Our newer videos have much better narration and quality, check them out. Consider supporting us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals It will really help us improve the quality and the regularity of our videos.
I've always been interested in the logistics of how armies were supplied in the field. Roman armies were well organised but how did Medieval Armies operate for long periods of time?
I once thought that these tactics were deceptively simple, and many people in idle conversations slam this or that King and General as "not being a genius" by using very simple tactics. However, now knowing more, there are 2 things why things are simple. The main reason, as Clausewitz put it: "In wars, the right things are simple, but even the simplest thing is difficult in war". First, any time you can put together any number of men and not having the group spontaneously collapse from ill-discipline, logistical problems, lack of supplies, diseases, etc ... can already be considered an achievement. Armies and bureaucracies spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with this and precisely this. Feeding and keeping a large number of men healthy in the days before canned food, refrigeration, modern transports, and knowledge of sanitation, was no easy task. Armies melted away without a single fight for this very reason. Second, observation and communication. Unlike in games when observation and communication are instant, IRL, these things are slow. Generals were most likely on top of some hill, squinting their eyes trying to decipher what the hell is going on. You can only communicate with your subunits by the means of riders and messengers. You might hear that your flank is about to collapse and decided to send a messenger to dispatch the reserve; but then when the reserve arrives your flank has already collapsed and now half your force is running away.
That is a great comment! Indeed, when you think about it, even recruiting and keeping an army together was a big challenge. They had no census lists, no computers and no modern administrative power of the state to draft new recruits. And, yes, communication during the battle was, probably, a hell. So, keeping it simple was indeed a wise decision. :-)
Xuan Vinh To you are spot on. Your comment reminds me of an old PC game called Legion. Basically, you would set up your units, give them commands before the battle began, and then press "play" and hope for the best. I imagine war games looking like your description in the future.
Xuan Vinh To that's why you lead from the front and make sure you have competent leaders in every portion of your army. Center, flanks, reserves, etc and make sure you have a few other competent men ready to take command incase you fall
@@KingsandGenerals it also becomes last thing to feel excited about for nomad's enemies, just before they die even before they understand how did they die
Genghis Khan used Feigned Retreat to great effect in his battles. It was his favorite tactic. Of course as the Mongol empire expanded they adapted to new tactics and new weapons- they learned from their enemies... Yes Feigned Retreat was their favorite tactic early in their expansion..
1. Oblique order Create local superiority on one wing to break it faster and to create a possibility of attacking from multiple sides. Protect the weaker portion of the army by keeping it from the enemy as long as possible. 2. Concentrated center Create local superiority in the center to break it faster and to create a possibility of attacking from multiple sides. 3. Hidden flank Create local superiority on one wing to break it faster and to create a possibility of attacking from multiple sides. 4. Inverted wedge Protect the weaker portion of the army by giving it space to slowly retreat without breaking. Attack with superior forces on the flanks and encircle the enemy. 5. Crescent 6. Feigned retreat Keep retreating slowly in order to stretch and break the enemy forces to smaller chunks, attack them from multiple sides and defeat with local superiority. Grunwald Provoke the enemy to expose his flank and then attack it from multiple sides with local superiority. 7. Hit and run For missile units. Protect your forces from a stronger enemy by keeping them at a distance and slowly weakening the enemy from the distance. 8. Envelopment Create local superiority on one or both wings to attack from multiple sides. The general pattern here is to prevent the enemy from using his superiority and to attack in a manner that allows you to create local superiority (of quality or quantity) in one or in many places.
+STOP and Think Lol yeah, me too, just a little... like the vid narrator, I may be all kinds of a mess when older but I will never forget my battlefield glories...
"One day I will grow old and forget my wife's name, my credit card pin and the password to my favourite pornsite, but I'll still be able to talk about Romans for hours and hours" LOL I can identify with this 100%
Yes and defeat their enemies with the same tactics that defeated their own previous army. Romans were really one of a kind. Adopted strategies quickly and always employed them better than even the creators of said tactics could ever do.
Yep, unfortunately, for all of its good things, TW sometimes fails to represent the tactics of the past. Then again, they tried to create a symmetrical experience so every faction would be equal.
Actually ive made triple axies work in rtw2 before sure the broke down into more of a square at some point but hey its that originale cohesion beuty were after.
Actually.. no. not if your enemy is using combined arms (without making grave errors...), or has overwhelming firepower or superior range... + there's always siege...
Joe Blow Turks in general used the hilal/Wolf Trap tactic,Its the best tactic if you are in an open field,If you are in a siege etc its useless, and FUN FACT;Ancient turks learned and improved this tactic via observing wolf packs hunt. One of many battles that this was used was manzikert
Roderic Kingfield Here is the thing,usually when this tactic was used a lot of soldiers got hyped and disobeyed orders and chased the turks then got right in to a trap,Even if your army is really diciplened there is going to be some soldiers that always got adrenaline rush
To not have a massive route take place when employing the inverted wedge when the center got hammered is insane. Hannibal was an outstanding leader of men and general
+Joe Blow Hammer and Anvil *IS* a form of envelopment. The mechanics are identical, except you hit them in the rear instead of the sides. _"According to the United States Army there exist four types of envelopment:_ _A flanking maneuver or single envelopment consists of one enveloping force on a flank. attacking one of the enemy's flanks. This is extremely effective if the holding forces are in a well defensible spot (e.g. Alexander the Great's hammer and anvil at the Battle of Issus) or if there is a strong, hidden line behind a weak flank (e.g. Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) and Battle of Rocroi)._ _A pincer movement or double envelopment consists of two simultaneous flanking maneuvers. Hannibal devised this strategy at his tactical masterpiece, Cannae. Later on, Rashidun Caliphate General, Khalid ibn al-Walid applied the maneuver in decisive battle against Sassanid Empire during Battle of Walaja. Early in World War II the Germans frequently employed this tactic and encircled huge numbers of the enemy during the Blitzkrieg attacks on both the Western Front during the Battle of France and during Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front._ _An encirclement whereby the enemy is completely surrounded and isolated in a pocket. The friendly forces can choose to attack the pocket or invest it (to stop resupplies and to prevent breakouts) and wait for a beleaguered enemy to surrender._ _A vertical envelopment is "a tactical maneuver in which troops, either air-dropped or air-landed, attack the rear and flanks of a force, in effect cutting off or encircling the force"._ [ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Envelopment ]
Just realized I was here at the start of your channel! Good job guys!! All the way at 3 million subs I remember watching this and the Sassanian war video. Cool I found y’all from a total war video
Love that self-reflection that after forgetting everything, you will not forget about Roman strategy, particularly Triplex Acies. I feel that I'll one day be in a similar situation and be that crazy old grandpa that talks about ancient battles whilst forgetting his email password XD
I know right? From Crassus to Romen Diogenes, why would anyone want to face missile cavalry with infantry? Edit: If anybody know actually how to win against horce archers I would happily listen. I play barbarian invasion and keep loosing to huns
I play games a lot with my friends and came looking for some strategies that generals used in the past because im my team's strategist. I found everything i wanted and a man with a sense of humor, noice.
