at the expense of the king and take an advance from the recruiter - one shilling. The recruiters went to pubs, treated them to beer, and at the bottom of the mug lay the mentioned shilling. After a while, any Briton who was treated to beer first examined the mug for a long time at the light.
The shortest war
In 1896, a war broke out between Britain and Zanzibar, which lasted exactly 38 minutes.
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The most ridiculous war
In 1249, a soldier from Bologna fled to Modena, capturing an old oak tub from which he watered his horse. The authorities of Bologna demanded to give them not a deserter, but a tub. Refused, Bologna started a war against Modena that lasted 22 years and was accompanied by significant destruction. And the tub still remains in Modena and is kept in one of the city's towers.
The most fake attack
During the Second World War, the Germans in Holland built a model of the airfield in great secrecy. Airplanes, hangars, cars, air defense systems - everything was made of wood. But one day an English bomber flew in and dropped a single bomb on the false airfield, after which the construction of the airfield stopped. The bomb was wooden.
The most offensive weapon
During the Franco-Prussian War, the French army already had machine guns.
But, despite the obvious advantages, no one used them, because for reasons of secrecy, the developers did not write instructions for the machine gunners! By the way, Nikolay II did not like automatic weapons. He believed that because of machine guns and machine guns, the army could be left without ammunition.
The funniest army laws
In Switzerland, the pigeon army mail was canceled only a few years ago, and in Britain, only in 1947, the post of a person who was obliged to fire a cannon at the time of Napoleon's invasion of England was abolished.
The most careless military
According to the Hamburg Institute for Security Affairs, over the past half century, the US Air Force has lost 92 atomic bombs that are at the bottom of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans during military exercises, as well as as a result of accidents. Here: One of the American planes in Vietnam hit itself with its missile.
Most unnecessary military post
In the state of Nebraska, you can buy an admiral's diploma for $ 25.
Absolutely real, giving the right to command all warships. True, only in the state. For your information: Nebraska is located in the very center of the United States, and the nearest sea is two thousand kilometers from all sides.
The most-most military censorship
When the writer Arkady Averchenko brought a story on a military theme to one of the editorial offices during the First World War, the censor deleted the phrase from it: "It was blue." It turns out that from these words, enemy spies could guess that the case was taking place in the south.
The most audacious promotion
Our Colonel Ermolov, the future hero of the war of 1812, very interestingly received the rank of general. He talked so boldly with his colleagues, who were of higher rank, that they asked for the rank of general for him. Still, listening to such nasty things from the general is not so offensive.
The most unusual weapon
One Siamese king, retreating, ordered to fire the enemy from cannons not with cannonballs, but with silver coins. Than disorganized the enemy completely and won the battle.
The most unusual war animals
One of the most effective units in the Russian army 200 years ago was the camel cavalry, which our opponents did not like very much. Firstly, the camels are big, and secondly, they spit unpleasantly. It is a pity that they had to be abolished.
The cheapest war
As you know, war is considered a very expensive business. So, in November 1923, Germany decided to calculate the amount of military spending in the First World War. It turned out that the war cost the former empire … 15.4 pfenning - because, due to inflation, the Reichsmark had fallen in price by that time exactly a trillion times!