Combined Arms

[TJD]

Some interesting comments about combined arms in the Hannibal infantry thread.

I agree but with all due respect to some very knowledgeable guys, I think the term 'combined arms' is being used too loosely in these threads to be meaningful. Just having units of different types doesn't mean you're employing an effective doctrine of combined arms. As soon as armies became something more than undifferentiated primitive mobs, you'd have combined arms if you define it just as unit specialization. The concept really has more to do IMO with how effectively the different types of units can be integrated to create a synergistic multiplier effect on the battlefield, and that's a question mainly of communications and organizational flexibility. Overall, the concept is so modern in its connotations that I'm not sure it really fits in the context of ancient warfare.

Just my .02

Best,

Tim