The War Strategies That Changed History and the Men Who Invented Them
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Every battle ever fought used one of these. Some are 2500 years old and armies still use them today.
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1. The Art of Deception - Sun Tzu, 500 BC
Every military before him thought war was about strength. Sun Tzu said the opposite. The best victory is the one where you never have to fight at all. Deceive the enemy, attack where they are weakest, disappear when they expect you to stand.
His book is still taught at West Point and every major military academy on earth. Written 2500 years ago and never out of print.
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2. The Hammer and Anvil - Alexander the Great, 334 BC
Infantry locks the enemy in place. Cavalry hits them at full speed from the side while they cannot move. Simple. Unstoppable.
Alexander used it to conquer Persia, Egypt, and half of Asia before he was 30. He never lost a single battle in his life.
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3. The Double Envelopment - Hannibal, 216 BC
Hannibal faced 86,000 Romans with only 50,000 men. By the end of the day 70,000 Romans were dead. The highest single day death toll in recorded military history.
He put his weakest troops in the center, let the Romans break through, then closed both wings behind them. The Romans had nowhere to go. Military historians still call Cannae the most perfectly executed battle ever fought.
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4. The Central Position - Napoleon, 1796
Napoleon was almost always outnumbered. His solution was to place his army between two enemies before they could join up, destroy one completely, then turn and destroy the second before it could react.
Each enemy thought the other was coming to help. Neither arrived in time. He used this to defeat armies twice his size for 20 years.
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5. Blitzkrieg - Germany, 1940
France had more tanks, stronger fortifications, and a bigger army. Experts called France unbeatable. Germany conquered it in 6 weeks.
Move faster than the enemy can think. Hit where they are weakest. Get behind their lines and cut off communication before they understand what is happening. By the time France realized the attack was not where they expected it, their entire army was already surrounded.
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If you enjoyed this, check out our other articles:
Things From War History That Sound Totally Made Up (But Actually Happened) - Part 1
Things From War History That Sound Totally Made Up (But Actually Happened) - Part 2
Weapons Too Insane To Exist (pics inside)
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All strategies listed are historically documented. May 2026.