Here are the complete results of the MagWeb 1998 Survey. We sent out 850 surveys in late January to MagWeb members past and present, of which 216 were completed and returned in February. Many thanks to those who filled them out, and to those who could not, we'll be running the survey again in the future.
A couple things stand out:
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97.03% of our members would recommend MagWeb to a friend.
Best aspect of MagWeb: 93.54% said it the Scope (all periods, interests, lots of magazine etc.)
Napoleon was the best commander in history: 70.96% said so! (Alex the Great was second: 47.58%)
96.30% buy historical books regularly
66.67% buy historical CD-ROM/computer games
and The Overall value of MagWeb: 8.49 (on a 1-10 scale--this makes our efforts worthwhile!)
1. What are your top three favorite periods of history?
(Note: Answers add up to over 100% because respondents could name up to three.)
| Napoleonic | 76.61% | (French Revolution, Consulate, Empire to 1815) |
| World War II | 47.58% | 1939-1945 |
| American Civil War | 38.71% | 1861-1865 |
| Ancients | 34.68% | (to 500AD, includes Greece, Rome, Biblical, China) |
| Renaissance | 20.16% | (1501-1699, includes ECW, 30 Years War, Pike and Shot) |
| Medieval | 16.13% | (1000-1500, includes Crusades, War of Roses, Feudal Japan) |
| American Revolution | 15.32% | 1775-1783 |
| Seven Years War | 14.52% | (includes French and Indian War) |
| 19th century | 13.71% | (includes Franco-Pruss. War, EuroWars, Italian Wars) |
| 18th Century | 12.90% | (1700-1760 or so, includes Marlburian) |
| Colonial | 12.09% | (includes Victorian British, American West) |
| Modern | 11.29% | (Includes Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam, Gulf War) |
| Dark Ages | 8.06% | (501-999AD) |
| World War I | 5.65% | 1914-1918 |
| Other | 5.65% | - |
| Age of Sail | 3.23% | (naval) |
| War of 1812 | 2.42% | 1812-1814 |
| Between World Wars | 1.61% | (1918-1939, includes Russian Civil War) |
2. Who are the three best commanders in all of military history?
(Note: Answers add up to over 100% because respondents could name up to three.)
| Napoleon | 70.96% |
| Alexander the Great | 47.58% |
| Hannibal | 17.74% |
| Frederick the Great | 16.13% |
| Patton | 16.13% |
| Julius Caesar | 14.52% |
| Robt. E. Lee | 12.90% |
| Rommel | 12.90% |
| Wellington | 11.29% |
| Ghenghis Khan | 9.68% |
| Marlborough | 8.87% |
| Scipio Africanus | 6.45% |
| Stonewall Jackson | 5.64% |
| Adolphus Gustavus | 4.84% |
| Grant | 4.03% |
| Sir Wm. Slim | 3.22% |
| George Washington | 2.42% |
| Xenophon | 1.61% |
| Cromwell | 1.61% |
| Davout | 1.61% |
| von Manstein | 1.61% |
| Nimitz | 1.61% |
Others mentioned that did not receive over 1%: Archduke Charles, Allenby, Admiral Anson, Belisarius, Burnside, Charlemagne, Sir Arthur Currie, Eisenhower, Eugene, Eugene of Savoy, Fabius, Nathan Forrest, Freyberg, Guderian, Prince Henry Of Prussia, Kellerman, Kesselring, Mannerheim (Finland), Maurice de Saxe, Nelson, Ney, Hugh O'Neill, BrigGen Abner Perrin CSA, Saladin, Winfield Scott, Shaka Zulu, Sherman, Stillwell, Suvarov, George Thomas (ACW), Titokowaru, Turrenne, Vespatian, Lettow von Vorbeck, Yamamoto, Zhukov, El gran capitan" (S.XIV-XV, Italy)
3. What are the three most pivotal battles in all of military history?
(Note: Answers add up to over 100% because respondents could name up to three.)
| Waterloo | 35.48% |
| Gettysburg | 28.22% |
| DDay/Normandy | 20.16% |
| Stalingrad | 20.16% |
| Hastings | 13.70% |
| Tours | 10.48% |
| Kursk | 10.48% |
| Midway | 8.06% |
| Saratoga | 8.06% |
| Yorktown | 6.45% |
| Zama | 5.64% |
| Marathon | 5.64% |
| Trafalgar | 5.64% |
| Vienna (vs. Turks) | 4.83% |
| Moscow 1941 | 4.83% |
| Borodino | 4.83% |
| Battle of Britain | 4.83% |
| Arbela/Gaugamela | 4.83% |
| Adrianople | 4.03% |
| Valmy | 4.03% |
| Austerlitz | 3.23% |
| Manzikert | 3.23% |
| Leipzig | 3.23% |
| Lepanto | 3.23% |
| Pearl Harbor | 3.23% |
| Salamis | 3.23% |
| Actium | 2.42% |
| Ardennes | 2.42% |
| Armada defeat | 2.42% |
| Marne 1914 | 2.42% |
| Poltava | 2.42% |
| Russia 1812 | 2.42% |
| Vicksburg | 2.42% |
| Teutoburger Wald | 2.42% |
| Agincourt | 1.61% |
| Battle of Atlantic | 1.61% |
| Blenheim | 1.61% |
| Cambrai | 1.61% |
| Cannae | 1.61% |
| Chancellorsville | 1.61% |
| Concord/Lex (AWI) | 1.61% |
| Constantinople | 1.61% |
| Naseby | 1.61% |
| Somme | 1.61% |
| Tet Offensive | 1.61% |
| Thermopylae | 1.61% |
Others mentioned that did not receive over 1%: Ain Jalut, Alesia, Atom Bomb drops, Bosworth, Capes (naval), Citadel, Cold War, Dien Bien Phu, El Alamein, Gallipoli, Gandamack, Gate Pah, Gravelotte St. Privat-1870, Ilipa, Issus, Jena/Auerstadt, Konnigsgratz, Ligny, Lutzen (30YW), Marengo, Marston Moor, Megiddo, Mongol conquest of Russia, Mongol "divine wind" defeat (Japan), Mons 1914, Panipat 1761, Pavia, Poland '39 Fr'40, Puketutu, Russian Front WW2, Sadowa, Spioenkop (Boer), Te Ngutu te Manu, Vimy Ridge
Ed Note: The above is a random sampling from about 250 MAGWEB members. It looks like a good cross-section of gamers replied, and I found the "most pivotal battles" answers to really inspire deep thought.
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© Copyright 1998 by HMGS South
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