What were some advantages in using elephants in war?

Between battles, they could carry massive loads, move things, and could even cover ground pretty quickly. They easily forded rivers and could carry supplies and equipment across with them. These elephants served as more than beasts of war and could help literally move an army when necessary.

What military advantage would elephants give an army?

Traveling armies took advantage of the elephant”s enormous strength by carrying heavy loads of equipment and supplies. But elephants did not insure invincibility and were often a disadvantage. Only the larger Asian elephants or African plains elephants were able to maintain towers on their backs.

What animals were used in ancient warfare?

Horses, donkeys, mules and camels carried food, water, ammunition and medical supplies to men at the front, and dogs and pigeons carried messages. Canaries were used to detect poisonous gas, and cats and dogs were trained to hunt rats in the trenches.

Are elephants effective in battle?

Though it took a lot of time, elephants could be trained to effectively fight in battle lines and even against other elephants. While a wall of spearmen would decimate an enemy cavalry charge (if the horses could even be persuaded to charge), they had almost no initial impact on an elephant charge.

Did Alexander the Great and his army use elephants in battle?

The first use of war elephants in Europe was made in 318 BC by Polyperchon, one of Alexander’s generals, when he besieged Megalopolis in the Peloponnesus during the wars of the Diadochi. He used 60 elephants brought from Asia with their mahouts.

What modern weapon would you compare elephants to in ancient times?

War elephants, which were employed on battlefields from ancient times well into the middle ages, and which were used as heavy assault weapons, can be compared with some of the tanks used in the first half of the twentieth century.

Did Alexander the Great use elephants?

What were elephants used for?

The war elephant’s main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific military units using elephant-mounted troops. War elephants played a critical role in several key battles in antiquity, especially in Ancient India.