O.T.S. Tactics

[Shepherd]

O.T.S. Tactics:

 

For the first time in over three years Ram was dressed in his official officer’s uniform. His ranking stripes clear on both his cuffs and collar, with the Red Hand symbol embroidered on the Banner Captain emblem, sewn above the scout Fox crest. His everyday Scout uniform, though much more comfortable, would not due for the lesson he was teaching today.

 

“Tactics are what will set you apart from the enemy†he said to the men and woman sitting at the long tables. He had a field tent set up just outside the Citadel, the same kind of tent that the Band used for planning when out during a campaign. Several maps were set up along the tent walls, and he had a large slate board directly behind him for writing on with calk.

 

“When you are outnumbered, when you have inferior weaponry, when you are at a weaker offensive or defensive position, when you are surprised, when there seems to be no hope of victory…†Ram paused, his cloudy blue eyes piercing every individual in the class.

 

“…and trust me, there will be times when one, if not all of those things will happen to you…†his voice was low and held an air of deadly authority. “…the only things that will save you, that will set you apart, are the tactics you know, and the one’s you are able to effectively apply in battle.â€

 

They needed to understand the importance of the lesson, and Ram wasn’t sure if they knew full well what they were getting into. ‘Does anyone at their age think about death?’ Most young people, especially young Jack-whips that thought they were great warriors born again from the Wheel, never thought about death or the fact that their actions could lead others into oblivion. ‘Or even a fate worse than death…’ He tried desperately not to think about his twin sister and his childhood village that no longer existed.

 

‘…I’m no longer a stranger to death…. Especially since joining the Band…’

 

“Officers lead soldiers into battle. They not only fallow orders, but they give them as well. People live or die by what an officer decides. Remember this, and learn all you can from your teachers. One day, if you prove yourselves, you to will be officers, and you will lead people either to victory or to their deaths…†He let them think about that as he searched his desk for the papers he needed to continue the class.

 

Once he found the papers, he looked back at the silent class and said, “Now, we shall begin today with the Nine Shields of Warfare.†As he spoke he walked to every table handing out the papers he’d just taken from his desk. On each sheet of paper was written the Nine Shields but lacking the description to go with it.

 

“We’ll start from the top of the list and work our way down.†He walked to the slate board and wrote in bold letters,

 

‘First Shield: Objective; Direct every action toward a clearly defined, decisive, and obtainable objective.

 

Second Shield: Offensive; Seize, retain, and exploit the battle plan.

 

Third Shield: Mass; Mass the effects of overwhelming combat power at the decisive place and time.

 

Fourth Shield: Economy of Forces; Use all combat power available in the most effective way as possible, and use as little essential combat power on secondary efforts.

 

Fifth Shield: Maneuver; Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power.

 

Sixth Shield: Unity of Command; For every objective, seek unity of command and unity of effort.

 

Seventh Shield: Security; Never permit the enemy to gain an unexpected advantage.

 

Eighth Shield: Surprise; Strike the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which he is unprepared.

 

Ninth Shield: Simplicity; Prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and straightforward orders to ensure understanding.

 

 

Ram finished writing and turned to face the class. “Here are the nine basic rules an officer needs to always be thinking about when they are on the battlefield. Though, there’s old saying that goes, ‘Plan to change, change to plan.’.â€

 

He sat down on the edge of his desk and said, “No set of rules or plans are all inclusive, and no officer should make plans based solely on what someone else did in ‘this’ or ‘that’ situation. But, this is a start, and as their name sake says, these nine principles will help you, becoming your shield if you fallow them.â€

 

Some of the officers in training looked daunted by what he had just written. Ram smiled. It was a lot for anyone to learn in one day, and it took a lifetime to master. ‘But as long as they learn these things and more, they’ll have a chance at living a full lifetime…’

 

“Fortunate for you, today’s lesson will only be on the four main Shields. Objective, Mass, Unity of Command, and Simplicity, these four are the structural supports for the entire system.â€

 

‘Now, let’s see what kind of minds we have here today…’

 

“I need two volunteers; first one standing is the first one I’ll direct my question to.†No one moved, but after a moment’s hesitation one soldier stood, quickly fallowed by another. Ram pointed to the two and said, “Fine, I want both of you to come up front.â€

 

To the one that stood up first, Ram said, “Alright soldier, here’s the scenario. You’re leading a Battalion of troops into an area that may or may not contain enemy units. The Commander has ordered you to find and eliminate any enemy forces you can handle with the amount of men you have with you. Along the way one of your advanced scouts returns and says there are two large groups of soldiers massed three miles apart from each other. Your Battalion is equal in strength to one of the enemy groups, but is outnumbered by the otherâ€

 

Ram’s cloudy blue gaze studied the young soldier closely. “Using what you know and what you can guess about military tactics, apply the First Shield, tell me what your objective is. What do you want to accomplish?â€

 

‘A soldier’s cunning and mind is just as important as their strength and level of fighting skill. Let’s hope these youngsters realize this…’

 

OOC: Alright, first person to post is the person that has to answer Ram’s first question. The next person will just have to wait till I post and ask another. Any questions or comments about this thread just let me know and I’ll be more than happy to answer them for you. Feel free to PM me anytime. And remember, the most important part about this class is that you have fun!!