the double envelopment at least is the most basic and efficient strategy against a computer, works as long as your center doesn't break. It also requires some patience because it's best to wait until your ennemy's out of amunitions to pull it off, unless you want to be shot in the back. I'd say against humans the most efficient is to hide some troops, but timing is crucial there ! Especially since players have an aerial vue of the battlefield, which Generals did not have back then. great work by the way, I discovered your videos two days ago and am currently binge watching them ! :)
Hannibal crushing army after army without securing a decisive overall victory forced an odd case of artificial selection which created some of the best generals of all time.
i played the total war games for years, developing many of these tactics on my own through trial and error. now i finally know what they're called! thankyou!
Thanks for watching! We are slowly making more detailed videos on each of them. Here is one on the oblique order: th-cam.com/video/UXDIFec0VCo/w-d-xo.html
Hannibal's strategy is many times more intelligent than what is given above. It is mobile strategy combined with skill, leadership, planning, alertness and situation awareness
my favorite one is have you ever heard Battle of Walaja? its one of Khalid ibn Walid most stunning victory... its perfect double envelopment maneuver are lead general A.I. Akram to likened the brilliance of Khalid to Hannibal in battle of Cannae
Huh, it's funny how many of these tactics I've accidentally found myself using across the Total War games. A favorite tactic of mine in Shogun 2 was a mix of feigned retreat, hidden flank, and envelopment. I made a main line of yari wall with fire bomb throwers on one flank to bait out an agressive charge from an enemy against a short-range unit that is relatively weak in melee. If possible, I'd hide a unit of no-dachi samurai (shock troops with incredibly powerful charges, in case you haven't played it) nearby. When the enemy got close, the throwers would launch one volley of fire bombs, causing enough chaos in the enemy charge for me to pull the throwers back and charge with my shock troops while the enemy was still disoriented and out of position because of the bombs. This would cause even the most elite unit to rout, at which point I would use my shock troops to charge the nearest enemy unit engaging my spear wall, surrounding and breaking them, causing a routing cascade as I envelop the enemy. It was always so satisfying to pull off.
I think it’s cool how many of these tactics are built around either envelopment or avoiding envelopment. Really shows the importance of keeping the flanks safe
Roman and Greek and Hannibal's tactics are my favourites. Haven't used concentrated centre yet in Rome 2 TW. I could watch a long video about any of these. Let's hear about artillery, and light infantry too.
Would've loved to see Barca's reaction at the sight of his elephant units being annihilated. At that moment, I'd probably start thinking 'cntrl, alt, del'. Awesome video and narration.
Love this video guys. I would love to see other battle strategies used or battles done in a campaign by a single figure, such as Alexander the Great or Hannibal
Hannibal's Bent Bow of Cannae. Masterly done, the man even put himself at the center of his army, Hannibal truly is the greatest general mankind ever produced, I know he may not like it, but Mars truly shined on him.
I'm in love with the feigned retreat, even because it might happen spontaneously like it happened to William the Bastard with his left flank led by the bretonnians in the battle for England
I believe it happened more than once at Hastings, the first one being an actual retreat by William's left, and then a feigned retreat was ordered after the response of the English to the actual retreat had been observed.
"This video has gone on too long." I watched a 22 minutes Kings and Generals video about the Jewish rebellion in the Roman empire this morning. Hindsight is a funny thing.
4:19 is used BC 200s-AC 1900s with modern equipments. 1919-1922 wars in Turkey was an example. (Very efficient against greeks still, it doesn't matter with horse or tank or aircrafts)
Thank you, finding stuff this dense and high quality about military tactics is hard, probably because it's not much more useful than regular history, at least those are fun to try in games.
Oblique order is my favorite wargaming tactic by far. Many times my opponents will spread their forces across the battlefield. My goal is to have 70% of my army overrun one enemy flank then wheel towards his center and roll up his line. As he turns to face his failing flank, his opposite flank units are too far away to get into the battle in time and typically come in piecemeal allowing me to slaughter them. I will many times sacrifice light units on his far flank and center to delay those heavier units. When I face someone who is using Oblique order and I have not, I will turn and march my flank facing his strong flank towards my center rear while rapidly advancing my opposite flank driving off his lighter screening units. This will wheel my battle line 90 degrees. For example, if my battle line was stretching east west facing the enemy it ends up stretching north south and facing the enemy. Sacrificing one or two units to delay his strong flank can buy you needed time to reorganize your battle line. The faster you identify your opponents formation the better as you have more time to reposition your forces. Scouting concealing terrain features is of critical importance. You need to know what is behind those hills and in those woods!
