Strategy in War pt.II

Welcome to the second installment of this series. In this article, I will discuss points of support, the strategic advantages of rivers and forests as they pertain to the game, and discuss the concept of a strategic reserve.

Strategy in War : part II

Points of Support

A point of support is a relatively simple concept that many generals have utilized without thinking about it. It is important that I clarify the definition before proceeding to my next section. Points of support are another of those concepts which may apply to both the strategic and tactical game. A point of support is defined as any feature which "supports" the army by protecting one of it's flanks or rear. This point of support may be something such as a salient feature of the terrain, like a river or fortress, but may even be something not so static, like an allied army.

It is important, especially when one considers the defense of a theatre of operations, to carefully consider at which locations the general is to deploy his army. This becomes even more important if the general is expected to face enemy forces which are numerically superior to his own. An enemy attacking with twice the strength of our general can attack from two simultanious directions, perhaps from the front and rear, unless the general has some way to deny this access. Thereby forcing the enemy to face him head on, or from another direction dictated by the general. A narrow mountain pass can serve this purpose as the pass protects both flanks, and denies access to the army's rear. Such mountain passes must be defended from their entrance, rather than their outlet however. This maximizes our mobility if we wish to strike first (and hence, strategic options) while limiting those of the enemy, who must still face us head on, or find an alternate route if he wishes to pass. When choosing points of support for your army remember the old saying, "If we make it too hard for the enemy to get in, we can't get out!" If our army is defeated in this mountain pass or elects to withdraw in the face of a superior enemy, it's line of retreat is very limited, and it may very well be pursued and eliminated if we are not careful!
Oftentimes however, it is enough for the army to rely upon a single point of support on a single flank, using it's own inherent strength to protect it's other flank.

As a side note: A general who on the battlemap uses one of the map edges to prevent the enemy from flanking him is in effect using the map edge as his point of support. Oftentime the battlemaps have rock formations, strongholds, or other features which may also be used in the same role.

Strategic Value of Rivers and Forests

Now this topic will be somewhat more limited in scope as it pertains to the strategy map of Rome:Total War, so I will not go into too much useless detail.

Impassable forest can be used as a point of support for your army when defending a theatre of operations, and when on the march as well. However when on the march it is important to note that the more sparsely wooded areas that skirt these thick forests are perfect for setting ambushes. If the general is sure of his control over a theatre, or portion thereof, the forests can not only provide an ample point of support, but also provide the possibility to conceal his own forces, and possibly catch the enemy at unawares! As in our example of the narrow mountain pass, two dense regions of forest can provide a similar "bottleneck". In this case it is also advised to defend this "pass" from it's entrance, rather than it's outlet for the same reasons listed above.

Rivers provide more options in their strategic usage. A river may be used as a point of support on the march or on the defense somewhat more safely than dense forest. The river will accomplish the same ends, protecting one of the army's flanks, while more than likely leaving the army's line of retreat more open than in wooded areas.
Rivers also provide defensive possibilities the general may wish to exploit, and in these there are three distinct kinds;

1. Direct Defense, intended to prevent a crossing.
2. Indirect Defense, intended to buy time.
3. Feigned Defense, intended to encourage the enemy to cross elsewhere.

The first type of defense is the type that most generals think of when they think of river defense, the
'wall" intended to make the enemy cross a narrow path in order to establish a beachhead on the opposite bank.

The second type bears more explanation. Defense of a river with the intent to slow the enemy consists of deploying a small force to defend the river, perhaps because the general knows his main force will be unable to adequetly defend it to begin with, or for some other innumerable reasons (possibly the main force is awaiting the arrival of reinforcements to supplement it's numbers). The purpose of this small force is to delay the enemy and inflict losses upon him as he makes his crossing, before retreating itself.

Feigned defense simply means deploying a force to discourage the enemy from making a crossing at that point. This force is small and if engaged will likely take on the role of a delaying force in most strategic situations. All this is assumed that the general has deemed that he does not have the force available to successfully defend the crossing directly.

In addition to these defensive possibilities, Rivers also serve a role as natural barriers to incursion in some cases. When a theatre of operations has a river running paralel to the frontier, often an enemy is limited to only a few constricted crossing points. After marching on our country, all of his reinforcements must use these same crossing points while we still hold the country (and indeed long afterwards in some cases!).
If the general has determined that direct defense of the crossings is not feasable, he can still inflict considerable harm upon the enemy through constant harassment of his chain of reinforcements, which are now restricted to the same crossings, even though he may not possess the strength to defeat the bulk of the enemy army.
The additional benefit that these crossings present us is that the enemy's line of retreat is now severely restricted.
If the enemy is beaten back, he now has only a narrow avenue upon which to march if he wishes to escape. It is possible to defend the intended crossing, in effect trapping his army in our country, where his already beaten army can be dealt the killer blow.

The Strategic Reserve

You will note in our previous discussion I spoke of the concept of economy of force. That particular subject lends itself well to the discussion of reserve forces and their uses. We establish a reserve to counter unexpected actions by the enemy, this much is true. However, beginning from the tactical level where the idea is very valid, almost obligatory, it's value diminishes as the matter proceeds outwards into the strategic realm. This is because as we proceed into the strategic realm, things become less uncertain. Whereas in the tactical, we often do not know from which direction the enemy will intend to flank us for intance, until they are already in the process of attempting to do so, in the strategic, it is often known from which direction an attack is likely to come. A tactical reserve may be the lever that swings that battle in our favor, while a strategic reserve is merely a fighting force which more often than not was not contributing as much to the overall campaign as it would have been if it had been concentrated with the rest of our forces!
Now there may be occasions where the enemy's movements may remain a mystery, such as a river with two crossings which must be defended, though we lack the numbers to defend both. In these cases, an army positioned between the two crossings is less a reserve, and more likely becomes the primary point of defense!

Closing Points

- Make use of natural and artificial points of support for your army
- Rivers must not neccessarily be defended to be of defensive value
- Tactical Reserves are often prudent, Strategic reserves are often a waste

If anybody has any questions, or would like me to cover a specific topic, please let me know.

Thank You
- Crow