A Good Phalanx Formation and Strategy

[rotorgun]

Well shooting cavalry with archers really worked. My Greek Cavalry squashed the Roman cavalry. However if i use a phalanx to ward off a cavalry unit, wouldn't that phalanx be isolated? Here's another one: You are outnumbered, not outclassed, fighting an all infantry army but you have a good number of cavalry. Your infantry is caught up fighting the enemy infantry but the rest of the infantry manouvered behind your infantry and is targeting your cavalry (see you have deployed your cavalry behind your infantry in the hopes that their infantry will target your infantry so you can flank them with Greek cavalry. The Greek Cities.) What do you do? (If i should have peltasts or archers, please tell also.)

In this situation, one might also do as Alexander the Great did at Guagamela and deploy a second Phalanx behind your first. These don't have to be first line elites, they can be Milita Phalanx or Mercenary Greek Phalanx types. Alexander used Greek Mercenaries in this role. The first line is a normal line of your Macedonian Phalanxes, behind these place any peltests that you have. on each flank place whatever cavalry you have. A mix of heavy and light if only defending is standard, but you could mass your strike arm on one flank as the Companions did at Issus or Guagamela. It is usefull to acompany them with some skirmishers such as archers or light barbarian infantry if available; a combined arms approach keeps your opponent off balance. In your center third line goes your General, flanked by archers or light infantry. Behind him, centered on the battle line goes your second line of Greek Hoplite infantry, grouped together in a line of four, or two groups of two. These are deployed in standard formation to make them more mobile. They can be sent towards a threatened flank or the entire line can face about (pause will have to be used, ungrouping the units, giving each an about face command at the double, unpause until formation is reformed, pause and then regroup, unpause and play. You can then deploy them in phalanx formation as needed. If you imagine Craterus' formation as convex, instead of concave, with a second phalanx line behind, one can visualize how useful it could be, literally creating a kind of oblong square of sorts.



When Parmenio's flank gave way to the overwhelming combined arms attack of the Persians, this is what the Rear phalanx actually did, according to Arrian, who wrote a decent account of the battle. It was this action which probably saved the Macedonian Army from possible defeat, even though Alexander had the oppisite flank on the run.

Sorry to go on so long. Check out Woad Warrior's post on formations in the Entrance Hall threads. He has many additional formations for your consideration.

Bon Chance Mon Ami !