I remember playing as ottomans in mediavel 2 where during a crusader invasion the very elite, equiped with silver grade armor and weapons, led by a high starred prince of France. While I only have a mediocre Turkish horse archers, I wanted to use like how the Roman fell with horse archer but the discipline was intact until I killed the prince & all discipline completely fell. Pretty much capture all the army
For some reason it got recommended to me. It's not the oldest video they ever produced, but it's certainly the oldest video available on their channel for viewing.
I've played many of the total war games over the years offline for fun. I love watching the history channel program that brings to life the tactics of famous ancient Eurasian battles. About 5 years ago I started plaing the #1 online game globaly, World of Tanks on XBox. I'm currently floating around top 5% in the world month to month and rated top 350 in the world over the last couple weeks. Most of the above average players know how to operate their tanks as well as me or anyone else at my level. The armies Alaxander "The Great" faced were just as leathal as his, some, more so. But a race car is only as competitive as the skill of the driver. It's my opinion that most important trait of any General, or maybe more importantly, Captain is that commanders sense of timing. I know many are going to scoff at me comparing a real life or death struggle to a video game. But, in never ceases to amaze me how a few great players can take on and defeat forces several times larger. Watching the first evolution of the oblique order tactic, my jaw dropped in astonishment. In WOT, what usually happens is the largest portion of the team attacks together in what they call a "lemming train". If that happens, smart players will position theirselves between either left or right rear flank. I'll seak out the enemy and try to bait them into attacking me, as I make tactical retreat toward the rear of the bulk of my team. Wow! Your video has convinced me to take serious look at ancient battlefield tactics for use in game. Well done sir. (subscribing today!)
Thanks for the sub and welcome aboard :-) We are going to continue creating videos in this vein. Also, congrats on being so good in the World of Tanks. We need to create some videos in that era, I guess. :-)
Tactic in theory: use units to engage the enemy, and spread out to separate the enemy units until the enemy is spread very thin. After this use reserves to overwhelm one side and move the active troops to the other side to do the same Could this work in practice?
Parthian Capitalist you would need a well organized and disciplined army along with more men than the enemy in order for this to work but other than that I like it.
5 ปีที่แล้ว +1
The key thing in a battle is knowing your enemies strength and your enemies plan. That means you need spies in the enemy camp or very good scouts. Also, always take up positions that use the features of the landscape to your advantage.
Hannibal actually had the least experienced troops in the center. At least during the "Battle of Cannae". He fought in the center with them to assure them their lives weren't being forfeit. Basically saying "I'm here with you. Do not retreat. Bend but do not break. You job is to give not be over run."
Great video. I really liked how you presented the schiltron. I was wondering if you did consider the combined-arms-approach that was favored by the English during the Hundred Years War. After all, the strategy of combining the firepower of archers with the staying power of melee infantry and the shock element of cavalry was one of the most important tactical options for Classical and Medieval armies when on the defensive.
I do acknowledge that the English lost the Hundred Years' War, but what I am talking about, with the example of the English forces, was the fact that the combined-arms approach is one of the most common in history. Other great examples are Alexander the Great's army, the Late Roman Empire Legions, and even the Norman forces commanded by William I of England.
very well done video. And really these are timeless tactics. The oblique order served Friedrick and his beloved Prussia well. And we was said to have been inspired by the very battle you mentioned.
Thanks for watching. I really like the fact that gunpowder era generals were so fond of ancient tactics. Obviously, ancient generals did not have gunpowder units or artillery, but it is more about ingenuity than anything else. :-) I am planning a documentary on the Seven Years War. It should be released sometime in August, so, stick around. :-)
That's your basic Marlburian 'find, fix and destroy'... only he could use it flawlessly as base for or to react to anything else (Blenheim, Ramillies) or as a finisher to a successful catch up from behind (Oudenarde) as on it's own it can turn into a game of attrition (Malplaquet) Shame that the all round outstanding British commander in history (with Wellington close behind) did his thing so long ago.
I see another problem at 3:55. One should almost always leave an escape route for the enemy. Otherwise, the enemy will fight to the bitter end and kill many of your troops. Rather leave the escape route open, then kill as many escaping enemies as possible. In that way, you will lose way fewer men. If I remember correctly, The Mongols did often utilize that tactic, leaving gaps to enemies to "escape". Then they just hunted them down.
I like to charge part of infantry line a fraction before the rest and i ride my general and 1 other shock cavalry unit out through the centre with other cavalry manouevers on either flank (support with a unit of spears as your cavalary is split up x3). It takes alot of micromanagement but really effective for me in legendary and multplayer total war
stuka80 yeah! I know :) then mentioned it twice, but didnt mention the echelon. It is such an important tactics, so it definitely deserves a mention :)
At 0:18 I see four pictures about different documentries, but I could find them at your playlist and also in the upload. Can you tell me the names of the corresponding videos I'm interested to watch them all.
Awesome video, very informative. Just one thing, though. It's difficult to understand what the narrator is saying in some portions of the video due to the volume of the music. I couldn't understand the last sentence in one section (I think it was the Hit and Run section) because of this. Maybe dial it back a bit? Otherwise, good work. ☺
Thank you for watching! We have improved quite a bit since then, and each of the tactics described in this videos will be covered separately, in detail. We have released the first video in this series: th-cam.com/video/UXDIFec0VCo/w-d-xo.html
I agree, surely a Mongolian Prince could never be last, even if ever wrongfooted... so many (including the likes of Nathan Bedford Forrest) owe the idea of 'gittin' thar fustest with the mostest' to Mongolian endeavours and glory. Just be careful around Mamluks ok?
The Mongols might well have trounced the Mamluks if most of the Mongol force hadn't gone home with the Ilkhan Hulagu to participate in the election of a new Khakhan after Mongke's death
i play a game called Overwatch. A 6v6 team shooter. It's a miracle if you can even keep all 6 team members in support range of each other without odd people going off on mad flanks or trying to 1v6 the enemy team. Definitely made me realise just how little general population knows about super basic military tactics. Great kudos to all these generals managing thousands of troops like well oiled machines.
