Elephant Breaching

[Nick Harbud]

No, I'm not talking about pachyderm pregnancy problems.

Whilst idly reading through some siege rules, I came across the paragraph that allows one to determine how many times an elephant needs to head-butt a fortified gate before it succeeds in splintering it.  Respecting the erudition of the author, I am sure this is based upon diligent historical research.  However, being a complete peasant, I cannot find any references to such events.

Can anyone think of any examples of elephants knocking down big wooden doors to cities, towns or fortresses?

[Erpingham]

No, I'm not talking about pachyderm pregnancy problems.

Weirdly, my instant thought was whales breaching and for a split second imagined elephants leaping in the air .  Thankfully, the thought quickly passed

[RichT]

That was my thought too.

I can't call to mind any ancient examples (Pyrrhus took elephants to his attacks on Sparta and Argos, but they didn't knock down any gates). However, in India elephants were used, I believe, against gates - out of period example, Siege of Arcot. Gates sometimes had spikes to counter this.

(Incidentally that Wikipedia page appears to have been written by a Victorian. Clive would not normally win quite such enthusiastic approval.)

[Erpingham]

(Incidentally that Wikipedia page appears to have been written by a Victorian. Clive would not normally win quite such enthusiastic approval.)

This could be related to the sources used.  The curse of Wikipedia - why use modern scholarship when there are so many scanned Victorian books on line?  W.H. Davenport Adams and G.A. Henty were scarcely the most critical even of Victorian authors.

[Imperial Dave]

having watched too many SWAT films I knew it was about breaking in but weirdly in tac gear

[Duncan Head]

However, in India elephants were used, I believe, against gates - out of period example, Siege of Arcot. Gates sometimes had spikes to counter this.

Certainly Arthashastra includes "destruction of walls, gates and towers" among the things that "constitute the work of elephants".

[Jim Webster]

I suspect that the problem is that the authorities who wrote about elephants breaching doors weren't to interested in the vulgar details of power to weight ratios.
My suspicion is that it would have to hit the door/gate a number of times because frankly if the elephant can go through it first time, somebody hasn't even been trying.
The problem is that there are so many variables. Are you breaking one beam that is 'locking' the gate? Two? Or actually are you ripping the metal brackets that the beam rests in out of the door?

My guess is that he's put in something that seemed sensible at the time

[Nick Harbud]

I can't call to mind any ancient examples (Pyrrhus took elephants to his attacks on Sparta and Argos, but they didn't knock down any gates). However, in India elephants were used, I believe, against gates - out of period example, Siege of Arcot. Gates sometimes had spikes to counter this.

Thanks Rich.  Of course, at Arcot the elephants were pretty ineffective, being driven off not so much by spikes on the door as the well-aimed musket and artillery fire of the defenders.  Something similar appears to have happened at the siege of Amida in 359 AD.  However, I am more interested in examples of elephants being used successfully as siege weapons.

It looks like I shall have to make my own search of the accounts to find suitable instances.   

[Duncan Head]

Herd of elephants break open the gates at a Coimbatore School

Probably not a fortified gate, though.

[aligern]

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Philip-Rance/publication/270482030_Elephants_in_Warfare_in_Late_Antiquity/links/56895a8208ae051f9af76fed/Elephants-in-Warfare-in-Late-Antiquity.pdf?origin=publication_detail


Is of interest as I recall
Roy

[Martin Smith]

Gates on Indian fortresses had 'elephant spikes' fitted (still visible today), to deter nellies from just such activity. Nasty lookin things (the spikes, that is....).

[Nick Harbud]

The Philip Rance article does not really add anything IMO.  I mean, it mentions numerous sources that talk of elephants being used in sieges, but mainly as transport or occasionally as shooting platforms that were somewhat taller than the walls.  It also notes several methods for countering elephants either on the battlefield or in sieges.  However, I could not find any specific examples of elephants breaking down gates, etc.  (Admittedly, I may have missed any such mention in my manual reading of the paper - the PDF appears to have been garbled to prevent word searches.)

Regarding anti-elephant spikes on Indian fortress gates, I believe these are one of those things like torpedo nets on early battleships that are relatively cheap and might even work in some circumstances, but in the meantime are simply very visible as a countermeasure.  I mean, at Arcot, it is mentioned that the elephants were fitted with steel armour plates to foil exactly this defence and it was not spikes that drove off the elephants, but well-aimed musketry.

Many siege accounts are quite explicit about the location and method by which the besiegers gained entry.  I find it curious that no one appears to mention gate-busting by elephants, which would surely have been worth reporting in the best traditions of tabloid journalism.

[RichT]

I don't have any more concrete examples to offer, and Google suggests that most online discussion of elephants v. gates is in the context of (video) games, especially Total War.

However this passage, from Kistler, War Elephants is slightly more helpful. Note elephant-borne battering ram, rather than elephant as battering ram.

If it was traditional practice to put anti-elephant spikes on gates it does suggest it was traditional to be afraid that elephants could push open gates. How justified that fear was it seems hard to say.

Of course if most gates had spikes, then elephants would rarely if ever have been able to push open gates (without special additional methods). Like a successful deterrent, it may be that spikes ensured that anti-gate elephants were never used (hardly ever).

[Nick Harbud]

Interesting passage.  Do you know the reference from which Kistler is quoting?

I like the comment on the apparent ineffectiveness (or possible absence) of gate spikes.  This supports my view of this particular deterrent.

[RichT]

I don't know the primary source references no - the footnotes (7 and 8 ) are to modern works - Muhammed Nazim, The Life and Times of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna and Bosworth, The Ghaznavids.

This is way outside my period though so I think I should back away cautiously at this point.