Thailand: A Siamese war elephant equipped for battle. 19th century engraving

A war elephant was an elephant trained and guided by humans for combat. Their main use was to charge the enemy, trampling them and breaking their ranks. A division of war elephants is known as elephantry.

They were probably first employed in India, the practice spreading out across south-east Asia and westwards into the Mediterranean. Their most famous use in the West was by the Greek general Pyrrhus of Epirus and in great numbers by the armies of Carthage, especially under Hannibal.

War Elephants were widely used in Southeast Asia, notably in warfare between Siam and Burma.

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Pictures From History

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