Anyone who studies warfare will quickly discover the importance of the battlefield. Two armies might be perfectly matched, but the one in the better position with respect to just a few hills or a lake could take the victory with only minor losses. The Battle of Agincourt, fought between the English and the French in 1415, is a good example of the role terrain can play.
King Henry V of England was leading his army through France on his way to Calais, when he encountered the French, blocking the road. There is some debate about how many men each army had, but according to Jehan De Wavrin, a Frenchman present at the battle, the French army had at least 50,000 men and the English about 10,000. Despite having the greater army, the French did not attack at first but waited for the English to make the first move.
The armies fought in a tree-lined field between Agincourt and Tramecourt. The French had chosen the location because it was the best location from which to prevent the English from…show more content… The battle of Gaugamela, fought in 332 BC between Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia is a good example of how a talented leader can use clever strategies to defeat an army much larger than his own. Despite being outnumbered and on a plain that Darius had leveled to accommodate his chariots, Alexander was able to make the most out of each of his small units of soldiers, and he killed many of the Persians and sent Darius quite literally fleeing for his life.
There were several reasons that Alexander was able to manipulate the situation to his advantage. Darius made a number of mistakes in the way he fought the battle. It also helped Alexander that his soldiers had been with him for a long time in his campaign to conquer Persia, and thus they had a lot of experience. However, the main reason that Alexander won was his unusual strategies and ingenious