 

Later…

 

Scout Banner Captain

Bruce Shepherd

Ram

“There’s a thing called temper for both men and steelâ€

[falcon1983]

Logan thought for a moment before answering Ram's question. Cocking his head, he waited till the bells at the end of his braids quieted before beginning.

 

"Well it would depend alot on terrain and exactly how the troops were arrayed," Logan began. "But the first thing is to take out the advanced scouts then surrounding the army. Put bowmen on the high ground, infantry armed with shields and swords behind and then rush in from the front with cavalry. Simple is always better."

 

Logan went on, "Given what a large group of men may have to traverse three miles can be a large distance, as well as a small one. Speed would probably be the key. Surround them, set up the cavalry to rush in after the bowmen have taken care of the majority. The bowmen should also watch ahead in case the other group shows their faces, to try to slow them down. You would also want infantry rushing down on them from the sides. This will cramp them and stop them from being able to fight full fledged. The infantry in the rear will stop them from escaping as well as stopping the other group from adding to their numbers." If the other group doesn't know about their comrades getting attacked, then do the same senerio with them. If they do find out then finish with the first group as soon as possible and bait them into a trap that will end with the same finish. Bowmen are the key, speed is also a great advantage."

 

Logan finished with a solute and waited for Ram's response.

 

Logan Zaire

[Wretched Chaos]

Ingtar was the first to stand up and receive his question. "May I use a piece of paper?" he asked. Ram nodded, and Ingtar pulled one out of his sack. He pulled out a pen and ink as well. He placed the piece of paper flat on a table and sat behind it. He thought over his plan and asked another question. "Is it any type of batallion I wish? Or can I mix and match?" Ram told him to use whatever he felt would work best. Ingtar smiled happily. He had it!

He drew two large blobs on the paper, one larger then the other. He labeled them Enemy 1, and Enemy 2. He then drew a third blob, marking this one, 1 Batallion. He wrote neatly on the inside of the blob, how many men he had, and what types. He had two companies of cavalry, 1 company of archers, 1 company of infantry, and a platoon of scouts.

He then began to formulate his plan. He knew that there was no way to engage in a large general battle without sustaining heavy amounts of casualties. He would need to use Hit and Run to be successful. He drew arrows, from his Batallion in a curve moving to the left of the larger force, Enemy 1.

He thought about how long it would take before he could clear the enemies from his sector and froze. He looked up and asked Ram," How long do I have to complete the cleanup?" Ram smiled and told him as long as needed. Ingtar smiled again, and leaned over his plan again. He quickly finished it and stood up to explain it.

"My objective is to clear all enemies out of my sector, and since I'm outnumbered, I need to use ambushes, and hit and run tactics. I have 2 companies of cavalry, 1 company of infantry, 2 companies of archers, and a platoon of scouts. I'll move my troops up and around to the left of the larger force. I will find open ground and place my archers, and infantry here. One company of cavalry will be off to the side of the clearing, and hidden. My other company will be my harassment troops.

My harassment company of cavalry, will make a quick charge from the left to harass the enemy's pickets, and hopefully create some kind of panic, then they would ride back to where the archers are waiting. The enemy would then hopefully send a company or two to attack the cavalry that had just attacked. They would be following the tracks of the cavalry, and the cavalry would ride past the archers. The archers will then throw up as many arrows as possible to inflict heavy casualties. If I get lucky, the enemy will break and run, where my second company of cavalry is hiding. They will burst out and run down the enemy. If they don’t break under the arrows, the infantry will hold them off until my original company of cavalry comes and runs them down. Those men that the enemy had sent will die, and the rest of their force will be a lot weaker. I can continue to do this trick but from different directions, until the enemy is small enough that I can ride through their camp, and smash the rest of their force. I can do this trick to the force that numbers the same as me as well. They will break quicker because there are less of them then the first enemy. Once the enemy is dead, I will report to my commander, and inform him of my completion of the task. I hope this is what you are looking for, sir."

Ingtar sat down and watched as Ram gave the second question to another Trainee.

[Shepherd]

Ram patently listened to the first young soldier answer the question.

