She has over 20 years writing experience on magazines, having been a staffer on publications including the face, bizarre, just seventeen, smash hits and sky, and written for many more, including the guardian, kerrang. Use tactics in a sentence tactics sentence examples. At the battle of leuktra, his thebans crushed the fearsome army of sparta that had. The daring and brilliant premeditated tactics of epaminondas earned. This allows a commander with weaker or equal forces to achieve a local superiority in numbers. He was militarily influential as well, inventing and implementing several major battlefield tactics. A complete overthrow of germanys power of resistance was bound to.
You need to get down the basics of how an army on the move operates and thinks. Antulio echevarria ii of the us army war college talks us through key books, both old and new, on military strategy. The alamo scouts behind japanese lines in world war ii by larry alexander, castles of steel. As the military of ancient india developed so did its iconic features, including elephants, bamboo long bows and massive shirtless infantry armies.
As epaminondas meanwhile massed his troops for battle, he unveiled his novel mode of attack. While historians and other intellectuals of the fifth century b. Sparta was a warrior society in ancient greece that reached the height of its power after defeating rival citystate athens in the peloponnesian war 431404 b. The unprecedented scope and longevity of roman military success is placed in the context of ordinary soldiers daily lives, whether spent in the quiet routine of a peaceful garrison or in arduous campaign and violent combat. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our favorite reads in. My mother used to tell me the story and i wanted to find a copy of. Discover the best military fantasy in best sellers. Mar 29, 2019 how valuable are the works of polyaneus and frontinus to military history. Are you interested in russian school for ancient military history. Alexander, of macedon, commonly called the great born 356 bc, was the son of philip, king of macedon, and of olympias, daughter of neoptolemos, an epeirote king. The spartans and their allies were not pursued and theban military. Epaminondas reshaped the political map of greece, fragmented old alliances, created new ones, and supervised the construction of entire cities. Campaigns of thebes, 379362 bc sprawski major reference.
As the theban delegate to the peace conference of 371 bc he refused to surrender his claim to represent all boeotia. As epaminondas campaigned in the south pelopidas did so in thessaly, to the north. Facing a much larger spartan army at leuctra, in 371 bc, he makes his own phalanx massively strong on the left wing fifty men deep instead of the twelve rows of. Both commanders would be killed just as their efforts were about to bear fruit. The battle of leuctra, between thebes and sparta, was one of many in the wars for greek hegemony.
Epaminondas had been downplayed over the centuries, but his successful battle tactics inspired frederick the great in the opening battles of the seven years war. Concise books packed full of information focusing the tactics and organization of military factions, including tons of images. Meanwhile, he built up his army and introduced innovations in arms, tactics, and training. This book is the basis for the hbo miniseries the pacific.
While an examination of military leadership like the others, masters of the battlefield looked more extensive and included a number of names from outside my field, so i eagerly anticipated reading it. How valuable are the works of polyaneus and frontinus to military history. His many books include the acclaimed the father of us all, a war like no. Epaminondas and his auntie is one of a series of books for young children written by sara cone bryant and illustrated by inez hogan. Liddell hart, was an english soldier, military historian, military theorist, and author of many books, including strategy, the german generals talk, the memoirs of captain liddell hart, and history of the second world war. The tactical ploy of epaminondas and the theban commanders was. In the circumstances of world war ii, the pursuit of triumph was foredoomed to turn into tragedy, and futility. In the process he broke spartan military power with his victory at leuctra and. Generally speaking, armies relied on their sheer size and strength to win a war, but some ancient military commanders also used strategy and tactics that are still applauded by many historians. For better or worse, after epaminondass great invasion the free citizens of the entire peloponnese would now vote when and when not to go to war.
May 12, 2019 in chronological order, the greatest tactics used by the greeks in warfare are deception, double envelopment, oblique order and using a double line against cavalry. There are a myriad of books that you can read about warfare, battles and strategy. This is a photo copy of the original text with pictures. Our community welcomes everyone from around the world to discuss world history, historical periods, and themes in history military history, archaeology, arts and culture, and history in books and movies. There he learned about military tactics by observing the great greek general epaminondas. So i strongly disliked this book, and thats unfortunate since epaminondas is. Which are the best books to read on military tactics and. Sir basil henry liddell hart, commonly known as captain b. Eratosthenes of cyrene 275 194 bc geometry also philosophy from class 2601 at cornell university. The books are intended to be used to help create war games but are great little books regardless. Green 12 20 john keegan, a history of warfare, new york. I am aware that in essence they are a mixture of personal experience mixed with the literary works of other ancient authors but at the same time bring together what would have been disparate anecdotes about ancient tactics and stratagems for example diodorus siculus military tactic whereby an attacking army focuses its forces to attack a single enemy flank. Along with the other wwii books mentioned here and below, i recommend ken burns documentary the war, if only because it is largely based on these books and gives you a sense of the whole picture. Soul of battle is compelling history, mixing biography, background history, and detailed military tactics and strategy.
