Elephants, despite their size and strength, would have been used primarily for the morale effect they had on the opposing force. Not only were they feared by the often inexperienced soldiers themselves, but also by horses, and on one occasion even by other elephants. read more
Yes, war elephants were used for quite some time during the middle ages although they were predominantly used in Africa, Mesopotamia, the Indian sub-continent and Asia. An example of elephants being used in medieval warfare was the battle of Yuthahatthi between king Naresuan of Siam when fighting the Burmese crown prince Minchit Sra near Suphanburi in 1593. read more
Their naccara kettle drums that signaled commands in battle were also borne on camel-back. Later, the ruthless Mongol conqueror Timur (1336-1405) found a novel use for pack camels at the Battle of Delhi (Dec. 17, 1398). Sultan Mahmud Khan fielded 120 armored war elephants. Timur had pack camels loaded with bundles of oil-soaked brushwood and straw. read more
19th century depiction of Carthaginian war elephants at the Battle of Zama (202 BCE). Courtesy of Wikipedia Timur Khan – Leader of the Mongol Hoards The Delhi Sultanate used war elephants against the Mongol hoards led by Timur Khan in 1398; however the Indian forces were defeated. read more