 

‘Interesting… there’s some merit worthy thoughts… but still missing a couple fine points…’

 

Once the soldier was done with his synopsis, Ram turned to the other young man and said, “Now, I could give you a different question, but I think I’d like to hear your thoughts on this subject as well. You have the same scenario and question, so please, answer it the best way you can.â€

 

Again, he listened patently considering the strategy involved in the soldiers answer.

 

‘Not to shabby, but just like the first soldier, it’s missing some of the finer points.’

 

After both cadets sat down, Ram began to explain a few of the things he thought their stratagems didn’t have.

 

“First, let’s go back to what the orders were. You were supposed to ‘…find and eliminate any enemy forces you can handle with the amount of men you have with you.’ Then, the question became ‘What is your objective?’, ‘What do you want to do?’â€

 

He pointed to the two young soldiers that had answered his question, “Now, Cadet Logan, and Cadet Ingtar, both gave me decent plans of battle. They obviously have studied some different stratagems, and know good things about waging war. Logan talked about how to arrange the Calvary and bowman, and Ingtar suggested some ideas about ambushes with hit-and-run tactics.â€

 

Ram picked up a ledger from his desk and opened it to a marked page. “This is one of the many records of historical battles the Citadel has on hand. This particular entry is from a mercenary known as Benjamin Black Hills. The scenario I just described for the previous question is from this man’s own account. Let me read you what he himself did when faced with this problem.â€

 

Ram cleared his throat, and began to read from the ledger…

 

“Commander Alric ordered me to find and eliminate any enemy forces I found, but I was only to engage them in combat if I thought I could handle them with just one battalion. So, I took my battalion and went north into the thickets, sending out advance scouts and leaving a rear guard.

 

We marched for over a week before the scouts returned and reported two enemy encampments. One outnumbered us with two to one odds, and the other had about the same amount of men as we did.

 

Our only saving grace was that they were three miles apart from each other. But even then I didn’t have a good feeling about our chances of winning either fight. If we engaged the group that outnumbered us first, we’d bleed badly for it no matter what. Most likely we’d lose all together, unless the Light blessed us with some advantage. The best I could hope for was to kill them all and lose most, if not all, my men in the process.

 

That left me with the other group. If we fought them first, it was almost dead even. It would have been a coin toss, and I was never lucky to begin with. If we did win out the day, I knew we’d still have taken major losses and would then be in no shape to face the overwhelming odds of the group three miles away.

 

I thought about splitting the battalion and not engaging either group directly in battle, but fighting them from the shadows at night and from the cover of the woods by day. Attack and run; that would be all we could do. If I split my force into two, neither half would be able to stand against the enemy in a direct fight. We’d be fighting outnumbered on both fronts. I wasn’t sure if that was the best thing to do. How effective would our actions be if we were split up?

 

I had only minuets to make my decision, so I took the safest path. I sent scouts to return to our main forces and ask for reinforcements and to see if my orders would change. I then sent my elite scouts to observe the enemy encampments at a safe distance and to alert us if they started to move. After that, I took our battalion back a few miles to the east…â€

 

Ram closed the book and looked up at the class.

 

“Black Hills was a good leader. He fallowed the Shields flawlessly. First he went over his objective and orders. He was supposed to eliminate the enemy, if he thought he could. He wasn’t told to attack no matter what, but to attack if he thought he could win.†Ram went to the slate board and put a checkmark next to the First Shield.

 

“He considered an offensive plan, but couldn’t think of one that would guarantee victory. There wasn’t anything he could do to guarantee he would fulfill his objective.â€

 

Ram made another check by the Second Shield.

 

“Since he had no intent of engaging the enemy in open combat, he didn’t mass his force against them directly, but he did think about the economy of force. He realized that no matter where he put his forces, he’d be at a disadvantage, so he did what was efficient and effective; he held his position and sent for reinforcements.â€

 

Two more checks went on the slate board.

 

“He then sent out scouts to watch the enemy and to inform his commander of the situation, while moving his own unit into a safer position. He maneuvered his troops into position, was united in command and effort, and did his best to keep his whereabouts unknown to the enemy.â€

 

Ram put three more check marks on the board.

 

“Later on in his ledger, he makes an account of how the commander sent two more battalions to aid Black Hills. With their advanced knowledge of the enemy’s location and strength, Benjamin Black Hills caught them by surprise using very simple and basic maneuvers, much like what Cadet Logan and Cadet Ingtar recommended.â€

 

He checked off the last two shields and turned back to the class.

 

“Learn well from the success and failure of others. Black Hills knew something very important that all of you must learn. It’s a simple rule of warfare.†Ram made sure everyone was paying attention. His cloudy blue eyes flashed with intensity.

