I may well be wrong, but from what I've been able to gather it seems like the Soviets believed that a defensive war was a sure way to lose, and built their army around constant, sustained attack.

I've also heard that they focused more on the strategic level than the tactical level, and Soviet officers and NCOs were given more flexibility to seize the initiative than their NATO counterparts.

Outside of very dry NATO field manuals I've not been able to find an awful lot of information on this topic, and it's something that really does interest me.

I recently came upon the statement that flintlock pistols during the 1700s were accurate only out to a range of 20ft. If sections of lined up infantry engaged at greater distances then what was the point of officers being issued flintlock pistols?

I'd prefer if the answers referred to personal combat, but discussion of crossbows is fine too.

I would also be interested to compare their rise in Europe, as well, but for the sake of keeping the question manageable and not dissertation/book level, let's stick to the U.S. for now.

Did these neighborhoods exist "under the radar" for a long time? Or was there mostly a gay diaspora that eventually ended up congregating in certain areas after certain criteria were met? If so, what were those criteria, and what changed to cause them to come about? What was public reaction like when people began to see these neighborhoods come about? Was it different in California from, say, Texas?

I was wondering if there was any particular reason the nordic cross became so popular?

It's absolutely ridiculous that I have to ask this. In one school, it emphasized that the south was more concerned about their sovereignty being threatened. In another, they cared more about the slavery industry ending. Which is it? History is written by the victors to glorify their victories, and history told by the losers dilute the truth to hide their shame.

Help a fellow history nerd out

Example: In Braveheart, the battle of Falkirk, they showed the field strewn with bodies and weapons. Would they collect the weapons and leave the bodies for the animals? Burry their own soldiers? Send the enemy soldiers back to the enemy for burial? Leave everything? I guess it will depend highly on the era and cultures at war, but any information would be great!

Movies often portray cities like Stalingrad and Berlin to haave hundreds of bombers over head, with smoke filled skies, crumbled buildings, and fires littering the landscape. My question is, are these accurate representations of battlefields, specifically in cities? And also, was there ever a bombing raid that had bombers just littering the skis, with flak fire constantly shooting? One more as well, could you describe (in detail, if possible please) what a battle ridden cities atmosphere would be like, like would it just be a normal day with a few fires around (Minus the dead and vehicles) Thanks!