Feet & Water.

This is coolbert:

Military miscellany with regard to previous posts:

Picture today in the Chicago Tribune shows a group of Taiwanese riot police, wearing full paraphenalia, with their backs to the camera.

Coming off the back of their helmets is a large pad, extending over the back of the neck and down the back a short way. Obviously some sort of neck protection for the back of the neck, obviously. This sort of thing was mentioned in a previous post. Maybe a piece of kevlar surrounded by a padding material. I am making the assumption this protection for the back of the neck is to guard against club strikes to the spinal column!

Physical privation quite often has to endured by the soldier. Here is an example of how the soldier has to endure great physical effort as part of their duty.

Prior to the Battle of Talavera [Spain] [Peninsular War], a British regiment of foot [infantry] covered 150 miles on foot in 24 hours. And this prior to the battle. This regiment, after covering the distance, went straight into the battle, which lasted for three days.

This is an example of the type of privation soldiers may have to endure.

I imagine this movement was done by speed marching. Walk one mile, run one mile, walk one mile, run one mile. And this was done for 24 hours straight.

This is also an excellent way of physically conditioning troops. NO excess movements that create strain that may injure otherwise healthy troops.

Also allows a unit to stay together and train as a unit.

Not many except superbly conditioned troops can run four miles as a unit. Many fall out on the run. Most troops can run one mille, walk a mile, etc. The unit will stay together during physical training.

I would further imagine that this march to Talavera was done carrying only the basic fighting load, and not further impedimenta. That impedimenta would be relegated to trains [wagons] that would follow the troops some distance behind.

Now, in wartime, physical privation has been historically one of the biggest killer of soldiers, if not the biggest, period.

And this privation kills primarily by disease. More soldiers died of disease in the American Civil War than died in battle.

Feet and water are two big killers. Perhaps the two biggest when combined.

Having bad feet means not being able to keep up the march. You fall out of the march and are left behind. Left to the gentle mercies [not so merciful] of the partisans or just plain marauders.

And not having enough water to drink or drinking bad water [disease] leads to many deaths too.

War can be hell and is.

coolbert.