 

“Never engage in a battle you can’t win. The only amendment to this rule is if you’re forced to fight, you must do the best you can with what you have. If you’re backed into a corner with no escape, or if you’re ambushed, if you must, then fight. Yet, if you must fight, you must also keep as many of your men alive as possible.â€

 

He studied each face in the class.

 

‘All so young… but they have to be wise beyond their years and hard as steel if they are going to lead…’

 

“A good commander always thinks about two thinks above all else. He thinks about his orders and his men. He must serve both equally, using his heart and head equally as well. There will be tough choices to make every day you live on the battle field. Your actions will lead men either to victory and life, or to failure and death. If it becomes impossible to complete your orders, do what’s best for your men. A good commander not only knows how to lead men into battle, he knows how to lead them out in a retreat just as well. Retreat and surrender are also tools of the trade. Remember this and think hard upon every choice. You may not be able to save all your men’s lives, but you just might be able to save some of them.â€

 

Ram decided that was enough of the Shields for one day, so he moved on to a different subject. This time instead of asking for more volunteers, he pointed to Logan and Ingtar again.

 

“Since both of you were so eager with the fist question, here’s a couple more. I want both of you to tell me what precautions an army needs to take when out on campaign. Not only when on the march, but when your force is halted for a period of time.â€

 

Some of the soldiers in the classroom looked at him with eyes that said ‘What does this have to do with tactics?’

 

Ram smiled and said, “Defense is just as important in tactics as the attack is. I want to see what you think are necessary defensive measures when on the march.â€

 

He looked at the two young men and waited for them to answer.

 

OOC:

 

Again, this is pretty strait forward, but if you have any question feel free to ask me. Post on the OOC board or PM me if you want to. Later…

 

Scout Banner Captain

Bruce Shepherd

Ram

“There’s a thing called temper for both men and steelâ€

[falcon1983]

Logan went ahead while Ingtar thought to himself.

 

"First off sir, I want to apoligize for not answering your question properly", Logan started.

 

"Now as to your next question, the ideal place would always be the high ground, or someplace that would be hidden from view, depending on the area available. If you can't take the high ground find an area that is surrounded by rock cliffs, or water. A cat always fights best backed into a corner. If you only have a small area for attackers to come through that would be good."

 

"You would also want somewhere that is easily supplied, and that has a water supply," Logan stated.

 

Logan

[Shepherd]

“That’s a good start Cadet Logan, but what else?â€

 

Ram wasn’t sure if the young man understood the question completely.

 

“Should you always have an advanced guard? Do you need a rear guard? When stopped for the night what watches do you have and how many men at watch? Do you always try and cover your tracks?â€

 

He looked at both soldiers and said, “I’m not just asking about trying to make a defense against an enemy that’s charging you, but I also want to know what defenses should always be up when you’re on the march. If an officer doesn’t think about the small everyday things, he’s making a big mistake.â€

 

Ram pointed to all the cadets and said, “An officer needs to know if the men are taking care of themselves. Men are weapons to and part of your defenses. If your men are unfit to fight, then your defenses are unfit as well.â€

 

He pointed to their boots. “For example, if your men don’t take care of their feet, then they won’t be able to march all day on them, nor run into a battle. Trench foot has been the downfall of more than one careless solider. Also, an officer needs to know what his troops are lacking. If they all have holes in their boots, and you’re marching in winter, you’ll need replacements and repairs.â€

 

He walked over to the wall and pointed to the large map with markers on it indicating armies and nations. “Tactics, that’s what we are hear to learn. But, tactics are more than just how to use your men and weapons, its more than plans and maps, its life and death. And as in life, there are complex parts and simple parts.â€

 

Turning back to the two cadets he said, “Knowing what you have and what your enemy has, essentially information, is what we base tactics on. And sometimes more importantly, what you don’t have and what the enemy does.â€

 

Ram picked up another ledger from his desk and handed it to Logan and Ingtar. “This is a supply ledger. Any officer worthy of his post knows every last button and piece of bread that is available to him.â€

 

Again he studied the two cadets before him, wondering how creative and sharp they really were.

 

“Now, I don’t expect your answers to be perfect, nor complete, but I want you to show me that your starting to grasp the nature of how things work in war, how tactics apply. Lets start again, I want you both to tell me what types of precautions and defenses are necessary for all situations, and all parts of a war campaign.â€

 

 

Scout Banner Captain

Bruce Shepherd

Ram

“There’s a thing called temper for both men and steelâ€

[Wretched Chaos]

Ingtar thought over his second question while Logan talked. He listened to Logan's defense strategy carefully. The man was smart, but he was also missing a couple of points. When Logan finished, Ingtar stood up and answered in what he thought were the best possible answers.

