2-4: Umar and Syria

In many ways, it was more of an organized mob. There were no uniforms and no ranks. - Commanders were appointed at will, generally based on accomplishment or tribal position. - Their weapons was whatever they could find. Many of them came from defeated Persian and Roman soldiers - Most armies have to deal with supplies and feeding thousands of people. Many of the soldiers traveled with their families - The Arabs didn’t have that problem as they carried their food with them and were used to living on very little - They could live for days, even weeks on just dates, water, and camel milk. - This allowed KIW and other commanders to travel long distances with no supply chain or base of operations - The desert itself was another advantage. Most of the Roman soldiers were not used to it. - Unless they were invading a city, the Muslims usually fought with their backs to the desert. - If they were ambushed or fought in the open country, they could slip into the desert where their enemey couldn’t follow. - The four armies sent by Abu Bakr pushed into southern Syria (modern day Jordan) and conquered many small towns Continue Reading