Employing war elephants

[Sardaukar]

One interesting thought is that (at least expressed by Delbrück (Delbruck) in his Warfare in Antiquity: History of the Art of War, Volume I) Hannibal, when faced by superior enemy cavalry in Zama (was about first time he had to face that situation), employed 2 tactics to negate it.

First, he employed war elephants for protection against cavalry. Secondly (when that failed), his weaker cavalry had to retreat in face of superior enemy cavalry, they draw all Roman/Allied cavalry in pursuit, effectively taking them out of battle. That made it basicly an infantry battle that he might have won without Scipio Africanus and his military talent. Scipio immediately responded to situation (when his troops had routed 2 echelons of enemy troops and were exhausted) by halting his disciplined infantry, replacing the first line with reserves and then engaged Hannibal's veterans. Interestingly, both sides used "triplex acies " and what is described by Delbrück, echelon tactics.

Still..battle remained undecided until Roman/Allied cavalry returned from pursuit.

So, it might first seem that Hannibal's decision to employ war elephants was eccentric or novel..but it actually was very sound decision and adds to his grasp of tactical situation..and his defeat does not deduct from him being one of the great commanders of antiquity.

As one older-time historian ( If I recall right it was Sir William Tarn) said: " Rome did not concede to fear any nation during their time, but they did admit to fear two persons, one was Hannibal, other was a woman".