There are many options when it comes to military strategy. Key among the strategies that have been widely adopted in the battlefield for hundreds of years is maneuver warfare. It is one that has been practiced from the Napoleonic War era to modern times. In this strategy, the team that deploys it focuses on defeating the enemy by negatively affecting its decision making capability. It adopts a shock and awe technique to do so.
It is no secret that warfare is primarily based on movement and kill rate. Each side attempts to occupy more territory and kill more enemies with each wave of its attack. Throughout its deployment in conflicts, it had proven most effective when adopted by scattered units that are properly trained. Small units have always been effective when adopting the technique due to the fact that they have a lesser risk of attrition that full standing armies. Small units attacking from various directions also hold the all important element of surprise.
In a typical battle, success is bound to be determined by how many enemy forces an army kills, the number of equipment it destroys and the amount of territory it seizes. In an attrition battle, both groups show little creativity in attack. An attack that embodies the element of surprise is bound to be successful as it forces the attacked party to panic and retreat. The ensuing melee gives the attackers enough latitude to recapture lost ground and meet their core 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 case in point was the battle between France and Austria in Northern Italy, one in which the Austrians were numerically superior. The French army, under the command of Napoleon, took advantage of the ensuing confusion among the Austrians by giving them no time to react. Following his victory, his strategy was deployed by several other generals in battlefields across the world.
The mechanization of movement in the 1850s brought about a new challenge to the implementation of the strategy. Warring factions could finally match their speeds. This development necessitated the creation of a new battle plan, albeit based on the same strategy. Attacking troops would encircle their enemies and quickly destroy their strong points, thereby rendering them incapacitated.
Much of the success that the German army enjoyed in the first half of the Second World War can be directly attributed to the adoption of rapid maneuvering techniques. By then, tanks were the core of the modern infantry. German panzer units, under the command of Erwin Rommel, would attack enemy infantry units in rapid unexpected bursts. This tactic was later called the Blitzkrieg or Lightning Attack.
Maneuvering also has its limitations. For instance, it is not effective without prior intelligence on enemy formations. This became apparent in the Lebanon War in 2006. By the end of the war, the Israelis had not met their objective of decimating the Hezbollah command.
It is no secret that warfare is primarily based on movement and kill rate. Each side attempts to occupy more territory and kill more enemies with each wave of its attack. Throughout its deployment in conflicts, it had proven most effective when adopted by scattered units that are properly trained. Small units have always been effective when adopting the technique due to the fact that they have a lesser risk of attrition that full standing armies. Small units attacking from various directions also hold the all important element of surprise.
In a typical battle, success is bound to be determined by how many enemy forces an army kills, the number of equipment it destroys and the amount of territory it seizes. In an attrition battle, both groups show little creativity in attack. An attack that embodies the element of surprise is bound to be successful as it forces the attacked party to panic and retreat. The ensuing melee gives the attackers enough latitude to recapture lost ground and meet their core 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 case in point was the battle between France and Austria in Northern Italy, one in which the Austrians were numerically superior. The French army, under the command of Napoleon, took advantage of the ensuing confusion among the Austrians by giving them no time to react. Following his victory, his strategy was deployed by several other generals in battlefields across the world.
The mechanization of movement in the 1850s brought about a new challenge to the implementation of the strategy. Warring factions could finally match their speeds. This development necessitated the creation of a new battle plan, albeit based on the same strategy. Attacking troops would encircle their enemies and quickly destroy their strong points, thereby rendering them incapacitated.
Much of the success that the German army enjoyed in the first half of the Second World War can be directly attributed to the adoption of rapid maneuvering techniques. By then, tanks were the core of the modern infantry. German panzer units, under the command of Erwin Rommel, would attack enemy infantry units in rapid unexpected bursts. This tactic was later called the Blitzkrieg or Lightning Attack.
Maneuvering also has its limitations. For instance, it is not effective without prior intelligence on enemy formations. This became apparent in the Lebanon War in 2006. By the end of the war, the Israelis had not met their objective of decimating the Hezbollah command.
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