Cellar Dweller
Member
WWI, forgotten African front
Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck: he spent the war harrying the forces of the British Empire, tying down with his band of 3,000 Europeans & 11,000 native levies, called Askaris, a British/Imperial army 300,000 strong, which was at times commanded by the former Second Boer War commander Jan Smuts. One of his greatest victories was at the Battle of Tanga, where he beat a British force more than eight times the size of his own.
True, it was primarily a guerilla war, but the Askaris DID wear uniforms or other identifiers to separate themselves from noncombatants. Quality of weaponry equal, logistics vastly favored the Allies. Smuts was not a chump either, he just could not force a decisive battle.
"Great" generals/leaders throughout history succeed because they identify strengths/weaknesses and adapt their forces, often winning the battle but they can't be everywhere; not always winning the war (Alexander, Charles Martel, "Chesty" Puller; Hannibal, Lee, Rommel). "Mediocre" generals succeed through sheer weight of numbers, losing/drawing battles but winning the war (McClellan, MacArthur in WW2, Montgomery). "Poor" generals trump quality, quantity, and logistics; often resulting in annihilation (Valens' legions, Spanish Armada, Trafalgar, 7th Cavalry).
Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck: he spent the war harrying the forces of the British Empire, tying down with his band of 3,000 Europeans & 11,000 native levies, called Askaris, a British/Imperial army 300,000 strong, which was at times commanded by the former Second Boer War commander Jan Smuts. One of his greatest victories was at the Battle of Tanga, where he beat a British force more than eight times the size of his own.
True, it was primarily a guerilla war, but the Askaris DID wear uniforms or other identifiers to separate themselves from noncombatants. Quality of weaponry equal, logistics vastly favored the Allies. Smuts was not a chump either, he just could not force a decisive battle.
"Great" generals/leaders throughout history succeed because they identify strengths/weaknesses and adapt their forces, often winning the battle but they can't be everywhere; not always winning the war (Alexander, Charles Martel, "Chesty" Puller; Hannibal, Lee, Rommel). "Mediocre" generals succeed through sheer weight of numbers, losing/drawing battles but winning the war (McClellan, MacArthur in WW2, Montgomery). "Poor" generals trump quality, quantity, and logistics; often resulting in annihilation (Valens' legions, Spanish Armada, Trafalgar, 7th Cavalry).
