the most crazyest solution for a tactic/strategic problem

[caesar44]

the year is 586 bce - the babylonian king nebuchadnezar II is standing with his army (from 10,000 to 50,000 soldiers) at the foots of jerusalem walls , but there is a chanel full of water between his army and the walls , what he is going to do ? yes , he commands his soldiers to drink the water.........

[Elias71]

Honestly, thats a waste. In 385 BC the Spartan King Agesilaus II found himself in a fairly similar situation when sieging Mantinea. But instead of wasting this beautiful chance to win the battle with minimal losses, he ordered his men to set up a blockade to block the river and redirect it towards the city's walls, tearing them down with the intense pressure of the water.

Now THAT is a great solution to a large problem.

[sapi]

lol yes

[ICantSpellDawg]

the spartan one is good,
but my favorite is the Persian King Cyrus' temporary diversion of the euphrates river at the entrance of babylon and his army's march through the dried riverbed directly into the heart of the city (539 BC?)

circumventing the impediment of the legendary walls

[Magister Pediyum]

Burgundian duke in the battle of Nocopolis 1396

[Basiliscus]

The man who conquered the Aztecs, Hernan Cortez, ordered his soldiers that they must not loot from defeated tribes. This was punishable by death.

A tribe of his Mexican allies, the Zempoalans, began looting from the Cingapacinga. Cortez ordered all that was taken be given back, and gained another ally in the form of the Cingapacinga.

But then something adverse happened, one of his Spanish soldiers was caught looting! How could he deal with this? If he didn't hang the man then the Zempoalans would see his laws as unfair, and he would lose the support of 2000 Mexican tribesman. If he did hang the man, then he would lose one of his valuable conquistadors, and the support of his 500 Spaniards. How could he win?

His solution was to tie the man to a tree by a rope, and when his army marched into the distance, cut him down before he strangled to death. Thus the natives were convinced the man was dead but infact he had been saved, to the appreciation of the Spanish troops present. Clever eh?

[caesar44]

Burgundian duke in the battle of Nocopolis 1396

well ?
tell us

[Magister Pediyum]

Well after one of the most terrible battles in the medieval times battle of Kosovo,15 June 1389 Europa got it right.Ottomans where there to stay soon the second best prepared crusade come to bee. Son of Duke of Burgundy Lord Juan later called the Fearless set ought from Dijon trough HRE and meet the King of Hungary Sigismond in June 1396.He brought about 15,000 crusaders all best of the best he didn't lisente to the king and went on to Serbia.After some initial fights wich they won they tried to cross Danube on 25 october 1396 but Turks where there.They had initial chance to crush Ottoman army when their infantry beet Ottoman but the kinights charged and they where stoped by hosearchers.Hungaryian king acted but serbian count Stephan who was Sultans vassal attacked hungayians and the king was defeated.
Not until 1443 was another real crusade lunched
for more reed ''Among these forces was Johann (also called Hans) Schiltberger, a sixteen year old from Bavaria. He was captured in this battle, and would spend most of his life as a servant for various masters. Johann would travel throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, until 1427, when he managed to escape and return to Bavaria, where he wrote an account of his ordeal and travels. For more information about the battle, please see the article "The Battle of Nicopolis", by Kelly DeVries, in Medieval History Magazine i.2 (October 2003).''

[Basiliscus]

In the 5th (i think?) century BC, the army of Xerxes was ready to invade Greece. His gigantic army needed to reach Greece by crossing the Hellespoint, but there was too many soldiers to transport by boat. So naturally, he built a bridge. However, a storm came and wrecked the bridge.

Instead of punishing the architect who contructed the bridge, the story goes that he lashed the SEA!! 300 times instead. He also had iron shackles thrown in the water and torturers brand the sea with burning irons.

That is certainly crazy.

[Krusader]

In the 5th (i think?) century BC, the army of Xerxes was ready to invade Greece. His gigantic army needed to reach Greece by crossing the Hellespoint, but there was too many soldiers to transport by boat. So naturally, he built a bridge. However, a storm came and wrecked the bridge.

Instead of punishing the architect who contructed the bridge, the story goes that he lashed the SEA!! 300 times instead. He also had iron shackles thrown in the water and torturers brand the sea with burning irons.

That is certainly crazy.

