Helicopter attacked with bows and arrows

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around an incident where an Indian helicopter was attacked by tribesmen using bows and arrows while delivering supplies to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Participants explore the implications of this event, the nature of the tribes involved, and draw parallels to historical events, particularly from World War I.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note the tribesmen's lack of exposure to helicopters, suggesting they may not understand what they are attacking.
  • There are humorous reflections on the tribesmen's perception of the helicopter as a "giant bird" and the potential for myth-making among those who did not witness the event.
  • Several participants draw comparisons to historical military events, particularly the use of cavalry in World War I, discussing the effectiveness and eventual decline of cavalry due to technological advancements like barbed wire and machine guns.
  • One participant humorously speculates about the tribesmen's thoughts during the attack, imagining them considering the event's potential to make the evening news.
  • There is a light-hearted exchange about the possibility of a soda being thrown from the helicopter, referencing the film "The Gods Must Be Crazy." This leads to a discussion about the type of soda involved.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of humor and curiosity, but there is no consensus on the implications of the tribesmen's actions or the historical parallels drawn. The discussion remains largely exploratory with multiple viewpoints presented.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the tribes' understanding of the helicopter and the historical context of cavalry use, indicating a reliance on anecdotal evidence and personal interpretations rather than established facts.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring cultural interactions with technology, historical military tactics, or the impact of isolation on tribal societies.

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An Indian helicopter dropping food and water over the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been attacked by tribesmen using bows and arrows. [continued]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4144405.stm

This reminds me of some rare WWI film footage that shows the calvary charging on their horses, right along side the first tanks - a unique and brief moment in history, and certainly funny looking from our point of view. :biggrin:
 
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Lol that's pretty funny.

What makes them think it would have worked?
 
The crows.
 
dekoi said:
Lol that's pretty funny.

What makes them think it would have worked?
These are primitive tribes that have had little or no contact with the outside world, they have no idea what a helicopter is. They've never seen one.
 
I wonder if the villagers who didn't see it believe the stories about the giant bird with wings on its head, and a voice like pounding waves. :biggrin:
 
Oh wow. I wasn't aknowledged that these tribes are primitive. Uh oh, i should've read more carefully.
 
Bows and arrows? Now that's my kind of weapon!
 
Helicopter attacked...with bows and arrows!
I nearly had that giant grasshopper! Unfortunately it flew off while I was grabbing for my trusty bean-flip.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
I wonder if the villagers who didn't see it believe the stories about the giant bird with wings on its head, and a voice like pounding waves. :biggrin:
Uh, nobody threw a coke bottle out the window, did they? :smile: :smile:
 
  • #10
If someone did, The Gods Must Be Crazy!
 
  • #11
Tsu said:
Uh, nobody threw a coke bottle out the window, did they? :smile: :smile:

It may have been Pepsi
 
  • #12
Ivan Seeking said:
If someone did, The Gods Must Be Crazy!
Yeah, that's what I was thinking... :biggrin:
 
  • #13
Chrono said:
It may have been Pepsi
I'm pretty sure they said it was a Diet Pepsi
 
  • #14
Wow...it took PF five messages to decide that a diet pepsi could have been thrown out a window. The forum's kinda weird sometimes.

Anyway, yeah, that's kinda funny, I wonder if any of them shot straight up?

I think its really funny how the tribes are trying to kill this giant metal bird, and the writer basically just says "Them trying to kill us is a good sign they're alive! thumbs up!"...it just makes the effort seem so futile.
 
  • #15
Did you know...

This reminds me of some rare WWI film footage that shows the calvary charging on their horses, right along side the first tanks - a unique and brief moment in history, and certainly funny looking from our point of view.

FYI...

The last US cavalry (not
calvary
... that's a biblical location... pet-peeve) horse charge happened in the weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It happened in the Philippines and was... get this... SUCCESSFUL! A platoon of mounted cavalry was on a scouting mission when they came across a Japanese occupied village. Without hesitating the commander ordered a line formation and a PISTOL charge. The platoon went galloping into the village with their Colt 1911 automatic pistols blazing and thoroughly trounced the Japanese.

However, in the ultimate bit of irony, in the following weeks, when it was certain the Japanese were going to overrun the US forces in the area, the horses that took part in the last cavalry charge were butchered and fed to the starving troops.

Bon appetit.

Cheers...
 
  • #16
LunchBox said:
However, in the ultimate bit of irony, in the following weeks, when it was certain the Japanese were going to overrun the US forces in the area, the horses that took part in the last cavalry charge were butchered and fed to the starving troops.

Bon appetit.

Cheers...
Again ironically, this note was from a guy called "LunchBox."
:smile:
 
  • #17
Cavalry was indeed used in ww1, but met with limited success, mainly due to the invention of barbed wire. Bare horse legs fared poorly against this new and scratchy foe.
 
  • #18
Cavalry was indeed used in ww1, but met with limited success, mainly due to the invention of barbed wire. Bare horse legs fared poorly against this new and scratchy foe.

Barbed wire had a part to play in the decline of the horse soldier, but historians agree two of the main reasons were...

1) Repeating firearms - these increased the fire rate of infantry from a few rounds per minute with the muzzle- and breach-loading rifles to a few dozen rounds per minute with revolver- carbine- and magazine-fed rifles, meaning infantry could dismount or kill many more cavalry soldiers before the horses could close the distance.

2) Machine guns - the very large target presented by a horse and rider was near impossible to miss when spewing out hundreds of rounds per minute.

Cheers...
 
  • #19
Evo said:
These are primitive tribes that have had little or no contact with the outside world, they have no idea what a helicopter is. They've never seen one.

That could be why it happened.

However, in my mind, I'm seeing one point his bow up, lean over to another and say - in another language -

"Bet this makes the evening news."
 
  • #20
Locrian said:
That could be why it happened.

However, in my mind, I'm seeing one point his bow up, lean over to another and say - in another language -

"Bet this makes the evening news."

:smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile:

That's probably true! Then they put down their bows and arrows and broke out the video games.
 
  • #21
One comment about the film footage cited: I remembered that we see horses charging along side tanks, with a bi-plane above, all in one scene. Incredible!
 
  • #22
Smurf said:
I'm pretty sure they said it was a Diet Pepsi

Of course, it has to be diet. At least it wasn't caffeine free.