View Full Version : Elephants vs. Elephants
Kongamato
03-03-2004, 07:36
I was wondering how effective elephants will be when fighting other elephants. I just dont know what kind of action will happen here. Will the elephants naturally fight harder, will they not be very effective against each other, or will something else happen?
I bet there have been elephant vs. elephant battles in history before. Does anyone here know what resulted from them, and how effective elephants were against themselves?
Outside of India I think there were only a few elephant on elephant battles.
they'll sit down in peace and have a conversation while drinking strawberry tea.
Yeah dont know that many battles where that occurred but the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC is one. IIRC its written that Antiochus's 60 Indian elephants were bigger and defeated Ptolemy's 40 smaller African elephants.
So I would say that they definitely could fight and produce a relative quick result if elephants faced each other.
CBR
Hakonarson
03-03-2004, 22:48
From Polybius at Perseus (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0234&query=chapter%3D%23447&layout=&loc=5.83)
"Only some few of Ptolemy's elephants came to close quarters with the foe: seated on these the soldiers in the howdahs maintained a brilliant fight, lunging at and striking each other with crossed pikes.1 But the elephants themselves fought still more brilliantly, using all their strength in the encounter, and pushing against each other, forehead to forehead.
The way in which elephants fight is this: they get their tusks entangled and jammed, and then push against one another with all their might, trying to make each other yield ground until one of them proving superior in strength has pushed aside the other's trunk; and when once he can get a side blow at his enemy, he pierces him with his tusks as a bull would with his horns. Now, most of Ptolemy's animals, as is the way with Libyan elephants, were afraid to face the fight: for they cannot stand the smell or the trumpeting of the Indian elephants, but are frightened at their size and strength, I suppose, and run away from them at once without waiting to come near them.
This is exactly what happened on this occasion: and upon their being thrown into confusion and being driven back upon their own lines, Ptolemy's guard gave way before the rush of the animals; while Antiochus, wheeling his men so as to avoid the elephants, charged the division of cavalry under Polycrates. At the same time the Greek mercenaries stationed near the phalanx, and behind the elephants, charged Ptolemy's peltasts and made them give ground, the elephants having already thrown their ranks also into confusion. Thus Ptolemy's whole left wing began to give way before the enemy."
RisingSun
03-03-2004, 22:54
I also believe in the later Empire, they brought some elephants into the Collosseum, and had Indian vs. Libyan elephants fight. Of course the Indians won. But it also seems there was more fight between the men on top as well as the elephants, as an elephant without its handler is useless as well as dangerous.
The use of North Africa elephants for "games" is the reason they're exitinct today.
Aymar de Bois Mauri
03-04-2004, 01:11
Funny thing though, sub-Saharian African Elefants are much bigger than Indian ones...
R'as al Ghul
03-11-2004, 13:39
Elephant units routing through my lines?? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-stunned.gif
Now thats a reason for a chain rout, isn't it? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Catiline
03-11-2004, 18:53
Quote[/b] (Aymar de Bois Mauri @ Mar. 03 2004,23:11)]Funny thing though, sub-Saharian African Elefants are much bigger than Indian ones...
THe African elephants at Raphia weren't the big sub saharan African ones, they were a smaller sub species of now extinct forest elephant.
GAH
Once RTW comes out, there will be somebody doing a 'phant rush on the first day.
GAH
Catiline
03-12-2004, 00:42
Kensai tastic
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