Of course. Xerxes believed he was a god!
---
Reminds me of Caligula who ordered a Roman army to attack the sea in retaliation for a storm that either crushed a bridge he was building or some ships. Can't remember atm. This was the beginning of the end for Caligula's reign as the Roman soldiers couldn't believe they were ordered to hack at beach water. This wasnt what Roman soldiers were supposed to do. Their respect went to nill.

[caesar44]

Of course. Xerxes believed he was a god!
---
Reminds me of Caligula who ordered a Roman army to attack the sea in retaliation for a storm that either crushed a bridge he was building or some ships. Can't remember atm. This was the beginning of the end for Caligula's reign as the Roman soldiers couldn't believe they were ordered to hack at beach water. This wasnt what Roman soldiers were supposed to do. Their respect went to nill.

you know , when caligula returned to rome from his victory against the sae he celebrated a triumph with ten of thousands of pow's - seashells

[LeftEyeNine]

The conquest of Constantiople includes such a tactical craze of Fatih Sultan Mehmed.

"Mehmed's fleet could not enter the Golden Horn due to the large chain the Byzantines had laid across the entrance. To circumvent this he built a road of greased logs across Galata on the north side of the Golden Horn, and rolled his ships across. This succeeded in stopping the flow of supplies from Genoan ships and demoralizing the Byzantine defenders, but did not help in breaching the land walls."

[amazon77]

In the 5th (i think?) century BC, the army of Xerxes was ready to invade Greece. His gigantic army needed to reach Greece by crossing the Hellespoint, but there was too many soldiers to transport by boat. So naturally, he built a bridge. However, a storm came and wrecked the bridge.

Instead of punishing the architect who contructed the bridge, the story goes that he lashed the SEA!! 300 times instead. He also had iron shackles thrown in the water and torturers brand the sea with burning irons.

That is certainly crazy.

Yes all that is correct, but he did also have the architects of the bridge executed. Later in the same campaign he had his ppl make a passing through the land, so that his fleet didn't endanger a trip around it. It took 3 years to complete.

[amazon77]

The conquest of Constantiople includes such a tactical craze of Fatih Sultan Mehmed.

"Mehmed's fleet could not enter the Golden Horn due to the large chain the Byzantines had laid across the entrance. To circumvent this he built a road of greased logs across Galata on the north side of the Golden Horn, and rolled his ships across. This succeeded in stopping the flow of supplies from Genoan ships and demoralizing the Byzantine defenders, but did not help in breaching the land walls."

Yes it was quite a surprise when the turkish ships suddenly appeared in the otherwise "blocked" waters!
But the byzantines should have known better, for such a thing was used also in corinth as early as 500-450 BC. It was called a "diolkos" and they used it to transport ships from one end of the narrow land strip to the other, instead of making the trip around peloponesos. The romans tried to make a natural way by creating a pass, but failed and the old diolkos kept on.

[Basiliscus]

The conquest of Constantiople includes such a tactical craze of Fatih Sultan Mehmed.

"Mehmed's fleet could not enter the Golden Horn due to the large chain the Byzantines had laid across the entrance. To circumvent this he built a road of greased logs across Galata on the north side of the Golden Horn, and rolled his ships across. This succeeded in stopping the flow of supplies from Genoan ships and demoralizing the Byzantine defenders, but did not help in breaching the land walls."

Indeed, the highland chieftans adopted this practice and continued to use this well into the medieval period to transport their adopted Viking longboats between the inland lochs and the sea. They simply 'rolled' their ships over land using logs.

[Mikeus Caesar]

when caligula returned to rome from his victory against the sae he celebrated a triumph with ten of thousands of pow's - seashells

No, i think that he was going to invade britain, but when they finally reached the shores of northern France, he ordered his troops to collect seashells. Still incredibly funny, and odd.

the proposed invasion of Britain were never carried out; instead the troops engaged in drills and maneuvers, including the collection of sea shells to be displayed in a triumphal parade as the spoils of battle.

From a website, History of Caligula.

[RollingWave]

the spartan one is good,
but my favorite is the Persian King Cyrus' temporary diversion of the euphrates river at the entrance of babylon and his army's march through the dried riverbed directly into the heart of the city (539 BC?)

circumventing the impediment of the legendary walls

that wasn't a praticularly unique manuver, though the date of this one may be one of the earliest.