Greek+Military+Tactics



Greek Military Tactics
Cofran

Military tactics have many names and styles. Attrition, guerrilla, total, nuclear, conventional, siege, asymmetric, trench, and many more. Some of these tactics are old, and some are new. In the ancient world, many tactics were failed experiments; strategies that were to be forgotten and never practiced again-in other words, they were garbage. However, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, if you will. Ancient Greece, which had some of the fiercest warriors of their day, had tactics of their own. These tactics were innovative and revolutionary, and established the foundation for some of the most successful and brilliant strategies today. Despite this, the bitter taste of defeat is always a constant, even to the Greeks.

In ancient times, wars were fought with armies performing duels in small groups scattered throughout the battlefield, with little to no interaction with allied forces. This was the first recorded Greek way of war. Inevitably, Greece changed. It took on a democratic point of view, which allowed wealthy citizens and city workers to partake in government and state affairs. Since the people and the city needed defense to protect their property and political/religious views, all males were eligible candidates for being drafted into the Greece military. Greek’s military ultimately was composed of mostly well-equipped militia. This made some tactics, including the Phalanx, very difficult to execute, due to its requirement of HEAVY teamwork. (Blumberg 8)

The Phalanx, as stated previously, was a psychological juggernaut which employed the most powerful weapon of all; fear. The Phalanx is a large wall of heavily armed soldiers wielding hoplons, or large shields, in a line, with long spears protruding through the space between each individual soldier. They were very effective, since they struck fear into the enemy. Defeating an entire army without the need of using a weapon is a very effective tactic indeed. (Salembeti)



As weapons, political views, and technology advanced, so did the Greek’s battle tactics. In the past, the Greek warhorse was the hoplite, an absolute behemoth which is heavily armored and geared to the teeth. In addition, the best used tactic to pair with the hoplite was the Phalanx, a slow-moving wall of soldiers with the facade of a army larger than they really are. However, the Phalanx was hindered by its slow movement and failure to react to an attack from the side or the rear. The battlefield was changing, and the Phalanx was eventually phased out of service. It was replaced by small groups of fast-moving, lightly armored soldiers called peltasts (there were usually many groups). This tactic of fast-moving groups would be used for some of the most successful battle tactics to date (i.e., nuclear war, blitzkrieg, etc). These tactics, and the peltast, had intentions of hitting and defeating the opponent in one fast, coordinated, and powerful attack. These tactics removed morale, and was psychological powerhouse, which is why it’s so effective. (Anglim, et all 157)

When something is in an unfamiliar situation, or does not have the tools required to perform an action, it adapts to fit its needs. This applies to military tactics. When the Greeks saw that certain tactics were struggling in performance in certain areas (i.e, the Phalanx was //**__not__**// a tactic used on non-linear terrain), they modified their fighting styles to better suit their environment and to better combat their adversaries’ weapons and techniques. The peltast was a step up from the Phalanx, employing lighter armored, fast moving groups of soldiers that attacked with haste, with power, and without warning. (Blumberg 15)

Greek military strategies were very innovative for their time, and were revolutionary. They influenced two of the most powerful war methods to date; blitzkrieg, and nuclear war. Blitzkrieg, meaning “lightning-war”, is the act of delivering a knockout blow to the enemy in single highly-coordinated, fast moving and very powerful strike without warning. Nuclear war is essentially the same, but with weapons which fission the nucleus of an atom (obviously there are striking differences between the two, but when it all boils down they are very similar). The Greeks had this in mind, but they lacked the technology to make it happen. (Salembeti [unknown page #])



//By doing this research paper, I found how ancient Greece first conducted warfare very interesting. From (somewhat) civilized pockets of small duels scattered across the battlefield, to the awe-inspiring Phalanx, I learned that// Greek tactics evolved through the ages, and stood the test of time. Not without flaws, however, they paved the path for future military tactics for many, many years to come.


 * Works Cited**

Lendering, Jona. //Phalanx and Hoplites//. 20 November, 2008. [], 2009. Blumberg, Arnold. "Peltasts: the other Greek warriors: on ancient battlefields formerly dominated by heavily armed, well-protected hoplites, a once scorned class of fighting man changed the face of warfare." //MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History// Wntr 2010: 88+. //Student Resource Center - Bronze//. Web. 14 Dec. 2009. Simon Anglim, et all, [|Fighting Techniques of the Ancient World (3000 B.C. to 500 A.D.): Equipment, Combat Skills, and Tactics], Thomas Dunne Books, 2003