When it comes to choosing battle strategies, military tacticians often have a wide range of options. One strategy that has been deployed in the battlefield countless times is maneuver warfare. Evidence of its use can be drawn from the wars that General Napoleon Bonaparte fought to modern conflicts. It is a strategy that chiefly relies on incapacitating an opposing force by impacting its ability to make key decisions. It is more of a shock and awe strategy.
Warfare is all about maneuver and attrition. Both sides make attempts to surprise each other with the endgame being the capture or killing of enemy forces. Over the years, it has been established that the maneuver strategy works best with several small military units that are well trained technically. Smaller units bear a smaller risk of attrition, hence the reason for this. They are also able to deploy a flanking strategy in their attack, thereby creating confusion in the opposing camp.
In most battles, success is usually gauged by the number of enemy equipment destroyed, territory occupied and combatants killed. Attrition battles portray a general lack of creativity from both opposing groups. A shock and awe attack, on the other hand, often causes the party being attacked to panic and make a retreat. This way, the attacking force gets sufficient latitude to reoccupy seized ground and attain its primary objectives.
One of the greatest generals to ever deploy the aforementioned strategy to great effect was Napoleon. In fact, he managed to defeat armies that were larger than his using it. His approach involved the use of quick cavalry charges against enemy combatants, shocking them and disabling their movement in the process.
A good example is the France and Austria conflict in Northern Italy, a battle in which Austria had a larger army. The French, commanded by Napoleon, overwhelmed the Austrians by launching rapid attacks against their units, thereby giving them very little reaction time. After his victory, several other generals copied him in their battles.
In the 1850s, technological advancement brought about the mechanization of movement, thereby making maneuver attacks more complicated. Armies that could not pull off quick maneuvers finally had the ability to do so. Additional plans were fused with maneuvering so as to counter the unintended effects of the development. Attacking parties now relied on the quick encirclement of their adversaries and the obliteration of their strong points.
The massive success of the Germans during the early stages of WW2 can also be linked to the technique. At the time, battle involved the heavy usage of tanks. German armored divisions, commanded by Erwin Rommel, would launch quick attacks against allied troop formations. The tactic was latter billed the Lightning or Blitzkrieg Attack.
Despite its massive success in battlefields, the technique has its own limitations. To be effective, the attacking army must know the precise location of the enemy units, including where their key equipment is stationed. The Israeli army deployed it in 2006 against Hezbollah during the Lebanon War. However, they were unable to obliterate the command structure of Hezbollah despite their overwhelming firepower.
Warfare is all about maneuver and attrition. Both sides make attempts to surprise each other with the endgame being the capture or killing of enemy forces. Over the years, it has been established that the maneuver strategy works best with several small military units that are well trained technically. Smaller units bear a smaller risk of attrition, hence the reason for this. They are also able to deploy a flanking strategy in their attack, thereby creating confusion in the opposing camp.
In most battles, success is usually gauged by the number of enemy equipment destroyed, territory occupied and combatants killed. Attrition battles portray a general lack of creativity from both opposing groups. A shock and awe attack, on the other hand, often causes the party being attacked to panic and make a retreat. This way, the attacking force gets sufficient latitude to reoccupy seized ground and attain its primary objectives.
One of the greatest generals to ever deploy the aforementioned strategy to great effect was Napoleon. In fact, he managed to defeat armies that were larger than his using it. His approach involved the use of quick cavalry charges against enemy combatants, shocking them and disabling their movement in the process.
A good example is the France and Austria conflict in Northern Italy, a battle in which Austria had a larger army. The French, commanded by Napoleon, overwhelmed the Austrians by launching rapid attacks against their units, thereby giving them very little reaction time. After his victory, several other generals copied him in their battles.
In the 1850s, technological advancement brought about the mechanization of movement, thereby making maneuver attacks more complicated. Armies that could not pull off quick maneuvers finally had the ability to do so. Additional plans were fused with maneuvering so as to counter the unintended effects of the development. Attacking parties now relied on the quick encirclement of their adversaries and the obliteration of their strong points.
The massive success of the Germans during the early stages of WW2 can also be linked to the technique. At the time, battle involved the heavy usage of tanks. German armored divisions, commanded by Erwin Rommel, would launch quick attacks against allied troop formations. The tactic was latter billed the Lightning or Blitzkrieg Attack.
Despite its massive success in battlefields, the technique has its own limitations. To be effective, the attacking army must know the precise location of the enemy units, including where their key equipment is stationed. The Israeli army deployed it in 2006 against Hezbollah during the Lebanon War. However, they were unable to obliterate the command structure of Hezbollah despite their overwhelming firepower.
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