Mongol Military History

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In an age when opposing forces were little more than feudal collection around a focal point of well-armed and well-trained, but relatively immobile and inflexible, knights, the Mongol armies were the dominant force on the battlefields of Asia and Europe. Mongol forces, made up of skilled warriors well trained in marksmanship and as Calvary, were characterized by absolute discipline, a well-understood chain of command, an excellent communications system, superior mobility, and a unified and extremely effective tactical doctrine and organization. In 1162 deep in the heart of Asia a country known as Mongolia, a child was born. He was clutching a blood clot, a sign from heaven that he was destined to be a great warrior. His life was to become…show more content…
Although Mongol political power soon waned, and the empire disintegrated, the reputation of the prowess of the Mongol cavalry remained well into the nineteenth century. Modern Mongolian military practices trace their origin to the 1921 Mongolian Revolution, in which Mongolian rebel forces, under the leadership of Damdiny Sukhe Bator and Horloyn Choybalsan, joined by a major detachment of the Russian Fifth Red Army to defeat Chinese and Russian White Guard forces. This alliance marked the beginning of a long and close relationship between the Mongolian and Soviet armed forces. In the 1930s, Mongolian forces once again joined with Soviet forces to suppress internal rebellion and to guard their borders against Japanese incursions. In July and August 1939, Mongolian armed forces with their Soviet allies accomplished their proudest feat: defeating Japanese forces and ending Japanese provocations along the border. Mongolia takes pride in its economic support of Soviet military forces during World War II and its part in the August 1945 defeat of Japanese forces in…show more content…
Within Mongolia, Khalkh Mongols constitute some four-fifths of the population. Other Mongolian groups—including Dörvöd, Buryat, Bayad, and Dariganga account for nearly half of the rest of the population. Much of the remainder consists of Turkic-speaking peoples, mainly Kazakhs, some Tuvans, and a few Tsaatans who live mostly in the western part of the country. There are small numbers of Russians and Chinese, who are found mainly in the towns. The government has given increased attention to respecting and protecting the languages and cultural rights of Kazakhs, Tuvans, and other minorities. Most of the population speaks Mongolian, and nearly all those who speak another language understand Mongolian. In the 1940s the traditional Mongolian vertical script was replaced by a Cyrillic script based on the Russian alphabet. This was the origin of the transliteration Ulaanbaatar for Ulan Bator, the traditional spelling. In the 1990s the traditional script was once again taught in schools, and store signs appeared in both Cyrillic and traditional

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