 

"I agree with Logan on high ground being important to defense, and an easily supplied area as well, for a long halt, but that's as far as I agree. You should never have only one exit in a defensive position. It leaves no way for a retreat if needed. If you're attacked by a force that is a lot larger then you, for example. They can simply wear your men down. The larger force has more men to throw into battle then you do. The men will tire and die. Also, with no hope of a breakout, their morale will drop, and they will die, until you all die, or you surrender. A cat does fight best with its back to a wall, but a cat only has two options: Fight or be Killed. And being surrounded by rocky cliffs isn't the smartest position unless you know that those cliffs are held by friendly forces. Archers on top of those cliffs will just rain down death. Being surrounded by water is alright, as long as you have a ford for you to retreat across. For defense, you want as many of your soldiers to stay alive, so they can fight another day."

 

" I believe that if you have no high ground to hold, you should take up position near a forest, so you can move your troops deep into the forest and stop any cavalry charges. Also, any numerical superiorities by your enemies are null and void in a forest. Their troops have to move individually and you can harass and kill one, two ,three troops at a time, while they get frustrated because they can't destroy us in one blow. Their soldiers will get angry, and angry soldiers make mistakes. However, this tactic only works if you have infantry in your force. If you have cavalry, I would take up position near a stream with a ford to our backs, as I have said earlier. If I'm forced to retreat, I can leave a rearguard of pikes and archers to hold it against the enemy."

 

 

" Now onto the defences of a camp. I would set up my most vulnerable units, camp followers, near my exit, and if we're on an open plain, in the centre. I would have strong fighting patrols if I'm expecting trouble, or normal patrols of one or two if I'm not. I would arrange the sleeping placements, so that the infantry companies are the closest to where the expected trouble would come from, even if there is none, so they can buy time for the cavalry to mount up and charge through the attackers' lines. I would have several scouts far reaching, at least a mile away, where they can scout around and hopefully spot my quarry and inform me, so I can ready the fighting troops for a battle, or a retreat if need be. Hopefully my preparations would be enough to help most of my men live another day."

 

" Now onto my supplies. Men are best to fight when they are happy and well fed. Now, I know that sometimes supplies may be scarce during a campaign, but that's to be expected. I will make sure that at every stop, I will have a supply officer, and tent set up, to exchange faulty or worn out equipment. They will be given new stuff, and hand in their old. The old stuff will be fixed if possible, and if not, used for something else. The food situation gets harder and harder as your force gets larger and larger. A fighting soldier needs two kilograms of meat and bread every day, so a batallion would need to be able to have a tonne and a half of food for every day, not counting camp followers. For this problem, we need to be able to buy or collect tonnes and tonnes of food. Depending on the area, there may be lots of food available, or maybe not. But I would have to make sure every man received all his food, so he was staying happy. Also, a soldier expects his pay on time. A well paid soldier will fight well, because he wants to live to spend it. Ale, women, food... anything he wants. So' I'll need a Quarter Master to hand out the gold and silver. He would have to be somebody trustworhty, not likely to pilfer from the strongboxes. But that's my main strategy for supplies.

 

 

"Any problems with my strategy?" Ingtar sat down and let Ram comment on his strategy.

[falcon1983]

After Ingtar was done with his presentation, Logan began his again.

 

"Location is still the key, if you aren't in a place that you can find food by hunting or whatever it might be it needs to be easily supplied. A direct route for supply caravans is best."

 

Turning to Ingtar and bowing his head Logan went on, "Refering to what Ingtar had said, even camped I would put out advanced scouts to watch any enemies. Reporting back to the watch commander every few hours would also be a requirement. I would also put Archers up in the trees were they would not be seen but could see everything that moves. Closer to the camp I would make sure that groups of five to ten infantry men were patroling, checking in at vulnerable defencive stations. These stations would be places that an enemy would most likley attack."

 

"As for morale and rations, nothing cheers a man more than a woman, beer and music. I know that these things depend alot upon the situation that the battalion is in, but if time alots it give each man some time off to himself in a rotating schedule."

 

"Rations depend alot on what is available and that also effects morale."

 

Logan

[Shepherd]

“You can never be ‘too careful’. Though, always keep in mind the Fourth Shield: Economy of Forces; Use all combat power available in the most effective way as possible, and use as little essential combat power on secondary efforts.â€

 

Ram went on to lecture about the proper amount of man power that should be assigned to defenses at all time. It was a tricky balance. A good leader had to know exactly where to put his troops, how to use them, and when the right time to deploy them was.

