Clever/tactically interesting battles?
Printed From: History Community ~ All Empires
Category: General History
Forum Name: All Battles Project
Forum Discription: Forum for the All Battles military history project
URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=25523
Printed Date: 24-Apr-2024 at 07:49
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Topic: Clever/tactically interesting battles?
Posted By: Cuddles McKitten
Subject: Clever/tactically interesting battles?
Date Posted: 26-Sep-2008 at 16:32
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I'm running out of things to read, and I was wondering if anyone could spark my interest in an era, war, or battle about which I know very little. Can anyone recommend some good battles to read about that involve clever trickery and/or excellent tactical skill or innovation for its time? Examples of battles that I would consider able to meet my criteria: Battle of the Hydaspes (Alexander), Trasimene and Cannae (Hannibal), Austerlitz (Napoleon), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cowpens - Battle of Cowpens (American Revolution), etc. -Thanks |
Replies:
Posted By: Jonathan4290
Date Posted: 26-Sep-2008 at 16:58
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I would highly recommend you read Simon Goodenough's Tactical Genius in Battle which features 27 case study battles with a focus on tactics and commanders. The battles include Austerlitz and Cannae and span all eras of military history so somewhere you'll find something that interests you. ------------- Like great battles? How about when they're animated for easy viewing? Visit my site, The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps at www.theartofbattle.com. |
Posted By: gcle2003
Date Posted: 26-Sep-2008 at 17:25
Try the battle of Lissa in 1866 between Italy and Austria. On the grounds of innovation mostly, but it's a pretty good example of doing things wrong, too 
I'm assuming you've dealt with the Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar. ------------- |
Posted By: Reginmund
Date Posted: 26-Sep-2008 at 22:35
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Have a look at Leuctra 371 BC, where the Thebans scored a decisive victory over the feared Spartans due to a revolutionary battle formation invented by the general Epaminondas. A formation which is still in use by police forces today in crowd control situations.
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Posted By: Constantine XI
Date Posted: 27-Sep-2008 at 01:01
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Lake Trasimene in 217 BC, it is chock full of ingenious tactical ploys by the cunning Hannibal. For its sheer tactical micro level detail it actually has always been my favourite of Hannibal's battles, even slightly more so than Cannae.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 27-Sep-2008 at 10:02
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Battle of Walaja, a double envelopment against the Sassanid Persians.
A modern example, Suez '73, a forced crossing, destroying three Israeli armoured divisions and later when the Yanks pulled the Israeli bacon out of the fire a supereb counter-crossing by Ariel Sharon. ------------- |
Posted By: Cuddles McKitten
Date Posted: 27-Sep-2008 at 14:39
I think we have a winner here, folks. I know next to nothing about the Islamic conquests or Khalid ibn al-Walid and very little about the Arab-Israeli Wars. Hopefully I can find some detailed, non-partisan information on both topics. Please don't stop listing good battles, though. I don't think having too many would be much of a problem. |
Posted By: Count Belisarius
Date Posted: 27-Sep-2008 at 17:57
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Read about the battle of carrhae ------------- 
Defenders of Ulthuan, Cult of Asuryan (57 Kills and counting) 
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Posted By: Sudaka
Date Posted: 20-Oct-2009 at 20:18
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I might recommend any batlle from General Paz. An argentine general in the civils wars of the XIX century. The battle of Caaguazú in particular is very intresting becouse he have only an emergy draft of childrens and old mans army to confront the victorius regulars troops army of his enemy.
La Tablada and Oncativo are also intresting.
A strange thing is his lastname "Paz" mean "Peace" in spanish. ------------- Not yet mein friend, not yet |
Posted By: nomooon
Date Posted: 08-Nov-2009 at 10:28
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I recommend the Chinese Tang Dynasty general Li GuangBi, here is one anecdote of him while his army was squaring off against a much bigger rebels force: He first collected nearly a thousand mother horses, and took away their babies for couple of days, then as the rebels were pasturing their warhorses, he unleashed the mother horses on them, these mother horses ran around and screamed for their babies, which turned on the male warhorses, and thousands of warhorses followed these mother horses back to Li's Camp ( Way to cripple a cavalry!) |
Posted By: p,c,ma
Date Posted: 26-Sep-2010 at 14:35
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Any of the battles fought by Sun Tzu. The battle of Chalons by Atilla. Or for the politics of it the siege of Rome by Alaric. ------------- |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 01-Apr-2012 at 03:34
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I found the battle of jaxartes very interesting and little known. Alexander used some of the (first?) known combined arms and more importantly was one of only two great leaders who encountered and defeated mounted steppe archers (genghis khan style) with no previous knowledge of that fighting style. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jaxartes. It would have been interesting if he had really fought genghis (removing equipment superiority khan gained thru the centuries). Cannae and Austerlitz, of course, I acknowledge as the greats. Discovery channel had a great doc on guagamela "ultimate battles". |
Posted By: Delenda est Roma
Date Posted: 11-Aug-2012 at 12:10
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Cannae, Trasimene, and Trebia were all very good tactically. So were: 1st and 2nd Herdonia, Silarus, Battle of the River Tagues and Battle of the River Rhone. ------------- |
Posted By: emperor_stylianos
Date Posted: 12-Dec-2012 at 15:49
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I would recommend studying Gustavus Adolphus, a much underrated general. He was one of the first generals to use pike and shot and cannon effectively as one cohesive unit. Napoleon himself commented on the man, along with several others including Caesar, Alexander, Hannibal, Turenne and Frederick the Great. Another interesting person would be Charles 12th of Sweden. He INVADED Russia, and failed, along with Napoleon and Hitler. He was one of the only to do so, and was probably the greatest Swedish general. ------------- God? God has nothing to do with it - Napoleon Fighting in the forefront of the Hellenes, the Athenians at Marathon destroyed the might of the gold-bearing Medes -Inscription of Greek tomb at Marathon |
Posted By: Centrix Vigilis
Date Posted: 12-Dec-2012 at 16:07
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Lake Champlain-Valcour Is.-Arnold's Bay. Oct 1776. http://www.historiclakes.org/Valcour/Valcour.html - http://www.historiclakes.org/Valcour/Valcour.html ------------- "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" S. T. Friedman Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true' |