Playing with the new poll option October 30, 2008
Posted by knightofrook in Uncategorized.add a comment
You are the captain of a company. You are engaged in a firefight with the enemy. They have dug a small trench along the opposite side of a little stream hastily, and have slightly higher ground, you are in a wooded area. For one reason or another you have no air support. What do you do?
OK, I confess, I was just playing with the “Poll” option.
Why this homeschooler loves military strategy and history. October 24, 2008
Posted by knightofrook in Uncategorized.Tags: history, homeschooling, military, military history, Strategy, tactics, war, warfare
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I first fell in love with military strategy and history two years ago when my mother handed me a book on Alexander the Great’s military campaigns. I wish I could remember the title of the book, but I read it, and from that moment on I was head over heels in love with strategy – especially military strategy. I read about how the famous generals fought, I read about the forces they used, and I learned the essence of strategy, best summed up by Stonewall Jackson: “Mystify Mislead and surprise.”
I’m still learning, and in two years I haven’t gotten tired of it and still want to learn more. It’s something I understand, comprehend, and can implement (I think, although I’ve never actually fought a battle). I love history because it’s God’s story in his dealings with man, it’s the story of how men rose up and built empires, and how they fell, it is the story that repeats itself constantly. It is the story of how freedom was born in the West, and birthed America. All of these things are parts of history – and men had to fight wars for them to occur.
Wars are not won by luck, or by numbers, they are directed by God in His everlasting Providence, and determined by the mind of the general – which is where a strategist comes in. Although God is ultimatly in control of all things, yes even wars, victory is not possible without an intellegent commander. God has given man a wonderful gift: the gift of the mind, the gift of thinking, the gift of strategy and tactics! Everyone has God given talent, I believe God has given me the gift of strategical and tactical thinking. Whether God wishes me to use this to fight and win a war for His glory, or for some other purpose, He has gifted it to me. I must perfect it. That is why I love military strategy. That is why I love military tactics. That is why I love military history.
The Plan with Branches October 3, 2008
Posted by knightofrook in Strategy.Tags: invasion, Strategy, war, warfare
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An army has invaded another country, their objective is to take City B, for it holds a great deal of industry, and is a symbol of their national pride. There are also two other cities, that have a great many people living in them, and also have a good deal of industry. Now study the map above, the invading army is represented by the green squares, while the native army is denoted in blue, the cities are the red dots.
I know it’s a sad map, but it’s good enough to illustrate my point I hope. Now at first glance you might think that the general of the green army is extremely foolish by breaking up his force like he has done, but look again. If the blue army attacks one of the columns, one of the other columns will go on and take the city, or one of them might sweep around and attack the blue armies flank or rear. If he holds still, he might be able to protect City B, but the other cities will be destroyed, if he moves to the protection of one, the other cities will fall. By dividing his force, the general of the green army is able to threaten multiple points at once and put his foe into a dilemma, he can’t attack, he can’t retreat, he can’t hold still, and he can’t maneuver. No matter what he does, he will suffer. This is called “the plan with branches”, or at least that’s what Piere de Bourcet called it.
This method was used by commanders like Charlemagne, Subedei Bahudur, Napoleon, Sherman, among others. These generals all understood the importance of not just putting their opponent into a problem, but rather a dilemma. No matter what he does, he loses something, all options are bad. In my poor example above, the green army is threatening three cities, but they really only want one (although to take the others wouldn’t be a bad thing). By threatening multiple points, not just the one you want, you can confuse and distract your enemy, so that it will be easier to complete your objective. The plan with branches does just that, splitting your forces so that you can threaten more points than you would be able to do with a single concentrated force.