There is so much we need to know about Chinese history... In a way, China has always been around, so they are bound to have a fascinating culture. Language barrier is one hell of a barrier, though. As China becomes more mainstream (and less communist), we might start to see more translations around, or who knows, maybe Chinese becoming a more widely known language.
Many brilliant commanders independently implemented and perfected the art of double envelopment and reverse crescent mainly as an effective counter measure against numerically superior foes. Another example is Khalid bin Walid
Carthage army was almost equal as roman legions but when Hannibal won at Cannae, he didn’t seiz that chance to destroy the roman republic, instead He and his army celebrate their victory
Isaiflamand kwetcalo He didn't have any chance, he couldn't lay siege to a walled city without any siege weapons, also rome was defenceless after cannae, they still have two legions inside the city
![True Size of Napoleon's Army - The Infantry [c. 1808] 3D DOCUMENTARY](/img/n.gif)
Our newer videos have much better narration and quality, check them out. Consider supporting us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals It will really help us improve the quality and the regularity of our videos.
Sassing ye olde narrator with not a care in the world.
What about the ancient Chinese pike and shot
I've always been interested in the logistics of how armies were supplied in the field. Roman armies were well organised but how did Medieval Armies operate for long periods of time?
Great video but the music is to loud.
Kings and Generals should
I once thought that these tactics were deceptively simple, and many people in idle conversations slam this or that King and General as "not being a genius" by using very simple tactics. However, now knowing more, there are 2 things why things are simple. The main reason, as Clausewitz put it: "In wars, the right things are simple, but even the simplest thing is difficult in war".
First, any time you can put together any number of men and not having the group spontaneously collapse from ill-discipline, logistical problems, lack of supplies, diseases, etc ... can already be considered an achievement. Armies and bureaucracies spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with this and precisely this. Feeding and keeping a large number of men healthy in the days before canned food, refrigeration, modern transports, and knowledge of sanitation, was no easy task. Armies melted away without a single fight for this very reason.
Second, observation and communication. Unlike in games when observation and communication are instant, IRL, these things are slow. Generals were most likely on top of some hill, squinting their eyes trying to decipher what the hell is going on. You can only communicate with your subunits by the means of riders and messengers. You might hear that your flank is about to collapse and decided to send a messenger to dispatch the reserve; but then when the reserve arrives your flank has already collapsed and now half your force is running away.
That is a great comment! Indeed, when you think about it, even recruiting and keeping an army together was a big challenge. They had no census lists, no computers and no modern administrative power of the state to draft new recruits.
And, yes, communication during the battle was, probably, a hell. So, keeping it simple was indeed a wise decision. :-)
Nice comment, go up!
Xuan Vinh To you are spot on.
Your comment reminds me of an old PC game called Legion. Basically, you would set up your units, give them commands before the battle began, and then press "play" and hope for the best.
I imagine war games looking like your description in the future.
Xuan Vinh To that's why you lead from the front and make sure you have competent leaders in every portion of your army. Center, flanks, reserves, etc and make sure you have a few other competent men ready to take command incase you fall
GOOFY LUCK holy crap I remember that game. Good times
Nothing gets a nomadic warrior more excited than feigned retreat.
It depends on the perspective, I guess. :-) Maybe, it was their enemies who initially got excited seeing the nomads retreating. :-)
@@KingsandGenerals they were indeed. Battle of Mohac was one of the last examples
@@KingsandGenerals it also becomes last thing to feel excited about for nomad's enemies, just before they die even before they understand how did they die
Genghis Khan used Feigned Retreat to great effect in his battles. It was his favorite tactic. Of course as the Mongol empire expanded they adapted to new tactics and new weapons- they learned from their enemies...
Yes Feigned Retreat was their favorite tactic early in their expansion..
True, that is the way Normans won at Hastings.
1. Oblique order
Create local superiority on one wing to break it faster and to create a possibility of attacking from multiple sides. Protect the weaker portion of the army by keeping it from the enemy as long as possible.
2. Concentrated center
Create local superiority in the center to break it faster and to create a possibility of attacking from multiple sides.
3. Hidden flank
Create local superiority on one wing to break it faster and to create a possibility of attacking from multiple sides.
4. Inverted wedge
Protect the weaker portion of the army by giving it space to slowly retreat without breaking. Attack with superior forces on the flanks and encircle the enemy.
5. Crescent
6. Feigned retreat
Keep retreating slowly in order to stretch and break the enemy forces to smaller chunks, attack them from multiple sides and defeat with local superiority.
Grunwald
Provoke the enemy to expose his flank and then attack it from multiple sides with local superiority.
7. Hit and run
For missile units. Protect your forces from a stronger enemy by keeping them at a distance and slowly weakening the enemy from the distance.
8. Envelopment
Create local superiority on one or both wings to attack from multiple sides.
The general pattern here is to prevent the enemy from using his superiority and to attack in a manner that allows you to create local superiority (of quality or quantity) in one or in many places.
You stopped and thought about it. :-)
a bit
+STOP and Think Lol yeah, me too, just a little... like the vid narrator, I may be all kinds of a mess when older but I will never forget my battlefield glories...
Most of the above is also knows as: "Defeat in detail".
and from here the greatest history channel on youtube has born
"One day I will grow old and forget my wife's name, my credit card pin and the password to my favourite pornsite, but I'll still be able to talk about Romans for hours and hours" LOL I can identify with this 100%
Are you Syd Barret
Acid Trip I was dying when he said that
+James Chebahtah can't lie. :-)
🤣🤣🤣👏🏻
Beautiful. Robert Graves, near the end, actually believed he was in Ancient Rome.
The Romans had a trick, you kill my army I'll come back with a new, improved one.
Yes and defeat their enemies with the same tactics that defeated their own previous army. Romans were really one of a kind. Adopted strategies quickly and always employed them better than even the creators of said tactics could ever do.
@@LazyCrazyGuy what ever happened to the italians. Was napoleon the last hereditary italian competant general?