 

After he discussed the good points that the two soldiers had in their answers, Ram went on to explain some of the flaws in what they suggested. His criticisms were minor, but it was always the small things in life that brought ruin.

 

“Alright, let’s move on with the lesson.†Again he sat down at the edge of his desk and said to the class, “As officers, you will have to observe this basic principle ‘To gain territory is no cause for joy, and to lose territory is no cause for sorrow.’â€

 

Ram pointed to all the maps that hung from the tent walls. “To lose territory or cities is not of major importance. The important thing is destroying the enemy, or seeking a resolution to the war, perhaps peace.â€

 

He knew that territory was only good for positioning troops or gaining recourses. It was a hard lesson for the inexperienced to learn, but it was vital to their military success.

 

“If the enemy's effective strength is undiminished, even if we take cities, we will be unable to hold them. On the other hand, when our own forces are insufficient, if we give up the cities, we still have hope of regaining them. It is altogether improper to defend cities to the utmost, for this merely leads to sacrificing our own effective strength.â€

 

Ram went back to the slate board and erased his chalk writing with a damp cloth as he said, “The principal object in fighting a battle lies in dealing the enemy the strongest possible blows to their forces. This can be accomplished through striking their morale, creating disorder and agitation in their rear forces, drawing off the enemy’s principal force to the flanks or to the rear, stopping or slowing down their forces operations, and ultimately in dissipating their fighting strength so that the enemy's units are crushed one by one and they are precipitated into a situation where, even by rapid and deceptive actions, they can neither advance nor retreat.â€

 

Ram started writing the Seven Swords of War on the board.

 

‘First Sword: Destroy or block roads, paths, and highways within the area of action, as well as important structures along the roads.

 

 

Second Sword: Destroy the enemy's principal or secondary supply source.

 

 

Third Sword: Destroy the enemy's storehouses of food and military equipment.

 

 

Fourth Sword: Strike the enemy's rear force, at his baggage train, or at his mounted and un-mounted couriers, as well as at his mounted scouts. Also seize the provisions and equipment that the enemy is bringing up from the rear to the front.

 

 

Fifth Sword: Strike at the enemy's independent task groups and at the inhabited areas that he has not yet solidly occupied.

 

 

Sixth Sword: If defending a populated area, mobilize and organize the people living there and aid them in their own self-defense.

 

 

Seventh Sword: Adapt to every circumstance and gain victory however you can.’

 

 

Ram turned back to the cadets and said, “All of you are in charge of a nation’s army. Your enemy has evaded half of your nation’s territory. Using what you learned about the Nine Shields and what I’ve just written on the board about the Seven Swords, I want each of you to tell me what you would do, what your plans would be, as the leader of a nations army.â€

 

He pointed to the first table and said, “Let’s start with you cadet…â€

 

Scout Banner Captain

Bruce Shepherd

Ram

“There’s a thing called temper for both men and steelâ€

[Wretched Chaos]

Ingtar spent some time thinking over his strategy, taking into account everything he had just learned. He drew himself a new country arranging it with some advantages, and some disadvantages. Then he explained his strategy.

 

"There is a large river splitting my country in two. There are four bridges crossing the river, with my major cities located at each bridge. There are two major cities on the side of the river that the enemy has invaded up to. My capital, and my second largest city are on my side of the river. My country is mostly open plains, so I grow a lot of food. But, as the enemy advances, I burn all the crops that I can't ship to my lines. So they do not capture any food, and they will have a nice long supply line. The enemy's armies are comprised of almost all infantry, but with a well trained and well armed Cavalry Corps. They number about 100,000 strong, and my forces about 50,000. My force is comprised of highly trained, mobile troops. Mounted infantry, and very strong heavy cavalry."

 

"Now, since the enemy has managed to take two cities on the far side of the river, they have a springboard for an assault across the river. Therefore, I need a strong force at each bridge to hold the enemy. About a legion at each. That accounts for 40% of my force, but, since the enemy is trying so hard to get across my bridges, they will be using almost their entire force in attacks against those points. Now since the bridges aren't wide enough to allow so many people across, those troops are wasted tactically. They won't have very large reserve forces. I will also have a legion of dragoons, as my mobile reserve."

 

"The first thing I will do in my fight against the invaders, is to send emissaries to my allies, for extra troops. Now, I will have ships, that will transport the rest of my army, and those of my allies, across the river. It is either ships, or a pontoon bridge. Now my forces will go across the river, next to my smallest city, as that will be where they are concentrating the least amount of troops. I will encircle their forces there, and attack from behind, and from the front. A simple hammer and anvil movement. It will cause the surrender of those troops, and an access point across the river. Now my enemies will send large amounts of troops to try and retake that bridge, so I'll need to be able to hold them off for a couple of days, before I can stockpile enough resources, to attempt to make a breakout from my bridgehead."