The death of epaminondas may have seized defeat from the jaws of victory. Epaminondas is a twoperson, zerosum strategy game that combines longterm strategic play with highly tactical move sequences. Key battles and tactics are described, and there are brief biographies of. Jul 05, 2018 surrounded by the enemies, he used what he learned from epaminondas, pelopidas, and iphicrates, to reform his armies and created one of the most dominant units of the antiquity the macedonian. The strategies that epaminondas had employed in the battle were not entirely new, but in. The concentrated essence of strategyand tactics, 21. Nov 02, 2015 importance marks the end of spartan military invincibility and the beginning of theban hegemony. Warfare in ancient india took on a wide variety of exotic forms, but all of with a uniquely indian flavor. Apr 19, 2016 as epaminondas campaigned in the south pelopidas did so in thessaly, to the north. The author first describes the attitude of the greek citystate toward war, and shows the military conventions and strategies associated with it. My political and military analysis can be found in opslens magazine, strategy and tactics, fox news, strategy bridge, washington examiner and other places. He was principal of the college for the blind at vinton after the war, and until his death was connected with the iowa college of agriculture at ames, being military instructor and cashier in 18701882, acting president in 18761877, librarian in 18771878, vicepresident and professor of military tactics in 18801882, and treasurer in 18841887. He forged an alliance between thebes and thessaly and conquered larissa from alexander ii of macedon, in the process taking the future macedonian king philip as a hostage back to thebes where he studied military tactics.
The rise of thebes as a threatening power to spartas control of greece was largely the result of the brilliant exploits of epaminondas and pelopidas whose obvious examination of spartan tactics allowed them to provide counters to them. The war between thebes and sparta began at the end of 379, when the. Using unusual tactics and motivated by a cause to free the slaves, epaminondas of. The epaminondas character is a young black boy, and the stories are based on folk tales from the southern states of the u. I had read a number of similar books with humorously similar titles, including keegans mask of command and strausss masters of command. Epaminondas academic dictionaries and encyclopedias. The commander can then try to defeat the enemy in detail. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Grades 23, ancient greece, history ancient, history europe, history ancient greece, greece, history, juvenile literature, military art and science, military weapons, to 1500 publisher. Jan 26, 2019 in the process he broke spartan military power with his victory at leuctra and liberated the messenian helots, a group of peloponnesian greeks who had been enslaved under spartan rule for some 200 years. Epaminondas was a theban general and statesman of the 4th century bc who transformed the ancient greek citystate of thebes, leading it out of spartan subjugation into a preeminent position in greek politics. Both commanders would reinvent warfare and see it revolutionize tactics. The game has two unique features that make it stand out from other. Philip came to the throne suddenly in 359, when his brother was killed during an invasion by the illyrians.
Key battles and tactics are described, and there are brief biographies of the great commanders. Here is a list of the top 12 ancient military commanders. Epaminondas 410362 bc was a theban general and statesman who. Epaminondas adopted a novel tactical formation during the battle. Sep 23, 2015 in 359 bc, philip ii became king of macedonia.
Alexander, the great international standard bible encyclopedia. During the course of the battle, epaminondas was to display a grasp of tactics. The end of sparta by victor davis hanson goodreads. The best books on military strategy five books expert. As a youth he had spent three years in thebes, and it was there that he observed the theban army.
This informal history traces battle tactics and military strategy from the time of the citystates phalanxes of spearmen to the farreaching combined operations of specialized land and sea forces in the hellenistic age. Green 1 epaminondas of thebes is best known as a military genius. My most recent books include dragons claws with feet of clay. Mar 25, 2020 ancient warfare was completely different to modern warfare. Philips military reforms were a new approach to the current hoplite warfare which focused on their shield, the hoplon. The outcome has been the latest of many lessons that pure military strategy needs to be guided by the longer and wider view from the higher plane of grand strategy. Tactics and techniques of the russian special purpose forces. Kate hodges graduated from the university of westminster with a ba in print journalism.
Founded in 2006, historum is a history forum dedicated to history discussions and historical events. The greek way of war and its legacy in the west bronze swords and charging chariots. Patriot games by tom clancy, the hunt for red october by tom clancy, the lions of lucerne by brad thor, clear and pr. The daring and brilliant premeditated tactics of epaminondas earned a decisive. After this battle, epanimondas repeated the same maneuver in a followup conflict with the spartans, and was victorious again. I am aware that in essence they are a mixture of personal experience mixed with the literary works of other ancient authors but at the same time bring together what would have been disparate anecdotes about ancient tactics and stratagems for example diodorus siculus the great alexandros. He then recounts how the art of war gradually evolved into new forms through the contributions of such men as the great commander epaminondas, philip of macedon, his son alexander the great, and others. I have some russian books 40s, 50s in czech of course, and one polish old book from 50s, and some czech books 60s to 80s which are derived from russian authors, letters of marxengeles about ancient warfare included. As it was, she embarked on actions that her former allies, thebes and korinth, refused to support. Currently i teach history at american public university.
Texts about military strategy take us back into the mists of time but what it is, and what the nature of war is, remains hotly debated. The military genius epaminondas had developed the oblique order of battle, which at the time caused a revolution in military tactics. What were the greatest tactics the greeks ever used in a. A veteran himself, he had also studied strategy and tactics. The books also feature a chapter filled with battle descriptions of a halfpage or less. Throughout the classical period, from 479 to 338, the area witnessed at least nine major battles. Peterson2 air force institute of technology, wrightpatterson afb, ohio abstract epaminondas is a twoperson, zerosum strategy game that combines longterm strategic play with highly tactical move sequences. The force commander concentrates the majority of his strength on one flank and uses the remainder to fix the enemy line. Fighting techniques of the napoleonic world explores the tactics and strategy required to win battles with the technology available during the napoleonic period 17891815, and points out how the development of such weapons technology changed the face of the battlefield. Military tactics skip to main search results amazon prime. In the process he broke spartan military power with his victory at leuctra and liberated. Philip ii was a hostage in thebes for much of his youth 367360, where he witnessed the combat tactics of the general epaminondas, which then influenced his restructuring of the infantry.
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