Siege Warfare

Siege warfare is a demanding form of combat, which occupies a unique place in military history. In contrast to manoeuvre warfare, a siege centres on a fixed location, whether a simple hill fort or an entire walled city, and the attacking force has to utilize a mixture of guile, patience, technology and brute force to wear down their opponents, smash through the defences and force submission.

Siege Warfare Operations Manual explains the tactics and technologies of siege warfare for both attackers and defenders, from ancient times to the beginning of the gunpowder age. Mighty siege engines – including torsion artillery, trebuchets, battering rams and siege towers – are closely examined and illustrated in fine detail. The book discusses the complexities of underground and overground assault, specifically escalade, undermining and sapping, and what happened after a besieging army forced a breach. It also investigates the formalities and deceits of non-force options – the subtle arts of negotiation, spying and infiltration.