The Battle of Cannae.

Post Reply
User avatar
Galbally
Posts: 9755
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:26 pm

The Battle of Cannae.

Post by Galbally »

Just reading up on a bit of military history. Cannae in 216 B.C. was a battle in which a army of Catheginians and their allies led by Hannibal defeated a much larger Roman army under Varro. It's considered a classic and remarkable battle in which tactics and brilliant leadership were able to stop the Roman military juggernaut. Military history is an interest of mine and I was wondering if anyone else has any opinions, I'm thinking that military men and women would have interesting opinions on the lessons of ancient (and modern battles). Anyone got anything to say?, this isn't everyones cup of tea I know, but so what you gotta have something different sometimes!
"We are never so happy, never so unhappy, as we imagine"



Le Rochefoucauld.



"A smack in the face settles all arguments, then you can move on kid."



My dad 1986.
lady cop
Posts: 14744
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2004 1:00 pm

The Battle of Cannae.

Post by lady cop »

Bothwell would LOVE this topic, i'll send it to him. he's been slammed with work since he got back from oz, and not been on the forum.
User avatar
chonsigirl
Posts: 33633
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:28 am

The Battle of Cannae.

Post by chonsigirl »

I am interested in the siege of Syracause during the Second Punic War. I love the instruments of defense Archimedes used against the Roman fleet of Marcus.

The Battle of Cannaae was definitely one of the most decisive battles of this war. Hannibal taught Rome an interesting lesson on military tactics.
User avatar
Wolverine
Posts: 4947
Joined: Sat Apr 23, 2005 7:09 pm

The Battle of Cannae.

Post by Wolverine »

i got one for you to contemplate

a what if scenario. what if Alexander the Great died at the Battle when he was chasing after Darius. what would the world be like if he died at the age of 26 instead of 32?


Get your mind out of the gutter - it's blocking my view

Mind like a steel trap - Rusty and Illegal in 37 states.

User avatar
chonsigirl
Posts: 33633
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:28 am

The Battle of Cannae.

Post by chonsigirl »

The Battle of Gaugamela , Wolfy. Alexander used great military tactics against the Persian forces. Another what if about Alexander, what if he hadn't died at such a young age and had consolidated his empire. Would Rome have been the power it emerged to be?
User avatar
Galbally
Posts: 9755
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:26 pm

The Battle of Cannae.

Post by Galbally »

chonsigirl wrote: I am interested in the siege of Syracause during the Second Punic War. I love the instruments of defense Archimedes used against the Roman fleet of Marcus.

The Battle of Cannaae was definitely one of the most decisive battles of this war. Hannibal taught Rome an interesting lesson on military tactics.


Yes, thats an interesting hstorical event, with poor old Archimedes being killed by an impatient Roman soldier while doing maths in the sand. I think Cannae is interesting from a military stanpoint as so many other generals and strategists have tried to reproduce the results that Hannibal did, usually very badly. Also, if Hannibal had marched on Rome itself after the battle it is possible that Carthage would have won the sceond punic war, and if that had happened then almost all modern Western history would be quite different.
"We are never so happy, never so unhappy, as we imagine"



Le Rochefoucauld.



"A smack in the face settles all arguments, then you can move on kid."



My dad 1986.
User avatar
chonsigirl
Posts: 33633
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:28 am

The Battle of Cannae.

Post by chonsigirl »

“What better fortune they could have asked from the gods, if they had had the choice, than to fight in such ground as they saw there, with the vast superiority of cavalry on their side?" Hannibal (Polybius, History: III.111)

And Hannibal won a decisive victory with his military tactics.
gmc
Posts: 13566
Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2004 9:44 am

The Battle of Cannae.

Post by gmc »

Have a look at the first gulf war tactics. Hannibal was one of schwarkopf's heroes.

It was the Carthaginians that taught the Romans to fight and how to organise. The roman juggernaught came later

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/temetfutue/t ... public.htm
User avatar
chonsigirl
Posts: 33633
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:28 am

The Battle of Cannae.

Post by chonsigirl »

Before and after maps...............

Attached files
gmc
Posts: 13566
Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2004 9:44 am

The Battle of Cannae.

Post by gmc »

http://www.barca.fsnet.co.uk/

http://www.barca.fsnet.co.uk/numidians.htm

]Polybius gave an excellent account of this style of fighting in his account of the battle of Cannae. "The Numidian horse on the Carthaginian right were meanwhile charging through the cavalry on the Roman left; and though, from the peculiar nature of their mode of fighting, they neither inflicted nor received much harm, they yet rendered the enemy's horse useless by keeping them occupied, and charging them first on one side and then another. But when Hasdrubal, after all but annihilating the cavalry by the river, came from the left to the support of the Numidians, the Roman allied cavalry, seeing his charge approaching, broke and fled. At that point Hasdrubal appears to have acted with great skill and discretion. Seeing the Numidians to be strong in numbers, and more effective and formidable to troops that had once been forced from their ground, he left the pursuit to them; while he himself hastened to the part of the field where the infantry were engaged, and brought his men up to support the Libyans." [Polybius Book 3, 116.5]


Battle of Zama, changing times changing sides

http://www.barca.fsnet.co.uk/zama.htm

Scipio was in a difficult position on the coast awaiting his new Numidian allies, while Hannibal was in position to block their junction. In a brilliant strategic gamble Scipio began a campaign of destruction in the interior and moved southwest to meet Numidian reinforcements under Masinissa, forcing Hannibal to come out for battle before his army was fully ready, on the plain west of Zama. Accounts of the battle are very confused.

Scipio advanced to the southwest to join the Numidian prince Masinissa, who was bringing his invaluable cavalry to his support. Then he turned eastward to face Hannibal at the Battle of Zama.




http://visbellica.com/Scenarios/Zama/sc_zama.htm

.
Post Reply

Return to “Warfare Military”