Historic Dispays of Tactical Ingenuity

[Rodion Romanovich]

Yeah, killing the horses in that mud was probably even worse than if they'd been able to penetrate the steel armor. Just imagine heaps and heaps of horse corpses, forcing the knights to zig-zag back and forth through the mud, as if the mud didn't restrict their speed in the charge enough anyway... That's actually one of the things that the TW games really ought to implement - movement and formation penalty when moving over ground littered with corpses...

[SpawnOfEbil]

The Battle of Leuctra has got to rank up there alongside Gaugamela and Cannae.

Epaminondas was a tactical genius to do what he did and try something completely novel to defeat a much stronger enemy.

[Kagemusha]

This isnt such a classic,but good example from WWII how a little force can annihilate lot bigger and better equipped one. Battle of SuomussalmiLook at the casulties,at the right of the site.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

One of the longest running disputes in military history -- and history in general.

Limits =

1. chap said generals not admirals, so we'll stick to the dry 40% of things.

2. aim is tactical rather than strategic, which lets out Barbarossa in 1941 (though leaving in a number of the battles within it) and a few others.

3. call is for "ingenuity," implying that orthodox tactics, however well executed, need not apply.

Right then, by era:

Ancient:

Hannibal Barca at Cannae: Though not the only use of the double envelopment, this is his best use of it. The tactic was probably a feature of the "chariot wars" of the VERY ancient middle east but records are very sparse on that. Marathon, too a somewhat lesser extent, employed the same approach.

Gaius Julius Caesar at Pharsalus: As noted in other posts, possible the best ancient use of flexible tactics.

Odysseus at Troy: Wherever Troy really was, and whatever the "horse" really was, this sneaky tactic has been sung and lauded for more than 3 millenia -- not a bad manuever that.

Sun Pin at Ma Ling: Set an ambush for a superior army by writing a note and sticking on a tree in a defile. The note said that "Pang Chuan dies by this tree." Troops found it, message went up the line, and sure enough Pang couldn't resist. Then the bowmen opened up. Dead General, routed army, opposing royalty captured -- game over.

-- Alexander gets zip from me. Any ingenuity to the oblique attack belongs to the Thracians and/or his dad Phillip. Alexander declared one basic tactic for a battle and then plunged into the hack and slash. He was a brilliant motivational/charismatic leader and a heck of a fighter but.....

Medieval:

Sabutai at Mohi: (others have noted) Dividing forces to launch a two-pronged attack across a River! Smashed the Hungarians. Sabutai is considered by many (including MacArthur) to have been the greatest general in history.

Henry at Agincourt: Advancing against a vastly superior foe in order to draw them into an unwise (and unneccessary) attack. The rest of the battle was, as noted before, more of a tribute to stupidity -- only that up-stakes and move out advance was ingenious (and gutsy).

Richard Plantagenet at Arsuf: Fighting on the march against a foe with superior mobility. Richard's forces were able to deal severe blows to those of Saladin, and Saladin was forced to sue for peace. This was wonderful thinking from an leader and army that was more used to the typical Eruopean see them, charge them, stomp them, ransom the nobility approach. Richard was a rotten strategist, a butcher, and a miserable king --but he could fight.

....other era choices to follow

[Romulas]

Over 2000 years later the battlefield decisions made by Alexander and Hannibal are still debated. Alexander won victories no matter who the enemy, no matter the odds. He found a way to put at least one tactical aspect to his advantage. He seemed to always win a "Heroic" victory. Hannibal's battles differ because the have you looking at both sides. Hannibal's tactics, to include him being where he was not supposed to be. And of course, his defeats are even a better study. Just what it took to beat him.

With all that I think the battle at Marathon the among the greatest if not the greatest. For the Greeks to win against those odds was awesome.