Combined Arms

[Dog Soldier]

Al,
That is an interesting site. I have not had a chance to explore it fully. It does seem a little contradictory on the surface. Phalanx armies being denounced in the first paragraph, but Alexander's army praised in the end as an "integrated army".
Was not the core of Alexander's army the phalanx?
His success seems to come from employing the right troops to protect the phalanx formations vulnerable flank and rear. The phalanx did the dirty work of breaking the enemy.
I think Alexander's success came from his sense of timing, more than any "combined arms" fighting. He had an uncanny ability to know when to commit his reserves, and his potent cavalry. The phalanx formations provided the opportunities. Alexander, personally led many charges with his "immortals" at the right times to capitalize on the initial success of the phalanx formations, throwing the enemy into confusion, which would inevitably lead to rout.
Brilliant, he was always on the move, with his men, and thus never missed a good opportunity to act quickly. His enemies led from the rear, he led from the front, and could react to the changing conditions on the battlefield before his enemies could.

Modeling the problem of AW communications is difficult. The series does have some feature to capture the effect.

Dog Soldier