The Seven Classic Maneuvres of war

The Seven Classic Maneuvres of war — a term coined by historian D.Chandler. This refers to the general common broad maneuvre types used in warfare from antiquity to modernity. Battles have often consisted of a combination of more than one of these moves. I hope that this thread will serve as a prelude to my battle report threads -where all the battles described will more or less fall under the category of 1 or more of these broad templates. The animations i took from this wonderful site called ‘Art of Battle’ which i endorse to all lovers of military history and strategy.

1.Penetration of the centre
2.Single flank envelopment
3.Double Envelopment
4.Oblique order attack
5.Feigned Retreat
6.Defensive Position Offense
7.Indirect approach

1. PENETRATION OF THE CENTRE -

Flanks pin enemy forces in place and draw enemy reserves.Then once enemy reserves from centre are sufficiently denuded,main assault comes.Followed by mobile exploitation reserves which then wheel and hit the enemy flanks in the rear after rupturing the centre.This is a very compact and solid manuevre as until the moment of the main attack,all your reserves are in the centre and in case of any mishaps can quickly reinforce either flank.
Timing of the main attack in the centre is critical,if too early enemy reserves will have time to reinforce centre..if too late your own flanks might be overrun.Also the main assault is essentially a frontal attrition assault. Which generally requires a substantial qualitative or numerical superiority to enforce a breakthrough before the enemy is able to disengage flanks and withdraw in order if possible- this raises the possibilities of high casualities.

2. SINGLE FLANK ENVELOPMENT —

Pinning attacks along the front line to attract enemy reserves,then mobile assault reserve swings rounds and rolls up the enemy flank.Advantage is simplicity,disadvantage-if faced with a capable general who will not answer by depleting his reserves to the pinning attack but rather launch a counterattack of his own against your weakened center or use those reserves to assault ur flanking force head on.

3. DOUBLE ENVELOPMENT -
Also known as the pincer movement,The most difficult and sought after manuevre,and the most rewarding.Most risky unless one has large numerical advantage.Basically pin the enemy army in place[Either in defense or offense] and surround and crush it with reserves.Advantage is total annhilation,disadvantage is requires superb timing and coordination and enemy can defeat strung out pinning forces before manuevre can be completed.Hannibal’s trademark.In ww2 this was perfected by the german wehrmacht through its blitzkrieg style.(keil und kessel technique)

4.OBLIQUE ORDER ATTACK —

Basically refuse the weaker flank and launch diversionary attacks with it,to divert enemy reserves -then launch primary assault on one wing.By the time enemy dispatches rest of his reserves too late.Flank destroyed,swing round and roll up the rest of his line.Difficult to pull off.Requires terrain cover or obstruction,so enemy can’t see the main attack coming.Invented by Epaminondas at Leuctra,a favourite of Alexander and later Frederick the Great.

5.DEFENSIVE OFFENSE —

Involves making the enemy to attack a strong defensive position,then attacking the exhausted enemy forces with a sudden sharp counterattck with reserves.Weakness is it can lead to passive mentality with overdependence on walls or terrain.Also if position is too strong enemy might avoid attacking it altogether and bypass it.Advantage is conservation of forces,can take on larger forces with numerically smaller ones.However its quite a defensive strategy.This was a favourite tactic of the Duke of Wellington,Jan zizka as well as the Roman commanders.

6.FEIGNED WITHDRAWAL —

Staging a retreat to entice the enemy into false confidence and lure him to abandon his position and then suddenly turn and ambush the shocked enemy.Main advantage is tactical surprise achieved as the enemy is attacked unexpectedly and out of position.Disadvanatge is unless troops are disciplined and know what they are doing-feigned withdrawal could easily degenerate into a real rout.The trademark of the Mongols who brought to it a level of sublime perfection,and also the turks.

7.THE INDIRECT APPROACH —

This maneuver involves distracting the enemy with secondary forces while using the main force to strategically envelop the enemy in rear and flank. This maneuver seeks to force the enemy to react and give battle on unfavourable terms for fear of being cut off from supplies or communications. This maneuver is usually attempted if an aggressive mobile force is available or if enemy supply and communication lines are vulnerable. Advantages of this maneuver include the total victory if the enemy loses a battle while cut off from his base and the prospect of alternative objectives once in the enemy’s rear and flank. The disadvantages of this maneuver are few because the maneuver has so much diversity although mobility and timing are vital to its success.In place of a natural obstacle,a cavalry screen or light forces can be used as screens for the turning movement.This is the most recent of the seven and constantly used in modern warfare.Perfected by Napoleon.Also frequently employed by the German general staff.

Checkout the full thread for detailed examples of all seven maneuvres.

Written by Austerlitz on indian defence