to sonshi: a missing strategist?

to sonshi:

in the list of GREAT LEADERS IN THE ART OF WAR

there's non trace of Quintus Fabius Maximus (Cunctator)

he applied effective guerrilla tactics against Hannibal, a strange behaviour for a roman general.....

I think he deserves a place in the list, don't you?

bye and happy easter

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Odysseus Nobody

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Thank you for the suggestion, Odysseus. I'll look into him.

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He was Fabian before Fabian.

Interesting.

When I think of Fabius Maximus, I am mindful that, unlike Varro, he was smart enough to realize that because the Carthiginian Army had such superior horseman and cavalry, Fabius could best serve the Roman Republic by mitigating this Carthigian advantage and keeping the Roman Legions up in the hills.

Hannibal likewise was smart enough to realize that it made little sense to send his infantry up into the mountains to fight the Roman Legions because he would be unable to effectively use the Carthaginian cavalry to cover his flanks.

And thus, the Fabian strategy of non-engagement was born.

Twenty-two hundred and forty years later, this fabian strategy was perfected and taken to an entirely new level, by the French Army in World War II as they politely accommodated the nice German forces. And then a few weeks after that, Hitler was strolling along the the pavilion over looking the Eiffel Tower at Place de la Trocodaro in the center of Paris.

Nightwolf, I personally do not think that Fabius Maximus was on the same level as Alexander the Great or Scipio Africanus. Fabius benefited from witnessing Hannibal route the Roman Legions and he was smart enough to not repeat the military blunders of his immediate predecessors. Which, is a good thing of course.

Fabius Maximus shadowed Hannibal's troops and intentionally did not enage them directly in the expectation that Hannibal's lines of communication would eventually become stretched too thin and the Carthaginian's logistics would suffer. Of course, the fickle politicians sitting back in Carthage were of no help either.

Fabius Maximus certainly reflected Sun Tzu's maxims A) one must know their enemy as well as themselves. B) One must know when to fight and when not to fight.

BingFa

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Re: He was Fabian before Fabian.

quote:

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Originally posted by BingFa

Twenty-two hundred and forty years later, this fabian strategy was perfected and taken to an entirely new level, by the French Army in World War II as they politely accommodated the nice German forces. And then a few weeks after that, Hitler was strolling along the the pavilion over looking the Eiffel Tower at Place de la Trocodaro in the center of Paris.

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Hi bingfa.

no, I cannot agree.....

I don't think that french army used a fabian strategy, they applied a WWI strategy of a Maginot fortified line.... french generals applied a static defense against a german mobile attack.


but I think during WWII a fabian actitude can be found in russian waiting strategy .

....but maybe I'm wrong. no time to verify in a history book, now :-(

bye

p.s. I hope sonshi disagrees with you

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Odysseus Nobody

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