 

"My next objective is the taking of another bridge. Since my enemies will have sent most of their reinforcements to attack my bridgehead, they won't have many forces at the second smallest city crossing. I can use my allies troops to do the same maneuver that I had pulled off at my first city. They will then expect me to do the same maneuver, to the other crossing points, and move in the rest of their reinforcements to those areas."

 

" Now since they have thrown in most of their troops in an attempt to hold the points they have captured, thus, leaving unguarded supply lines. Now I will breakout from my two bridgeheads, and attack out and around the two forces holding the last two bridges. Once my armies have linked up, there will be no supplies moving to their armies, and I can starve them out. They will be attempting to either break across the river, or break out the way they came. If they had an experienced commander, they will continue to try to break through the bridges. As long as my forces could hold on against the enemy for anyewhere from two months to half a year, depending on how much food the enemy had stockpiled, they would eventually starve. If their commander wasn't very experienced, they would probably try to break through my forces cutting off their supply lines. To do that would ensure the loss of their army. It would give me control of the bridges, and I could move those legions which had been holding the bridges up to their rear. The enemy would try to smash through my lines, but if my men could hold on, my advancing legions could catch them from behind, and crush their forces."

 

"War is all about supplies. No supplies and you lose. Simple as that." Ingtar took a seat and allowed the others to go.

[falcon1983]

After Ingtar was finished with his senerio Logan stood and began his own.

 

"Because I love the mountains I will stage my senerio in the mountains. The enemy about 20,000 strong has taken two of the three major cities in my kingdom. The last and the capital is located deep in a valley surrounded by forests. The mountains are to rugged for anyone to travel down without killing themselves so a threat from the sides is non existent. They could attack from the front or rear of the valley, but to the rear is an anchient ally. The only good decision would be from the front.

 

The first thing I do is send my cavalry out and around to flank the enemy while my infantry and bowmen to keep them from advancing. While out the cavalry breaks their supply train and attacks with hit and run techniques. The bowmen are arranged on the sides of the opening of the valley and behind the infantry. This not only sucks them in to the opening but creates havack once the cavalry starts to attack in full force. If I should run into any trouble my ally is thier with his men.

 

While all of this is going on the scouts that arent doing what scouts do are armed and retaking the lost cities. The enemy would have to pull all of his manpower from the cities in order to attack someone even half his strength given the circumstances. So the scouts job should be fairly easy. The same goes for the supply lines, very little guards if any. The fight should be over fairly quickly."

 

Logan sat awaiting Shep's reply.

 

Logan

[Guest tryst]

OOC Sorry for being late to post had lots to do.

 

IC

Toth opened his eyes when the officr in the front of the room started talking. He listened as he talked on on how important tatics are to survive. If he closed his eyes he could hear his adptive father's trusted milatary advisor Dingaan talking. He talked along with the officer as he went through the sheilds. Dingaan had drilled those ideas into his head when they were playin the stratigic game he had invented. When Ram he found out his name was later asked his question and Ingtar and Logan sprang up with their usual vigor to impress he listned to their senarios.

 

he could immediatly pick out faults in their stratagies that could be used against them. Thinking to himself on what Tactics he would use he formulted his stratagy.

I would take my scouts and send them ahead to get the information on the area around the enemy. The battalion that was the same size first. In the middle of the night he would order his men to cover themselves in white wash or anything that was white. He would then send the elite scouts to eliminate the sentrys. After that I would send the infantry forward and into the camp. As we walked through the camp we would cause as much havoc as was possible. We would kill them in their beds. As well as set their horses free, and burn what we can. We would probably get sum pockets of resistance. That he would take care of with archers. As cowardly as it was. That would probably take the entire battalion down. As for the next battalion I would send for reinforcements. But in the mean time i would force them to stay encamped where they are. This would cut their supplys and deprvive them of sleep and would be easy to take out when their time came.

 

Just as he finished talking to himself Ram started reading what really happened. Toth could see that that would have been the better stratagy, and that his did not follow the sheilds perfectly.

 

As Ram went on how that was the best stratagy he thought of how he could still attack the enemy and follow the sheilds. When Ram asked his second question, Thinking, He told himself what he would do. I would settle on high ground and build a fort so if attacked a defense could be mounted. I would set sentrys every 25m with orders to move to the next post every 15 min. I would during day have scouts in the trees and 7-10 cavalry patrols roaming around the camp on a unplanned coarse this would take a sneaking enemy by surprise.

