The First Man-Kzin War began in 2360 and ended about 2425, maybe. The subsequent Wars occurred between 2500 and 2600. The Introduction (pp. 153-154) to "The Borderland of Sol" (pp. 154-200) adds that there were four such Wars in total.
The stories of the Man-Kzin Wars series are set either during or between the Wars although, initially, peace is war by other means for the kzinti. Thus, the first of the stories by other authors, "Iron" by Poul Anderson, is set shortly after the First War but involves combat. Robert Saxtorph had fought in the First War. He and his wife, Dorcas, always go armed. In "Iron," Chapter 18, Saxtorph organizes the efficient slaughter of eight kzinti and the destruction of their space boat and more such action will follow. I sometimes summarize battles and fight scenes but feel that it is unnecessary this time. Basically, they just kill the guys.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Well, if "peace" was merely war by other means for Kzinti, what Saxtorph did was fair enough, by KZINTI standards. And they're tough enough to be more admiring than not of an enemy who outwitted them.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Oh, yes. Saxtorph and his crew were about to be taken prisoner and acted in self-defense.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly, and I'm not surprised! Poul Anderson's heroes tend to be reasonably ethical types. So, if Saxtorph KNEW these Kzinti were going to attack him and his crew, he was fully justified in taking counter measures.
Ad astra! Sean
Also, modern warfare has been described as a "series of ambushes".
At a micro level, fights are usually very one-sided, because one side or the other has secured surprise or has some other overwhelming advantage. They also tend to be over fairly quickly.
Eg., I was reading an after-battle analysis recently of an engagement between American and German soldiers in the Italian campaign in WWII.
The Americans attacked, and lost most of a company in a few minutes.
Afterwards (a subsequent attack just a few minutes later supported by armor succeeded) they found out the why and how.
The German defense of the clump of structures (a farmhouse and outbuildings) was built around 3 machine-guns (MG 42's, a superb weapon still in use) on Lafette mounts (ditto).
They were placed with extreme cunning.
One, the one that opened fire first, was emplaced in an upper window of the stone-built farmhouse -- or rather, back from the window. It opened up as the American infantry advanced, and in the next chaotic moments most of their efforts went to trying to destroy or neutralize it by suppressive fire.
This gun was firing ammunition that included "tracer" rounds -- which make it easier to aim, but also point out the source of the fire because the eye can follow them back.
Another MG42 was emplaced to the flank in a winery, and took the American formation in the flank -- it was also firing tracer -- as they deployed to take out the first machine gun.
The third MG42 was of to the side and well forward, actually closer to the Americans, but allowed them to advance without firing at first.
It was in a small tumbledown shed whose foundation was dug into the hill, firing from an opening that put its bullets down the slope at less than knee height, and it was -not- firing tracer.
It opened up only after the American were engaged with -- and focused on -- the other two weapons, and it was -not- firing tracer.
So they didn't realize where the deadly fire (MG42's fire around 1000 rounds a minute, hence the nickname "Hitler's buzz-saw") was coming from until dozens were killed or had their legs literally chopped off.
Then when the Americans fell back into "dead ground" not covered by the machine-guns, a previously concealed mortar about a thousand yards away and behind a hill opened up on their rally-point, killing more -- and driving the survivors out into the fields of fire of the machine-guns. On a Lafette mounting and with the excellent optical sights provided, MG42's can be effective out to over 3000 meters, and they'd been pre-registered on all the exits from the dead ground.
This illustrates what happens when surprise, good gear and experienced troops with a high degree of training spring a trap.
The Americans also found out that the whole German position was improvised by a platoon commander in about 10 minutes, only half an hour before the first American attack.
Thus also demonstrating what soldiers call an "eye for the ground" -- the layout of things and how to take advantage of it; it also functions in reverse, because someone with an equally good "eye for the ground" would have anticipated what the Germans were going to do... but the American troops were green, inexperienced.
That sort of thing happened all the time, on both sides. Though the Germans usually gave better than they got -- they were great at winning fights, fortunately terrible at winning wars.
A German I talked to who'd fought on the Eastern Front remarked: "We could always kill the Ivans 3 or 4 to one. The problem was that there was always an Ivan #5, 6, 7..."
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Very interesting! But what I wondered about the Saxtorphs and their crew was wondering if a group of mostly CIVILIANS could take out a Kzin ship with an experienced crew.
As for the Eastern Front in WW II, it was a near run thing for the Soviets. I recall you commenting that by 1944-45 the Soviets were scraping the bottom of the manpower barrel, throwing in 13 or 14 years old boys.
Ad astra! Sean
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