World History
Crafting the War Machine. This is an insightful article which examines the Macedonian army as it was developed by Philip and Alexander. It was written by Russell Glen.
From the site:
The Macedonian war machine was like none other before it. Never previously had flexibility and strength been so inventively merged into one symbiotic beast. At the hands of Philip of Macedon and his infamous son Alexander, the Macedonian army thrusted, charged and crushed its way across vast expanses of hostile territory. The success they achieved, combined with the drive and strategic brilliance of its commanders, forged an empire unparalleled in antiquity. Through tactical success after tactical success the army continually adapted and evolved to take advantage of whatever situation was available, defeating vastly superior numbers of enemy troops and overcoming previously insurmountable obstacles. While it is true that the Macedonian army was but one tool used by the Macedonian rulers, its legacy, both in the form of the empire it founded and the new era of military thinking it ushered in, was the greatest advancement in military thinking until the conquests of Napoleon; and even he ?perused again and again the campaigns of Alexander . . . and modeled [himself] upon them? (Kiley 2002). What gave this military its fantastic strength? How was it so able to adjust and overcome time and time again, regardless of odds, location or foe? From the sands of Egypt to the river valleys of India, the Macedonian army introduced the world to the advancement of combined-arms tactics.
The army was both created and led by legendary commander-in-chiefs who merged the relative strengths of the ancient militaries of the time and adapted them to work together in one, efficiently deadly war machine. The military became more than just a patchwork of its separate parts. As Iphicrates noted, it became a unified body of military might, ready to react to any situation as quickly and cooperatively as was possible. Philip, and Alexander after him, astutely studied the tactics of the age, analyzing the titanic clashes of the Greek heavy phalanxes and the finessed attacks of the Persian cavalry. From these age-old military institutions they constructed their revolutionary military, constantly disregarding the contemporary thinking. Through continued evolution, and the usage of an aggressive style of battle that deftly took advantage of the newfound force, the Macedonian military proved for all history the necessity of combined-arms tactics.
- Uncovering The Mask Of Macedonia
Uncovering the Mask of Macedonia. This is a fantastic article on the history of Macedonia at Yahoo. It is in five parts and written by Richard Bangs. A teaser on the Yahoo homepage asks, "Is this man a time traveler? A Macedonian archaeologist says three...
- The Russo-finnish War
The Russo-Finnish War. This is a book review by S. J. Larly of the book A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War Of 1939 - 40 which was written by William R. Trotter. This is a substantial review which also gives a good overview of the Russo-Finnish...
- Heeding Sun Or Mao?
Heeding Sun or Mao? - Essay about China's military thinking discussing ideas of Mao and Sun Tzu. The article is a bit dated (from 1998) but it still brings up good examples from Chinese history and how that might impact the thinking of Chinese leaders...
- The Spanish "tercios" 1525 - 1704
The Spanish "Tercios" 1525 - 1704 - Describes the organization, tactics and battles of the Spanish army in its golden age. The text is available English (default), Spanish, and French. The Spanish Golden Age army had been forged from almost seven centuries...
- Greek Evidence On The Authenticity Of The Macedonians
Greek Evidence on the Authenticity of Macedonians. Presents arguments from various periods on the differences between Macedonians and Greeks and discusses Greek policy of denying the existence of Macedonians in Greece. From the site: The Republic of Macedonia...
World History
Crafting the War Machine
Crafting the War Machine. This is an insightful article which examines the Macedonian army as it was developed by Philip and Alexander. It was written by Russell Glen.
From the site:
The Macedonian war machine was like none other before it. Never previously had flexibility and strength been so inventively merged into one symbiotic beast. At the hands of Philip of Macedon and his infamous son Alexander, the Macedonian army thrusted, charged and crushed its way across vast expanses of hostile territory. The success they achieved, combined with the drive and strategic brilliance of its commanders, forged an empire unparalleled in antiquity. Through tactical success after tactical success the army continually adapted and evolved to take advantage of whatever situation was available, defeating vastly superior numbers of enemy troops and overcoming previously insurmountable obstacles. While it is true that the Macedonian army was but one tool used by the Macedonian rulers, its legacy, both in the form of the empire it founded and the new era of military thinking it ushered in, was the greatest advancement in military thinking until the conquests of Napoleon; and even he ?perused again and again the campaigns of Alexander . . . and modeled [himself] upon them? (Kiley 2002). What gave this military its fantastic strength? How was it so able to adjust and overcome time and time again, regardless of odds, location or foe? From the sands of Egypt to the river valleys of India, the Macedonian army introduced the world to the advancement of combined-arms tactics.
The army was both created and led by legendary commander-in-chiefs who merged the relative strengths of the ancient militaries of the time and adapted them to work together in one, efficiently deadly war machine. The military became more than just a patchwork of its separate parts. As Iphicrates noted, it became a unified body of military might, ready to react to any situation as quickly and cooperatively as was possible. Philip, and Alexander after him, astutely studied the tactics of the age, analyzing the titanic clashes of the Greek heavy phalanxes and the finessed attacks of the Persian cavalry. From these age-old military institutions they constructed their revolutionary military, constantly disregarding the contemporary thinking. Through continued evolution, and the usage of an aggressive style of battle that deftly took advantage of the newfound force, the Macedonian military proved for all history the necessity of combined-arms tactics.
- Uncovering The Mask Of Macedonia
Uncovering the Mask of Macedonia. This is a fantastic article on the history of Macedonia at Yahoo. It is in five parts and written by Richard Bangs. A teaser on the Yahoo homepage asks, "Is this man a time traveler? A Macedonian archaeologist says three...
- The Russo-finnish War
The Russo-Finnish War. This is a book review by S. J. Larly of the book A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War Of 1939 - 40 which was written by William R. Trotter. This is a substantial review which also gives a good overview of the Russo-Finnish...
- Heeding Sun Or Mao?
Heeding Sun or Mao? - Essay about China's military thinking discussing ideas of Mao and Sun Tzu. The article is a bit dated (from 1998) but it still brings up good examples from Chinese history and how that might impact the thinking of Chinese leaders...
- The Spanish "tercios" 1525 - 1704
The Spanish "Tercios" 1525 - 1704 - Describes the organization, tactics and battles of the Spanish army in its golden age. The text is available English (default), Spanish, and French. The Spanish Golden Age army had been forged from almost seven centuries...
- Greek Evidence On The Authenticity Of The Macedonians
Greek Evidence on the Authenticity of Macedonians. Presents arguments from various periods on the differences between Macedonians and Greeks and discusses Greek policy of denying the existence of Macedonians in Greece. From the site: The Republic of Macedonia...