@@ottovonmlgbismarck9882 i would like to know more about that too
@@ottovonmlgbismarck9882 Napoleon was Italian? Ok... Cezare Borgia was a very skilled general.
@@Huczek141 Napoleon was from Corsica. He may well have some Italian blood in him.
Using triple axis in Rome 2. The next thing you hear is "our troops are running the field of battle, this is a shameful display"
Yep, unfortunately, for all of its good things, TW sometimes fails to represent the tactics of the past. Then again, they tried to create a symmetrical experience so every faction would be equal.
That's 1 of the things I like about TW:Warhammer, some factions play alike but some are so different.
Actually ive made triple axies work in rtw2 before sure the broke down into more of a square at some point but hey its that originale cohesion beuty were after.
Lol. A lot of tactics and strategies fail to work in TW, aside from envelopment or Hammer and Anvil.
vlad Too true!
Wow , Beginning of an era on youtube!!!😀😀😀
Current war tactic: the one who press button first is the winner
Yes
It doesnt even work that way because of submarines :D
Whoever has a button loses
Column formation, wedge formation, staggered column, shift fire, bounding. Modern tactics are just as interesting/cool as the ancient stuff.
@@franciscoguerrero9719 any channel you would suggest with modern war tactics content?
97% of the viewers came from the total war series
Possibly. :-)
exactly
I came from age of empires 3 ;)
True
I came from medieval 2 lol
we're the only people left using these tactics
For 2000 years from Scythians to Ottomans, "Feigned flight" dominated the open battlefields so that would be my choice.
If you have mobility and lack numbers, it is a way to go.
Actually.. no. not if your enemy is using combined arms (without making grave errors...), or has overwhelming firepower or superior range... + there's always siege...
Joe Blow Turks in general used the hilal/Wolf Trap tactic,Its the best tactic if you are in an open field,If you are in a siege etc its useless, and FUN FACT;Ancient turks learned and improved this tactic via observing wolf packs hunt. One of many battles that this was used was manzikert
Personally, I wouldn't fall for that. If I were a commander I would as a rule never chase retreating enemies. Not even if it's a rout.
Roderic Kingfield Here is the thing,usually when this tactic was used a lot of soldiers got hyped and disobeyed orders and chased the turks then got right in to a trap,Even if your army is really diciplened there is going to be some soldiers that always got adrenaline rush
At 2017,a legend was born.
This was both entertaining and informative. Thank you.
Thank you for watching :-)
Thanks for these videos. You do a fantastic job of hitting the main point without overwhelming the viewer. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for your support. I hate verbosity and tautology. :-)
Kings and Generals thx for giving noobs tactics now
Where is corner camping? down vote for historical inaccuracy
I think that we have finally found a person who didn't suffer enough from the corner camping :-)
Corner camping? Call up the archers and siege equipment
@@quantumimmortality551 spam war dogs.
@@quantumimmortality551 ah yes. Nothing like bunker busting.
OUR GENERAL IS UNDER ATTACK
To not have a massive route take place when employing the inverted wedge when the center got hammered is insane. Hannibal was an outstanding leader of men and general
0:00 legend is born
Hammer and anvil?
Yep, also very effective.
Just a variation of envelopment really.
Number 7 was The smartes and seencitiv tactic, thats why they had suck greate territorium 😣
+Joe Blow Hammer and Anvil *IS* a form of envelopment. The mechanics are identical, except you hit them in the rear instead of the sides.
_"According to the United States Army there exist four types of envelopment:_
_A flanking maneuver or single envelopment consists of one enveloping force on a flank. attacking one of the enemy's flanks. This is extremely effective if the holding forces are in a well defensible spot (e.g. Alexander the Great's hammer and anvil at the Battle of Issus) or if there is a strong, hidden line behind a weak flank (e.g. Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) and Battle of Rocroi)._
_A pincer movement or double envelopment consists of two simultaneous flanking maneuvers. Hannibal devised this strategy at his tactical masterpiece, Cannae. Later on, Rashidun Caliphate General, Khalid ibn al-Walid applied the maneuver in decisive battle against Sassanid Empire during Battle of Walaja. Early in World War II the Germans frequently employed this tactic and encircled huge numbers of the enemy during the Blitzkrieg attacks on both the Western Front during the Battle of France and during Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front._
_An encirclement whereby the enemy is completely surrounded and isolated in a pocket. The friendly forces can choose to attack the pocket or invest it (to stop resupplies and to prevent breakouts) and wait for a beleaguered enemy to surrender._
_A vertical envelopment is "a tactical maneuver in which troops, either air-dropped or air-landed, attack the rear and flanks of a force, in effect cutting off or encircling the force"._
[ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Envelopment ]
Hammer and anvil is over all strategy, which deals with stuff outside of the battle field
Just realized I was here at the start of your channel! Good job guys!! All the way at 3 million subs I remember watching this and the Sassanian war video. Cool I found y’all from a total war video
Love that self-reflection that after forgetting everything, you will not forget about Roman strategy, particularly Triplex Acies. I feel that I'll one day be in a similar situation and be that crazy old grandpa that talks about ancient battles whilst forgetting his email password XD
It is good to be a bit ironic about oneself. :-)
I could listen to this stuff non stop - please make a whole never ending series on battle tactics and examples. awesome job!
"Hit n run tactic with Missile cavalry"
Just hearing those words...
*Tired foot soldiers sounds intensifies
I know right? From Crassus to Romen Diogenes, why would anyone want to face missile cavalry with infantry?
Edit: If anybody know actually how to win against horce archers I would happily listen. I play barbarian invasion and keep loosing to huns
@@hannibalburgers477 large onagers says hello
@@gabrielnugrahaandika1519 Sorry I forgot to specify R:TW 1 BI
*testudo formationing until those freaking horse archers run out of ammo intensifies*
*laughs in Frankish*
I play games a lot with my friends and came looking for some strategies that generals used in the past because im my team's strategist. I found everything i wanted and a man with a sense of humor, noice.
you should use each tactic in a battle against a friend or computer and make a video out of that.
