Roman Battle Tactics

Roman Battle Tactics 109BC-AD313 (Elite No. 155)
Author(s): Ross Cowan
Illustrator(s): Adam Hook
Publisher: Osprey Publishing, 2007
Format: Paperback, 64 pages
ISBN: 9781846031847
Amazon Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Publisher's Description: How, exactly, did Rome become master of the ancient world? This book examines and illustrates the tactics employed by the legions of late Republican and early Imperial Rome from the evidence of ancient writers. The greatest military machine in the Western world for at least four centuries, the Roman Army was the foundation of the Western military tradition, and its doctrines were central to the later revival of trained, drilled professional armies. Here the evidence is discussed in clear detail, and brought to life with battle plans and full colour interpretations of tactical scenarios.

Amazon Product Description: The book clearly explains and illustrates the mechanics of how Roman commanders--at every level--drew up and committed their different types of troops for open-field battles. It includes the alternative formations used to handle different tactical problems and different types of terrain; the possibilities of ordering and controlling different deployments once battle was joined; and how all this was based on the particular strengths of the Roman soldier. Covering the period of classic legionary warfare from the late Republic to the late Western Empire, Ross Cowan uses case studies of particular battles to provide a manual on how and why the Romans almost always won, against enemies with basic equality in weapon types--giving practical reasons why the Roman Army was the Western World's outstanding military machine for 400 years.