# Biggest military tech gap? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672 "2009-08-25T19:30:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/1 "2009-08-25T19:30:08Z")
I’ve been playing Civ4 lately, taking out pikemen with tanks, and I got to thinking - what’s the biggest technological gap there’s ever been in a war? I’d imagine the biggest will be when European countries were out colonizing, but I’d also be interested in closer-to-home wars; say, biggest gap between adjacent country’s militaries. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/2 "2009-08-25T19:31:43Z")
I think the Spanish conquest of the Americas has to come very close. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/3 "2009-08-25T19:40:10Z")
Or Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/4 "2009-08-25T19:57:42Z")
Didn’t the Ethiopians manage to kill a few tanks? Something about there being a gap in the armor suitable for spear insertion… ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/5 "2009-08-25T20:21:09Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Didn’t the Ethiopians manage to kill a few tanks? Something about there being a gap in the armor suitable for spear insertion… The Ethiopians managed to disable a number of Italian tanks by hitting them from behind and destroying their weapons and treads (the machine guns on the Italian tanks were front facing and couldn’t swivel.) It’s also important to remember that, in the war, even though some of the Ethiopian troops were armed with spears and bows, others did have (outdated) rifles. They also had a small airforce, artillery pieces, some armored cars, and even some tanks of their own. So even though there’s the stereotype of the modern Italian army going up against the primitive, spearwielding Ethiopians, the reality was more complex than that. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/6 "2009-08-25T20:27:35Z")
The British Army, with Maxim guns, vs. the Mahdi’s Army or some of the African tribes with spears. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/7 "2009-08-25T20:54:26Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > The British Army, with Maxim guns, vs. the Mahdi’s Army or some of the African tribes with spears. The latter were [not always the losers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Isandlwana) of course. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/8 "2009-08-25T21:09:18Z")
Italy vs Ethiopia 1935. For every Italian they killed they lost 500 of their own men. Casualties and losses Approx. 500 killed1 (est. May 1936)[2] Approx. 1,000 wounded (est. May 1936)[3] Approx. 275,000 combatants killed, 500,000 wounded ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/9 "2009-08-25T22:16:37Z")
Imperial Japan vs various Polynesian tribal groups. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/10 "2009-08-25T22:40:13Z")
Battle of New Orleans, 1815. The Americans should have been whipped that day. Instead, the British went home in the barrels. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/11 "2009-08-25T22:41:16Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Battle of New Orleans, 1815. > > The Americans should have been whipped that day. Instead, the British went home in the barrels. How the Hell is this a tech gap issue?:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/12 "2009-08-25T22:43:20Z")
Well, according to Johnny Horton, the British had cannon, whilst the Americans had to make do with alligators. ---
**Author:** ![jpl1019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@jpl1019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jpl1019)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/13 "2009-08-25T22:46:09Z")
What about more recent conflicts? I’d imagine the US/NATO vs Taliban (2001/02) was pretty one-sided tech-wise. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/14 "2009-08-25T22:53:47Z")
> [@jpl1019](#): > > What about more recent conflicts? > > I’d imagine the US/NATO vs Taliban (2001/02) was pretty one-sided tech-wise. Not really. The Taliban still had all the equipment they’d stolen from the Russians, not to mention Stingers and the like _we_ sent them during the Soviet occupation. Differences in amount, sure. But not so much in the basic tools of the trade. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/15 "2009-08-25T22:56:11Z")
> [@jpl1019](#): > > What about more recent conflicts? > > I’d imagine the US/NATO vs Taliban (2001/02) was pretty one-sided tech-wise. Hell, NATO vs. Iraq was pretty much one-sided. Both times. As Bill Hicks put it, “There never was a Gulf War. A war is when _two_ countries fight each other. So, you see…” ETA : [QUOTE=Silenus] Not really. The Taliban still had all the equipment they’d stolen from the Russians, not to mention Stingers and the like we sent them during the Soviet occupation. Differences in amount, sure. But not so much in the basic tools of the trade. [/QUOTE] Hmm, yeah, I think the Taliban are somewhat lacking in terms of fighter jets, smart bombs, cruise missiles, unmanned drones, gunships and AFVs though 😉 ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/16 "2009-08-25T23:02:41Z")
> [@jpl1019](#): > > What about more recent conflicts? > > I’d imagine the US/NATO vs Taliban (2001/02) was pretty one-sided tech-wise. Compared to some other technology gaps the difference between Soviet-era equipment vs modern US equipment is negligible. My vote is with some of the European colonial campaigns in Africa in the late 1800s. There were examples of a single team manning a Maxim gun against whole armies of African troops (and the odd incredible example of African troops of coming out on top despite the insane technology difference). ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/17 "2009-08-25T23:02:47Z")
The British destruction of the Tasmanians comes to mind. Thanks to their isolation and small population, the Tasmanians were not only technologically in the Stone Age, but were even primitive by Stone Age standards. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/18 "2009-08-25T23:06:56Z")
Jean Baudrillard’s answer is that [“The Gulf War Did Not Take Place.”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gulf_War_Did_Not_Take_Place) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/19 "2009-08-25T23:14:36Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Hell, NATO vs. Iraq was pretty much one-sided. Both times. As Bill Hicks put it, “There never was a Gulf War. A war is when _two_ countries fight each other. So, you see…” That fight wasn’t so much a tech gap as a gap in military professionalism, experience and training. The reason we ran roughshod over the Iraqi army twice like we did isn’t because they had T-72s and we had M1s, but because our guys are professional, highly trained and disicplined soldiers, and the Iraqis, by and large, were either conscripts or politically well-connected jerkoffs who weren’t serious soldiers by the standards of Western nations. If it was technology, then the Soviet-era OPFOR at Ft. Irwin wouldn’t have dominated regular Army units like they did (do?). I vote for the African colonial campaigns as well; Maxim guns vs. spears and bows is a 5-600 year gap at best. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672/20 "2009-08-25T23:31:35Z")
Ok, so what about neighboring countries? I’m thinking that the really big wars, especially WWI, must have had at least a couple of countries enter the fray with outdated weapons. I’d be especially interested in European-on-European (well, maybe Western-on-Western) armies, where it’s more of an issue of supply, rather than having access. You hear stories of the Russian army sending guys in with minimal equipment during WWII, f’rinstance. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-military-tech-gap/507672.md?page=2)