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Thread: Greatest Tactical Victory?

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  1. #1
    King Nud's Avatar Praepositus
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    Default Greatest Tactical Victory?

    I am new to this little forum,

    Is this the greatest tactics ever used?

    You guessed it....Cannae

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...man_attack.gif

    Possibly the sneakiest/slyest tactics ever? Or was it?

    Have you got a better tactic that has won somehow?
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  2. #2
    Salem1's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    The Battle of Narva is one of the most successful battles ever fought and Sweden's greatest tactical victory of all time. It had little effect on the war for strategic reasons, but it's still an awesome feat. Here is a complete description: http://www.stormaktstiden.com/handel...e_of_narva.htm

  3. #3
    Erebus Pasha's Avatar vezir-i āzam
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    My choice:

    Austerlitz 1805 - Napoleon at his best.

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  4. #4

    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Strange to see that coming from an Englishman...

  5. #5
    Erebus Pasha's Avatar vezir-i āzam
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Quote Originally Posted by Player44 View Post
    Strange to see that coming from an Englishman...
    Napoleon was a genius and in my opinion that was his finest battle.

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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Quote Originally Posted by Erebus26 View Post
    Napoleon was a genius and in my opinion that was his finest battle.
    On top of it you Englishmen defeated Napoleon so praising an enemy you defeated actually praises you!
    "Sebaceans once had a god called Djancaz-Bru. Six worlds prayed to her. They built her temples, conquered planets. And yet one day she rose up and destroyed all six worlds. And when the last warrior was dying, he said, 'We gave you everything, why did you destroy us?' And she looked down upon him and she whispered, 'Because I can.' "
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    King Edward III's Avatar Primicerius
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mangalore View Post
    On top of it you Englishmen defeated Napoleon so praising an enemy you defeated actually praises you!
    Exactly.
    According to the Theory of War, which teaches that the best way to avoid the inconvenience of war is to pursue it away from your own country, it is more sensible for us to fight our notorious enemy in his own realm, with the joint power of our allies, than it is to wait for him at our own doors.

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  8. #8
    Axeman's Avatar Praepositus
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    I have to agree with Austerlitz.

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  9. #9
    Farnan's Avatar Saviors of the Japanese
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    I know I'm an American, but can I nominate the Battle of Trenton?

    An entire Hessian force captured with no American Casualties to hostile fire?
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  10. #10

    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Quote Originally Posted by Farnan View Post
    I know I'm an American, but can I nominate the Battle of Trenton?

    An entire Hessian force captured with no American Casualties to hostile fire?
    I would agree as an American as well. Trenton was one of our best tactical victories.

  11. #11

    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Here are a few that I can think of, I won't go into detail on the tactics involved in the battle. All 3 battles in the BC are lead by the same General, he was famous for fighting a war of attrition, which resulted in the total annihilation of the enemy's army.

    Battle of Yique 293 BC. 100,000 > 300,000 who are not only superior in numbers but also superior in quality of men and equipment. The battle was tactically significant because the side with 300,000 men lost more than 250,000 men in the battle. Qin forces siezed 5 cities, whilst both Han and Wei were forced to trade even more land for peace. Unlike Romans who always seems to recover, the 2 kingdoms Han and Wei never recovered.

    Conquest of Chu around 270BC. 30,000 > 250,000. Bai Qi(a general from Qin) took some left over men from a siege, around 30,000 and went deep into Chu territory without a supply line. The kingdom of Chu was 2-3 times the size of Qin, and had 2-3 times more men. The 30,000 Qin soldiers proceeded to defeat the Chu forces in open field. Then went and laid siege to a garrison city which had 4-5 times more men. Dam-ed up a river, flooded the garrison and proceeded to conquer the city. It opened up a path way to the heart of Chu and forced them to trade land for peace.

    Battle of Changping 260BC. 500,000 > 650,000. It is significant due to the ammount of casulties. Qin side took 250,000 casulties and Zhao took over half a million. Zhao never recovered fully from the defeat.


    Battle of Yongqiu 756AD. 2,000 > 40,000 in a siege. losses are 500 / 20,000 respectively. And no, i didn't miss a zero, its two thousand.