 

After finishing his stratagy and listening to others Ram started talking again and started writing doen the 7 swords. He then asked his next question on a war situation. Listening to what the others said and when they finished Toth stood up and banged his guantleted fist on the table. "you do not count an enemy as a puppet all your stratagies rely on the enemy doing wat you want them to do. If just one thing changes and both your stratagies disentagrate. And because you think it is good you follow it anyway and lose the war and the country in the process. A battle plan is good till the first arrow flies the first swords meet and the first horsemen lowers his lance." I would rather have cavalry raiding parties attacking their supply lines and have them pay for every inch of land that they take, and when they go for the cities I would evacuate the citizens and fight till I know it is lost then run and raze the city to the ground and if the country should fall I would change to hit and run tactics and stir the population into full revolt. Whilr having my allies attak the enemy country which would force them back. After that he sat down and waited for Ram to answer.

[falcon1983]

Logan listened to Toth's bout then stood up.

"I have a few questions for you Toth, one is why would you paint your men white? That would give you away the second you stepped into view and it would also close your men's pours making them sufficate and possibly die. The men need to sweat. The second question, no its not a question, the building of the fort is a good idea but I think that the enemy would know about it and then attack before you had a fraction built. You need to use natural formations for something like that."

 

"The next question is why send your ally to attack the enemies country. Most if not all commanders of leaders of a country will keep enough reinforcments back to take care of any threats such as these. The best thing would be to have them reinforce you. Your country is the one in trouble after all. Plus the way information is spread the enemy could have killed you and everyone in it before they learned about their own country being attacked."

 

"As for the razing there are very few leaders who will destroy their own city. You would loose the support of the citizens and loose the want to retake it. Razing is something an attacking army does, not the defending."

 

After he was finished Logan sat down waiting for any replies.

 

Logan

[Guest tryst]

ooc Logan toth was thinking but no matter I like tatis and i'll explain anyway

ic

Toth listend quietly to Logan's questions after he had finished he stood up to answer them.

 

First the white paint if you scare an enemy they wouldn't want to face you in the first place think. If there was a fog and your troops where white then it would surprise the light out of them. If you attacked at night you would be able to identify your own troops and be able to scare he enemy. I have learnt that many soldiers are superstitious. As for the sweating I did not make myself clear enough there eapons and armor not their bodies.

 

Talkin a breath and some time to consider logan's thoughts.

 

If the enemy knew about us yes i would do the quickest thing possible and that is use the terrain. But if not a wooden fort or a earthen one would sometimes be a lot better that a hill.

 

Then thinking over his answer to the next question Toth went on.

 

If your enemy was intent on taking your land and has been able to take half of it then for sure they have most of their force there.So if your ally was to hit their country hard with a bigger force than they have there then for sure.

[falcon1983]

In mid sentence Logan interupted Toth. "Not to be rude Toth, but in your explanation you never mentioned anything about fog. But since you are now controlling the weather why not have a small symbol painted on dark clothes, something that only your men will recognize and know where to find it. White will still stick out even in fog. I do agree as I mentioned that soldiering men are superstitious but the white clothes, armour and weapons is a trick that has been used for centuries and most men see trickery when it is used."

 

"Know as for the hill top fort, sometimes all you can use is what the creator has provided, no if ands or buts about it. Now as for the attacking army, does it really make sense at what you said? How do you know exactly how large the enemies resources are and for that matter how large your own are. Maybe your country isnt large at all. Think about it."

 

OOC: Sorry Toth I love tactics as well and I suppose you could say I am an expert at it. Thats all I can say on that subject though. (Classified)

[Guest tryst]

Bowing his head in thought toth said I guess you are right and sat down thinking to himself

 

ooc No worrys I love ancient battle tactics

[Wretched Chaos]

Ingtar watched the exchange between Toth and Logan. Wow! This could get really interesting, he thought. They threw their different styles of strategy at each other, trying to show that they were the better tactician. Ingtar laughed silently, picking out the concepts that worked the best from each of them. He agreed with Logan on using natural formations for defense, but earthen ones and then wooden ones, depending on how long you planned on staying in that area. As for the white paint, Ingtar agreed with Toth, but only as long as you are guaranteed the surprise. If not, it only points out your troops to die. As for the ally issue, it all depends on your situation. If you're losing troops and ground like crazy, it would work better if you used your allies for reinforcements, but if you have the situation and defence, completely in hand, you should use your allies to attack from behind if possible, and cut off their supplies. Ingtar watched as Toth sat and bowed his head in aquiescense to Logan's way of thought. Ingtar wondered what could come of this disagreement between the two. Ingtar decided to stay silent, so as not to get in a fight with either of them.

ooc: I may not know as much about ancient tactics, but modern warfare, especially urban and Guerilla warfare are my specialty. It's what I base my tactics for this course on.