Throughout history, warfare has often been shaped by the constant struggle between defense and attack. In modern combat, fixed fortifications provide much less protection than they once did because advanced weapons can destroy them quickly. Small arms can pierce armor, guided missiles can take out armored vehicles, and precision-guided weapons can destroy even heavily fortified positions in just moments.
In earlier times, though, defenders had a major advantage. In wars fought with handheld weapons, basic siege engines, and limited explosives, large stone fortresses and fortified camps were extremely hard to break through. Defeating these defenses required creativity and bold tactics, which led to some of the most inventive and unexpected strategies in military history. The examples that follow highlight the skill and bravery behind these remarkable attacks.
1. Rocket cats
In the 16th century, an artilleryman named Franz Helm, who resided in what is now Germany, wrote a book on munitions, weaponry, and artillery tactics. Within this book, he described a method for wreaking havoc on a defensive system or town using a cat. Helm explained:
Create a small sack like a fire-arrow. If you would like to get at a town or castle, seek to obtain a cat from that place. And bind the sack to the back of the cat, ignite it, let it glow well and thereafter let the cat go, so it runs to the nearest castle or town, and out of fear it thinks to hide itself where it ends up in barn hay or straw it will be ignited.
It remains unclear whether this rather ambitious plan was ever implemented, but if it was, it would have likely caused more harm to one’s own property than to the enemy’s.
2. Up the toilet
Instead of relying on traditional siege tactics like ladders or battering rams, this bold attack took advantage of a hidden weakness inside the castle itself. Château Gaillard, built in 1198 by Richard the Lionheart, was thought to be nearly impossible to capture. But less than ten years later, Philip II of France showed that even the strongest defenses could be broken. Although his army had already captured the outer walls, the central keep remained secure.
The decisive moment came not through brute force, but through careful observation. A soldier spotted a narrow drainage chute used to carry waste from the latrine. Using this overlooked entrance, he crawled through the passage, made his way inside the keep, and quietly opened a window. French troops then poured in, overwhelmed the defenders, and brought the siege to a quick and decisive end.
3. Flinging corpses
During a siege, armies often established a nearby camp to serve as their base of operations. These camps were typically filled with unwell, unclean soldiers, creating conditions where disease spread rapidly.
In 1346, the Mongols besieged the Crimean city of Caffa, leading to a prolonged standoff. Over time, the Mongol forces themselves fell victim to the Black Death, which ravaged their camp. Instead of withdrawing, as many armies might in such a situation, the Mongols seized the moment, using catapults to hurl disease-ridden corpses over the city walls in an effort to spread the disease among the defenders.
While it is uncertain, some fleeing residents of Caffa may have carried the Black Death into Europe.
4. Hot Sand
Those under siege often used this method to fend off attackers. Castles implemented a range of tactics to keep enemies at a distance, such as dropping hot or burning materials from the walls.
In 332 BC, during Alexander the Great’s siege of the city of Tyre, the defenders inside heated fine sand until it glowed red, then poured it onto the attackers below. This approach was highly effective because the tiny sand particles slipped through the gaps in soldiers’ armor. The only escape was to remove the armor, which exposed them to archers.
Other similar tactics included the use of burning hay, hot water, and boiling oil.
5. Bees and beer
When attacking a walled area, the Vikings, who knew the defenders would be firing down onto them, used wooden structures called hurdles for protection while they made their way through the walls.
When they attacked the English town of Chester, the defenders gathered up as much beer as possible and heated it up, then poured it down onto the attackers, literally burning off their skin. Their wooden covers could resist projectiles, but the hot beer was able to seep through the gaps.
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In response, the Vikings sealed their shielding with animal hides, deflecting the hot beer. Again in response, the defenders began throwing beehives at the Vikings, who were then savagely swarmed by angry bees.