Yes, that is the plan, thanks for your support :-)
no.9 Scottish pikes... pike box being a legit strategy confirmed(against cavalry anyway)?
+auto27user yeah, it worked, unless enemy has advantage in missile units.
the double envelopment at least is the most basic and efficient strategy against a computer, works as long as your center doesn't break. It also requires some patience because it's best to wait until your ennemy's out of amunitions to pull it off, unless you want to be shot in the back. I'd say against humans the most efficient is to hide some troops, but timing is crucial there ! Especially since players have an aerial vue of the battlefield, which Generals did not have back then. great work by the way, I discovered your videos two days ago and am currently binge watching them ! :)
moar werk?
There is no more glorious thing as Scipio pulled a Hannibal on Hannibal.
Zama was perfect, Scipio defeated a veteran army as well
Hannibal crushing army after army without securing a decisive overall victory forced an odd case of artificial selection which created some of the best generals of all time.
@@josecipriano3048 True, best upset ever.
@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony- veteran??
@@naiad5043 Hannibal had more hardened troops than Scipio
i played the total war games for years, developing many of these tactics on my own through trial and error. now i finally know what they're called! thankyou!
Thanks for watching! We are slowly making more detailed videos on each of them. Here is one on the oblique order: th-cam.com/video/UXDIFec0VCo/w-d-xo.html
*Hannibal's Inverted Wedge at Cannae in #4*
is my favorite one.
Funny fact: Shaka Zulu {also known as the African Napoleon} used the same tactic and called it the bull horn tactic.
Hannibal's strategy is many times more intelligent than what is given above. It is mobile strategy combined with skill, leadership, planning, alertness and situation awareness
Simple ideas conveyed with useful diagrams and historic examples. Great video.
my favorite one is have you ever heard Battle of Walaja?
its one of Khalid ibn Walid most stunning victory...
its perfect double envelopment maneuver are lead general A.I. Akram to likened the brilliance of Khalid to Hannibal in battle of Cannae
@david edbrooke-coffin Alexander the Great
Sargon of Akkad
Ashoka the Great
the other 3
@david edbrooke-coffin He's like the only person, who got the title 'the Great' because of his pacifism.
Yes 😍😍
Am I the only one who came to watch this video to know how the best TH-camr started
Huh, it's funny how many of these tactics I've accidentally found myself using across the Total War games. A favorite tactic of mine in Shogun 2 was a mix of feigned retreat, hidden flank, and envelopment. I made a main line of yari wall with fire bomb throwers on one flank to bait out an agressive charge from an enemy against a short-range unit that is relatively weak in melee. If possible, I'd hide a unit of no-dachi samurai (shock troops with incredibly powerful charges, in case you haven't played it) nearby. When the enemy got close, the throwers would launch one volley of fire bombs, causing enough chaos in the enemy charge for me to pull the throwers back and charge with my shock troops while the enemy was still disoriented and out of position because of the bombs. This would cause even the most elite unit to rout, at which point I would use my shock troops to charge the nearest enemy unit engaging my spear wall, surrounding and breaking them, causing a routing cascade as I envelop the enemy. It was always so satisfying to pull off.
I think Oblique Order is very intuitive in Total War as well.
With the animated presentation the Hard work done enables the mind to grab content and green thank you thank you
Thank you!
Spasibo! This is a great video. Love the comment about Triplex Acles...hours and hours.
I think it’s cool how many of these tactics are built around either envelopment or avoiding envelopment. Really shows the importance of keeping the flanks safe
I'm just here after seeing the 'tactics' displayed in GoT
Ruined the entire show tbh
same
Fuck off it’s better tactics than canne
LOL “Tactics”, that’s generous.
GoT? Game of thrones?
Roman and Greek and Hannibal's tactics are my favourites. Haven't used concentrated centre yet in Rome 2 TW. I could watch a long video about any of these. Let's hear about artillery, and light infantry too.
We will make one eventually. Tactics and army evolution should become our secondary series, whenever we finally get our act together. :-)
RoginauldsWarFiles ipppppp is the day
Would've loved to see Barca's reaction at the sight of his elephant units being annihilated. At that moment, I'd probably start thinking 'cntrl, alt, del'.
Awesome video and narration.
Thank you! :-)
Thank to whatever supreme being that gives us KingsandGenerals & Total War Series.
Love this video guys. I would love to see other battle strategies used or battles done in a campaign by a single figure, such as Alexander the Great or Hannibal
Good idea, will do, thanks!
Basement Entertainment
We also need more Khalid bin Walid. He's the most underrated of all the generals
Hannibal's Bent Bow of Cannae. Masterly done, the man even put himself at the center of his army, Hannibal truly is the greatest general mankind ever produced, I know he may not like it, but Mars truly shined on him.
U know who else were masters of hit and run and feigned retreats?
The Mongols (cue the mongoltage)
Ill like to any who gets the reference.
John Constantine Sam O'Nella obviously
John Green ftw
Also Vietnam
Hahhahahahaha
Mongols were the best, but what the Parthians did to Crassus and his army was unspeakable for the Romans.
I've often used an oblique line in tabletop and it's surprising how many opponents fall for it.
Thanks for the vid.
I'm in love with the feigned retreat, even because it might happen spontaneously like it happened to William the Bastard with his left flank led by the bretonnians in the battle for England
We will cover it in more detail in future :-)
I believe it happened more than once at Hastings, the first one being an actual retreat by William's left, and then a feigned retreat was ordered after the response of the English to the actual retreat had been observed.
Best voice for this video, i swear!
So glad you're still here. 😁
;-)
"This video has gone on too long." I watched a 22 minutes Kings and Generals video about the Jewish rebellion in the Roman empire this morning. Hindsight is a funny thing.
