Table of Contents
Points of Divergence: Infantry and Cavalry Technology and Tactics
Points of divergence dealing with alternate developments in infantry and cavalry/mounted warfare and tactics, including related technologies. Entries in all of the POD sections are sorted as chronologically as possible.
Infantry PODs
Pre-modern scouting and reconaissance tactics
WI: Philip of Macedon reforms his troops to use "Manipular" system
Was the legion really that superior to the phalanx ?
Did shieldwalls by disciplined armies interconnect seamlessly as though they were LEGO pieces ?
In battle, how would an Imperial Roman legion do against a 11th century medieval army ?
"Footmen" based 'Knights' and 'Knighthood' ?
Plausibility check: Earlier Pike and Shot with crossbows ?
WI the Inca & Aztecs fought in formation
Plausibility check: Ballistic archers
Plausibility check: Mali Empire arquebusiers ?
Challenge: American frontiersmen use longbows as well as muskets/rifles
Longbows in the Peninsular Campaign
Challenge: Keep polearms more prevalent in warfare after Napoleonic Wars
Bows and Arrows in the American Civil War
Know of any PODs or POD discussions ? Feel free to add them.
Cavalry and mounted infantry PODs
Pre-modern scouting and reconaissance tactics
Alternate stirrup developments ?
No snaffle: Development of Pontic Steppe in the 5th/4th millennia BCE ?
Discussion on spear and shield use in ancient cavalry
Military effects of the invention of paired stirrups in 250 BC (Hellenistic world) ?
What if the Romans had developed better cavalry after Crassus ?
Paired Stirrups invented in Assyria ca 700 BC
Why did Western Europe not use horse archery ?
Reasons behind the decline of war chariot use in warfare during antiquity
Plausibility check: Elephant "APCs" ?
Challenge: Light cavalry tactics more favoured than heavy cavalry tactics in Europe by 1000
WI: Better and more used Continental Cavalry
Use of elephants in 19th century US armies (discussion + mini-timeline)
Challenge: Longer or continued use of packhorses and mules in modern militaries
Know of any PODs or POD discussions ? Feel free to add them.
See Also
Points of Divergence : Small arms, armour and equipment
Points of Divergence : Metallurgy and Metalworking
Points of Divergence : Domesticated Animals
Points of Divergence : Gunpowder
Useful Resources about Military History