When looking for the right strategy to deploy in battle, a military general is bound to have a raft of options. Maneuver warfare is a strategy that has seen action in battle many times. Examples can be drawn from the battles fought by the French under Napoleon and the battles of modern times. As a military tactic, its primary aim is to render the ability of the enemy to make decisions useless. It largely takes a shock and awe approach.
Without a doubt, warfare is largely based on movement and attrition. Each side attempts to cover more ground with the ultimate aim being the capitulation or killing of the other group. Over the course of its deployment in battle, strategists have established that the technique is most effective when deployed by several splintered units that have the right technical training. This is primarily due to the fact that scattered units pose a less significant attrition risk that full blown armies. They can also deploy the element of surprise through flanking, which needless to say creates confusion amongst belligerents.
In a typical battle, success is bound to be determined by how many enemy forces an army kills, the number of equipment it destroys and the amount of territory it seizes. In an attrition battle, both groups show little creativity in attack. An attack that embodies the element of surprise is bound to be successful as it forces the attacked party to panic and retreat. The ensuing melee gives the attackers enough latitude to recapture lost ground and meet their core objectives.
One of the greatest generals to ever deploy the aforementioned strategy to great effect was Napoleon. In fact, he managed to defeat armies that were larger than his using it. His approach involved the use of quick cavalry charges against enemy combatants, shocking them and disabling their movement in the process.
This is an aspect that was well manifested in the France versus Austria war in Northern Italy. Despite the numerical superiority of the Austrian forces, the French overwhelmed them and gave them little chance to reorganize. This victory served as a benchmark for other generals in future battles.
At the turn of the mid 19th century, movement became heavily mechanized, thereby complicating matters for armies that relied on this strategy. Almost every army had the ability to launch rapid attacks. To counter this development, an additional plan was included to maneuver attacks. Troops would quickly encircle their adversaries and obliterate their strong points, leaving them incapacitated in the process.
The Germans also attained a lot of success in their early campaign in WW2 due to the strategy. The war saw a heavy deployment of tanks. General Erwin Rommel, the then commander of the panzer units, relied on rapid tank attacks against the allies. The strategy came to be christened the Blitzkrieg or Lightning Attack.
Nevertheless, the strategy is not short of limitations. It primarily relies on precision, both in terms of enemy personnel and equipment. The Israelis deployed it during the 2006 Lebanon War against Hezbollah. However, they lacked the intelligence to locate the top command of Hezbollah and obliterate it.
Without a doubt, warfare is largely based on movement and attrition. Each side attempts to cover more ground with the ultimate aim being the capitulation or killing of the other group. Over the course of its deployment in battle, strategists have established that the technique is most effective when deployed by several splintered units that have the right technical training. This is primarily due to the fact that scattered units pose a less significant attrition risk that full blown armies. They can also deploy the element of surprise through flanking, which needless to say creates confusion amongst belligerents.
In a typical battle, success is bound to be determined by how many enemy forces an army kills, the number of equipment it destroys and the amount of territory it seizes. In an attrition battle, both groups show little creativity in attack. An attack that embodies the element of surprise is bound to be successful as it forces the attacked party to panic and retreat. The ensuing melee gives the attackers enough latitude to recapture lost ground and meet their core objectives.
One of the greatest generals to ever deploy the aforementioned strategy to great effect was Napoleon. In fact, he managed to defeat armies that were larger than his using it. His approach involved the use of quick cavalry charges against enemy combatants, shocking them and disabling their movement in the process.
This is an aspect that was well manifested in the France versus Austria war in Northern Italy. Despite the numerical superiority of the Austrian forces, the French overwhelmed them and gave them little chance to reorganize. This victory served as a benchmark for other generals in future battles.
At the turn of the mid 19th century, movement became heavily mechanized, thereby complicating matters for armies that relied on this strategy. Almost every army had the ability to launch rapid attacks. To counter this development, an additional plan was included to maneuver attacks. Troops would quickly encircle their adversaries and obliterate their strong points, leaving them incapacitated in the process.
The Germans also attained a lot of success in their early campaign in WW2 due to the strategy. The war saw a heavy deployment of tanks. General Erwin Rommel, the then commander of the panzer units, relied on rapid tank attacks against the allies. The strategy came to be christened the Blitzkrieg or Lightning Attack.
Nevertheless, the strategy is not short of limitations. It primarily relies on precision, both in terms of enemy personnel and equipment. The Israelis deployed it during the 2006 Lebanon War against Hezbollah. However, they lacked the intelligence to locate the top command of Hezbollah and obliterate it.
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