Yep, 20/20
@@KingsandGenerals If you keep replying to my comments, I'm going to start to think I'm special haha
Keep 'em clean and I will do my best
4:19 is used BC 200s-AC 1900s with modern equipments. 1919-1922 wars in Turkey was an example. (Very efficient against greeks still, it doesn't matter with horse or tank or aircrafts)
Thank you, finding stuff this dense and high quality about military tactics is hard, probably because it's not much more useful than regular history, at least those are fun to try in games.
And by this video, a legendary channel was born
Oblique order is my favorite wargaming tactic by far. Many times my opponents will spread their forces across the battlefield. My goal is to have 70% of my army overrun one enemy flank then wheel towards his center and roll up his line. As he turns to face his failing flank, his opposite flank units are too far away to get into the battle in time and typically come in piecemeal allowing me to slaughter them. I will many times sacrifice light units on his far flank and center to delay those heavier units.
When I face someone who is using Oblique order and I have not, I will turn and march my flank facing his strong flank towards my center rear while rapidly advancing my opposite flank driving off his lighter screening units. This will wheel my battle line 90 degrees. For example, if my battle line was stretching east west facing the enemy it ends up stretching north south and facing the enemy. Sacrificing one or two units to delay his strong flank can buy you needed time to reorganize your battle line.
The faster you identify your opponents formation the better as you have more time to reposition your forces. Scouting concealing terrain features is of critical importance. You need to know what is behind those hills and in those woods!
I was looking this for gaming, and the tactics are wonderful. Keep posting more
Hammer and anvil is one of the greatest and simplest attack strategies to exist. Should’ve been on here
I think we showed the variants of it.
Forget wife's name but can talk about Triplex Acies for hours. I like this guy already!
:-)
I remember playing as ottomans in mediavel 2 where during a crusader invasion the very elite, equiped with silver grade armor and weapons, led by a high starred prince of France. While I only have a mediocre Turkish horse archers, I wanted to use like how the Roman fell with horse archer but the discipline was intact until I killed the prince & all discipline completely fell. Pretty much capture all the army
Hannibal was a genius but so was Scipio! Great vid, pls more!
Pov: you clicked "oldest first"
For some reason it got recommended to me. It's not the oldest video they ever produced, but it's certainly the oldest video available on their channel for viewing.
the born of legend
Loved this video. =)
Working on the next ones. :-)
Glad to hear that. =)
I'm looking forward to them. ^^
I've played many of the total war games over the years offline for fun. I love watching the history channel program that brings to life the tactics of famous ancient Eurasian battles. About 5 years ago I started plaing the #1 online game globaly, World of Tanks on XBox. I'm currently floating around top 5% in the world month to month and rated top 350 in the world over the last couple weeks. Most of the above average players know how to operate their tanks as well as me or anyone else at my level. The armies Alaxander "The Great" faced were just as leathal as his, some, more so. But a race car is only as competitive as the skill of the driver. It's my opinion that most important trait of any General, or maybe more importantly, Captain is that commanders sense of timing. I know many are going to scoff at me comparing a real life or death struggle to a video game. But, in never ceases to amaze me how a few great players can take on and defeat forces several times larger. Watching the first evolution of the oblique order tactic, my jaw dropped in astonishment. In WOT, what usually happens is the largest portion of the team attacks together in what they call a "lemming train". If that happens, smart players will position theirselves between either left or right rear flank. I'll seak out the enemy and try to bait them into attacking me, as I make tactical retreat toward the rear of the bulk of my team. Wow! Your video has convinced me to take serious look at ancient battlefield tactics for use in game. Well done sir. (subscribing today!)
Thanks for the sub and welcome aboard :-) We are going to continue creating videos in this vein. Also, congrats on being so good in the World of Tanks. We need to create some videos in that era, I guess. :-)
Go outside
Tactic in theory: use units to engage the enemy, and spread out to separate the enemy units until the enemy is spread very thin. After this use reserves to overwhelm one side and move the active troops to the other side to do the same
Could this work in practice?
Parthian Capitalist you would need a well organized and disciplined army along with more men than the enemy in order for this to work but other than that I like it.
The key thing in a battle is knowing your enemies strength and your enemies plan. That means you need spies in the enemy camp or very good scouts. Also, always take up positions that use the features of the landscape to your advantage.
Hannibal actually had the least experienced troops in the center. At least during the "Battle of Cannae". He fought in the center with them to assure them their lives weren't being forfeit.
Basically saying "I'm here with you. Do not retreat. Bend but do not break. You job is to give not be over run."
I mostly loved the Single/Double Envelopment tactic. Amazing video!
Loved the video. Subscribed immediately after hearing about growing old and what you would or wouldn't remember :p
:-)
The vids great, but you really earned a like with the password honesty. Great stuff dude.
Great video. I really liked how you presented the schiltron. I was wondering if you did consider the combined-arms-approach that was favored by the English during the Hundred Years War. After all, the strategy of combining the firepower of archers with the staying power of melee infantry and the shock element of cavalry was one of the most important tactical options for Classical and Medieval armies when on the defensive.
Thanks! Again, a very good point. Combined arms did not make the top 10, in my opinion. Maybe, I need to make a second list. :-)
the issue with the 100 Years war and the combined arms approach....is that the English lost!
I do acknowledge that the English lost the Hundred Years' War, but what I am talking about, with the example of the English forces, was the fact that the combined-arms approach is one of the most common in history. Other great examples are Alexander the Great's army, the Late Roman Empire Legions, and even the Norman forces commanded by William I of England.
+Matthew Kuchinski as Nurrrik always tells me, don't be result-oriented, it is about doing it right. :-)
very well done video. And really these are timeless tactics. The oblique order served Friedrick and his beloved Prussia well.
And we was said to have been inspired by the very battle you mentioned.
Thanks for watching. I really like the fact that gunpowder era generals were so fond of ancient tactics. Obviously, ancient generals did not have gunpowder units or artillery, but it is more about ingenuity than anything else. :-)
I am planning a documentary on the Seven Years War. It should be released sometime in August, so, stick around. :-)
Excellent, very good.