    Battle of Suiyang 757AD. 10,000 defenders almost won a siege against an army of 150,000. Just about all of the 10,000 defenders fought to the death, and could've won the battle if they received reinforcements which was denied due to political reasons. The tactical significance is that, the defenders held a choke point long enough for the mobolization of the army and prolonging of the empire by around 200 years. It is technically a defeat however.

    Battle of Yamen 1279AD. 50 warships + 20,000 men > 1000 advanced warships+transport ships and 200,000 men. It involved the Song's military, go figure. The most advanced military by far during its time that lost way more battles than it won.
    Last edited by communist; May 14, 2009 at 08:36 PM.

  12. #12

    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Surprised no one has said Guagamela.

    Chancellorsville was pretty good.
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  13. #13
    King Nud's Avatar Praepositus
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Scotland's most memorable victories over the English.

    Battle of Bannockburn (1314) -- 6,500 Scots beat 20,000 of England's best equipped men
    Battle of Loudoun Hill (1307) -- 600 Scots beat 3,000 English soldiers

    Not so much tactical but nevertheless.
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  14. #14

    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Temudjin used the climate and speed of his armies too outmaneuver superior forces.

    Yay of Mongols!
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    Pious Agnost's Avatar Praefectus
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Quote Originally Posted by King Nud View Post
    Scotland's most memorable victories over the English.

    Battle of Bannockburn (1314) -- 6,500 Scots beat 20,000 of England's best equipped men
    Battle of Loudoun Hill (1307) -- 600 Scots beat 3,000 English soldiers

    Not so much tactical but nevertheless.
    Where is Stirling Bridge?

    Clontarf, kicked the Vikings out of Ireland (So they switched to England and Scotland instead )
    Last edited by Pious Agnost; May 16, 2009 at 04:06 AM.

  16. #16
    Yoda Twin's Avatar Vicarius
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    I would have to say Leipzig (1812?) Forged the beginning of the end for Napoleon. If napoleon had managed to win Europe would have been his for many years to come and perhaps no one would wish to attempt tio end his Tyranny.
    Minister for Home Affairs of the Commonwealth v Zentai [2012] HCA 28 per Heydon J at [75]

    Analysis should not be diverted by reflections upon the zeal with which the victors at the end of the Second World War punished the defeated for war crimes. The victors were animated by the ideals of the Atlantic Charter and of the United Nations. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was about to peep over the eastern horizon. But first, they wanted a little hanging.

  17. #17
    Romanos IV's Avatar The 120th Article, § 4
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    In Balkan news,

    the Greco-Italian War (1940)
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  18. #18
    Tiberios's Avatar Le Paysan Soleil
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Quote Originally Posted by Romanos IV View Post
    In Balkan news,

    the Greco-Italian War (1940)
    Right on.

  19. #19
    ShockBlast's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    No battle of Călugăreni?
    16 000 Walalchians vs a Ottoman force that could be anywhere from 70 000 to 180 000.
    Losses: around 1 000 for us and around 10 000 to 15 000 for the Ottomans.The entire Ottoman army was routed,if this was inside the M2 engine Michel could conquer the Ottoman empire with victories like this one.

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  20. #20
    Erebus Pasha's Avatar vezir-i āzam
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    Default Re: Greatest Tactical Victory?

    Quote Originally Posted by ShockBlast View Post
    No battle of Călugăreni?
    16 000 Walalchians vs a Ottoman force that could be anywhere from 70 000 to 180 000.
    Losses: around 1 000 for us and around 10 000 to 15 000 for the Ottomans.The entire Ottoman army was routed,if this was inside the M2 engine Michel could conquer the Ottoman empire with victories like this one.

    Michel the Brave 1 - Sinan Pasha 0
    I do wonder how much of the Ottoman force was actually engaged in the battle itself. I'm not stating that the Wallachian victory wasn't impressive or anything but I do wonder if the Ottomans had anywhere near the numbers estimated on the battlefield.
    Last edited by Erebus Pasha; May 16, 2009 at 03:45 AM.

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