"Hammer & Anvil" was a brilliant tactics used by famous Carthaginian general Hannibal against the Romans in Battle of Cannae in 216 BC. By a clever use of this tactics he outsmarted and crushed the large and numerically superior roman army. That result planted fear in the heart of Rome. This tactics showed why Hannibal was one of the best generals in history.
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| Hannibal and Carthaginian Army |
Prelude : After entering Italy through Alps Hannibal faced some smaller roman contingent in his path. He won every roman encounter and Rome started worrying by his success. Before Cannae they tried to stop him in Trebia and near Lake Tresemene but lost. So, this time they sent an army of 86000 under the consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro to stop Hannibal. They marched towards Hannibal and came face to face near Cannae. The Romans were confident because of their superior number and the reputation their infantry had. Hannibal had around around 50000 men. Among them 10000 were cavalry and 40000 infantry. He knew about the roman numerical superiority but he also knew their attacking pattern because of his long fighting experience against them. So, he came up with a brilliant plan.
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| Carthaginian Army |
The Plan : Hannibal knew very well about roman tactics and pattern of fighting. He knew they relied on brute force rather than swift or cunning approach. So, he planned to use this roman predictability against them. His plan was to form a thin but long infantry line in center along with cavalry on the flanks. Carthaginian cavalry was superior in number and quality than its roman counterpart. So their task was to drive the roman cavalry away at the beginning of the battle and totally neutralize them. Hannibal placed himself in the center of his infantry line to lure the Romans towards him. He knew after seeing him in front line Romans could not resist to attack him. When the Romans attacked him, his line would start retreating slowly and to form a curved line like "U" to surround the Romans from three sides. That was the moment when his cavalry would return and attack the Romans from behind. His infantry would be the anvil and cavalry would be the hammer.
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| The Plan |
The Execution : The battle started in 2nd August, 216 BC in the morning. As Hannibal predicted the Romans rushed towards his line to kill him and finish the conflict once and for all. His Carthaginian cavalry engaged the roman cavalry on flanks and soon routed them and started chasing them as planned. The Roman center attacked Hannibal's center with brute force and started pushing the Carthaginian line. They lost the discipline in the process and it was in total chaos. Carthaginian line started curving from roman pressure and soon formed that "U" shape. That was the moment when the Carthaginian cavalry returned and attacked the Romans from behind. The over enthusiast Romans soon found themselves surrounded from all sides with no escape route. Around 60000 to 70000 Romans died on that day (Approximate figure as per ancient historians). Only few managed to escape. Scipio the younger was among them who was destined to play a major role in future war against Carthage.
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| Hannibal |
Aftermath : The Roman army in Italy was destroyed in this battle. The remaining army was demoralized and Romans allies in southern Italy started leaving Rome and joined Hannibal. It was a desperate time for Rome. Their invincibility and prestige hampered greatly and Rome itself was in danger. Hannibal became the biggest enemy Rome ever faced after Cannae.
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