Glad, you enjoyed it. :-)
I am about to enter some war games so thank you. My crusaders wont fail because of you.
I'll always be a fan of the good old hammer and anvil. Fix 'em in place with infantry, and crush them with a cavalry charge to the rear.
Yes, it works. :-)
That's your basic Marlburian 'find, fix and destroy'... only he could use it flawlessly as base for or to react to anything else (Blenheim, Ramillies) or as a finisher to a successful catch up from behind (Oudenarde) as on it's own it can turn into a game of attrition (Malplaquet) Shame that the all round outstanding British commander in history (with Wellington close behind) did his thing so long ago.
That one historical tactics that does not fail you in Total War games :-)
I see another problem at 3:55. One should almost always leave an escape route for the enemy. Otherwise, the enemy will fight to the bitter end and kill many of your troops. Rather leave the escape route open, then kill as many escaping enemies as possible. In that way, you will lose way fewer men.
If I remember correctly, The Mongols did often utilize that tactic, leaving gaps to enemies to "escape". Then they just hunted them down.
I like to charge part of infantry line a fraction before the rest and i ride my general and 1 other shock cavalry unit out through the centre with other cavalry manouevers on either flank (support with a unit of spears as your cavalary is split up x3). It takes alot of micromanagement but really effective for me in legendary and multplayer total war
+Dakka1968 that is a great tactic! Philip and Alexander used elite infantry the same way
What do you mean it's already too long? That's what we're here for!
Only missing the echelon/ refused flank. Gualgamella is a version of this
Good one! That is why I have this love/hate relationship with the "top-10" videos. :-)
stuka80 yeah! I know :) then mentioned it twice, but didnt mention the echelon. It is such an important tactics, so it definitely deserves a mention :)
At 0:18 I see four pictures about different documentries, but I could find them at your playlist and also in the upload. Can you tell me the names of the corresponding videos I'm interested to watch them all.
Long live my Turkic Nation !!! Greetings from Baku City to Everyone !
🇦🇿😎👍🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
☝🏻🐺🤜🏻
And so, a legend was born...
I just love your accent. So cool!
Thanks! That is the first. :-)
And here I am, applying these tactics in Bannerlord battles.
Ok mounted archer cavalry. Also, almost all these strategies employ yielding before attacking. Very Taoist and tricky.
Yeah, never give your enemy a good target. :-)
more tactical breakdowns, awesome uploads...no dramatic background music needed in my opinion
Thank you!
Awesome video, very informative. Just one thing, though. It's difficult to understand what the narrator is saying in some portions of the video due to the volume of the music. I couldn't understand the last sentence in one section (I think it was the Hit and Run section) because of this. Maybe dial it back a bit? Otherwise, good work. ☺
Thank you for watching! We have improved quite a bit since then, and each of the tactics described in this videos will be covered separately, in detail. We have released the first video in this series: th-cam.com/video/UXDIFec0VCo/w-d-xo.html
Thanks, we are doing a minecraft war tomorrow, this will defnitely help XD
I will most likely used the inverted wedge with a mix of hit and run
Got s8 e3 should have watched this video
They also should've watched it before 6.9, Battle of Bastards. Wait, maybe Ramsey watched it... OMG someone tell John to stay away, it's a trap ! Lol
Thank you! This is for my Army in my School while fighting Cone Army.
Last.
Hopefully, not :-)
I agree, surely a Mongolian Prince could never be last, even if ever wrongfooted... so many (including the likes of Nathan Bedford Forrest) owe the idea of 'gittin' thar fustest with the mostest' to Mongolian endeavours and glory. Just be careful around Mamluks ok?
Young Mongolian Prince i
The Mongols might well have trounced the Mamluks if most of the Mongol force hadn't gone home with the Ilkhan Hulagu to participate in the election of a new Khakhan after Mongke's death
Don't worry, I'm sure someone will kill your envoy.
i play a game called Overwatch. A 6v6 team shooter. It's a miracle if you can even keep all 6 team members in support range of each other without odd people going off on mad flanks or trying to 1v6 the enemy team. Definitely made me realise just how little general population knows about super basic military tactics. Great kudos to all these generals managing thousands of troops like well oiled machines.
"This video is already too long" indeed youtube tends to like10 mins.
Interesting fact about #4. Cannae maneuver is that it was used by a Chinese commander called Bai Qi at the battle of Changping 44 years earlier.
I really need to learn more about Chinese history. And make at least a few videos. It is getting embarrassing.
There is so much we need to know about Chinese history... In a way, China has always been around, so they are bound to have a fascinating culture. Language barrier is one hell of a barrier, though. As China becomes more mainstream (and less communist), we might start to see more translations around, or who knows, maybe Chinese becoming a more widely known language.
Wasn't this tactic also tried in Marathon?
Many brilliant commanders independently implemented and perfected the art of double envelopment and reverse crescent mainly as an effective counter measure against numerically superior foes. Another example is Khalid bin Walid
yes please produce more on this please. great video.
9:33 lol what?
Very good illustrations!
"this video is already too long"". 2020: 2 hour long videos :)
This was a great video thank you for uploading
I prepared to fail art school
I love these videos and I love your enthusiasm. I share it with you. Keep going.
My imagination is insane..
Love the video, I would like to see more on the roman tactics, training and maneuvers that gave them the edge.
Thank you! Will need to come up with a new format.
a fellow roman eagle !!! none army is better then the roman army !
Go Roman or go home! :-)
Carthage army was almost equal as roman legions but when Hannibal won at Cannae, he didn’t seiz that chance to destroy the roman republic, instead He and his army celebrate their victory
boudaakar anis I think u forget 'Murica
I don’t know but the mongols and rashidun armies were not bad at all especially how fast they moved
Isaiflamand kwetcalo He didn't have any chance, he couldn't lay siege to a walled city without any siege weapons, also rome was defenceless after cannae, they still have two legions inside the city