Let's not leave out the flag bearers, creating a tempting target for any artillery or siege weapons.
this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2026
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Flag bearers were largely used for communication. In a hectic battle, distributing orders to your troops was a problem. Flag bearers were essentially a way for orders to be communicated. By looking at the flag (which was really more of a banner, held taut so it wouldn’t wave too much in the wind), you could get a rough idea of what you were supposed to be doing. Its direction, angle, height, and front/back face could be used to communicate orders like “push left”, “push right”, “hold position”, and “retreat”.
Flag bearers weren’t targeted just because they were easy targets… They were targeted because eliminating them meant you were hamstringing your enemy’s communication.
tbf, artillery was pretty inaccurate - by the time it was accurate enough to hit single individuals, sharpshooters were the bigger problem.
But yeah, there's a reason why flag-bearers have such ridiculous casualty rates. "HERE, SEE MY BRIGHT COLORS WAVING ABOVE MY HEAD? I'M WORTH BONUS POINTS"
I mean, in Roman times (the Republic, you philistine) losing a flag/standard was a huge shame.
Later semaphores meant you could cut off communication by killing the flag bearer. Which would be beneficial in a battle
I don’t know if any of this is true though, just facts I learned from various places and Wikipedia articles. I wouldn’t trust me on this.
Flags in later combat were used for the same reason (and with the same notions of honor and dishonor from losing it) as Roman standards. The flagbearers were around to KEEP THE COLORS HIGH, both to encourage the troops and to give them something recognizable to follow in the chaos of the battlefield. Lost your way? Look for the standard waving at the front of your unit, and follow them forward!
The flagbearers of the US Civil War were separate from the signaling corps, who used different flags and had to run them up and down as needed.
Still, shooting the flagbearer is Standard procedure 😏
It's still a big shame to lose your flag. Granted, these days it's within the same military, generally the same brigade or lower. But there's still intra military respect/shame based on your flag and who's in possession of it.
The thing is you didn’t really have to hit one person. They usually marched at the front of said armies.
I mean, the thing is, artillery is generally pretty inaccurate up until a pretty late point. Even in the US Civil War, explosive shot was the exception, not the norm, and if you hit the unit you were aiming for, much less aiming for any particular rank or file, it was considered a good shot.
Famously, General Sedgewick exposed himself under artillery fire for a prolonged period, reassuring his men that the Confederate artillery couldn't hit an elephant at the distance they were at.
... he was killed shortly thereafter, but by a hidden sharpshooter, not the artillery.
You might not be able to hit a soldier, but you usually can hit an army.
The flag just gives you something to focus on.
It’s like the urinal cakes. Just being there draws fire, even if it’s a college bar and they mostly miss the urinal.
If you can't hit an army unit, you deserve to lose the war. An army is a HUGE fucking unit. Company colors is what you're likely referring to.
In case anyone was ignorant amidst the jokes, the purpose of both flag bearers and drummers was basically communication, and was utterly crucial for command and control of an army. It wasn’t just an honor thing, though adding honor on top made sure that soldiers wouldn’t abandon it.
The only guy giving the actual reason in the whole thread!
In movies it's just for ambiance.
Not just tempting, but with convenient windage markers.
Reminds me of a Scottish bagpiper, Bill Millin, during WW2 who played during the D-Day landing. The German snipers deliberately avoided shooting at him because they thought it was so ballsy and awesome. The guy survived the war.
I can imagine...
— Hans, look at that lunatic with the bagpipes!
— I'll be dogged, Fritz! It's true! - points machine gun at him
— Nein, nein, nein! It's a mood. Kill him last. Besides, he's not fighting.
so it is true
There was also that guy who somehow wasn't Scottish, who fought WWII with bagpipes and a longbow, and then went on to become a pioneer in the sport of surfing. Quoted to have said "If it weren't for the damn yanks we could have kept the war going another ten years."
What a fucking Scottish way to assert dominance, I love it
Didn't they rather think he was mad?
Poetic license
You ever been in a high pressure environment vs being in a high pressure environment while rocking out? Idk if it makes me more or less productive but certainly makes me feel better.
Absolutely insane that armies in the 21st century used to have radiomen. Like hello yes we're here to slaughter eachother but before that my main man DJ Oorah is gonna play nothing but rock, rock and more rock, this ain't your granny''s net Radioactive by imagine dragons starts playing
Drummers were used for communication, its impossible to hear someone shouting or see a flag/signal when hundreds of people are firing off black powder firearms.
The music of war was often psychological warfare. Some of the battles in india that I have read about describe the drums as so loud you cannot hear someone speaking next to you. They communicated in sign. It could be quite intimidating and during a siege it could stop you from sleeping.
Scottish bagpipes were considered a weapon of war rather than a musical instrument for a good time of history.
Honestly if they're not being played by someone in the top 10%, I'd say they still are.
They need the right context. I am unsure if it's a sampled bagpipe, actual bagpipe or something that sounds like a bagpipe, but it sounds fucking awesome here.
Weapons of mass distraction
Not just drums. This phalanx has a double flute.
And later the Celts had the carnyx!
Their trumpets again are of a peculiar barbarian kind; they blow into them and produce a harsh sound which suits the tumult of war
God damn, who brings a vuvuzela to battle?
Drums are loud, so they could be used for signalling over relatively long distances in a time where there were limited options for conveying messages further than you could yell.
Audible signals do have the added benefit that in order to receive them, you don't need to look in a specific direction, so you don't cause any undue distraction with your signalling.
Also, in the time of line tactics, keeping the movements of your units uniform and steady was extremely important, and keeping them in step using drums was a big part of that.
The Chinese PLA still trains bugle call communications, because unlike radios they can't be jammed.
relatedly there are people whose whole role in the military is using quadbikes to transport messages in times of war, because it's basically impossible to intercept such messages.
Just dig a hole
skill issue (whoever made their radios)
Eh. Even DSSS or FHSS can be jammed, you just need the right equipment with enough power.
Drums and horns. "Remember lads, the sax solo is for advancing up the flanks and the kick drum is for the artillery barrage."
One of my favorites is bands during the US Civil War playing polkas while under fire.
With a blistering fife solo.
Now divisions have Instagram accounts, boasting content.
And occasionally delivering free intelligence to their opponent while doing so.
Imagine if they’d had the Amen break and battlefield sound systems back then.
This makes me want to boot up Patapon again