Arms And Armour Publisher

The Persian army was very multicultural in its make up. It consisted of trained regular units of Persian and Median infantry and cavalry supplemented by conscripts from subject nations within the empire and well as hired mercenaries or garrison troops from within or from outside the empire. The full time regular soldiers such as the Immortals were supplied with arms and armour and so are uniformly equipped, many allied contingents supplied their own equipment and fought in their own style. Hordes of lightly armed bow and javelin-man and non fighting camp attendants, wives, concubines and slaves account for the vast numbers that were characteristic of the Persian army.

The concept of the modern German Navy dates only from the time of Kaiser Wilheim II and so it can be classed as a relatively new maritime power. Until about 1880, the only function of the German fleet had been to deter enemy raids on the German coastline, consequently only small coastal defence vessels were built. A newly formed German Naval Command (1889) was well aware that if expansion of territory were required, a large fleet would have to be created to match that of Great Britain and perhaps gain control of the Atlantic and North Sea.