Stratadies of War?

[captainkije]

I could not understand why Napoleon used sledge hammer blows at Borodino instead of some other more imaginative approach. After all, he was Napoleon. Then, a few years ago I went over the battle again. Davout had advocated a flank maneuver at that battle. Napoleon replied that if did this, the Russians would refuse battle and retreat again. He needed a decisive victory and he needed it soon. Frontal asault with its bloody drawbacks appeared to him as the only chance for this.

Similarly, at Waterloo frontal assault dead center was again his choice. Had time robbed him of his gifts? Wellington himself admitted how close the French came to breaking his center. It was not inevitable that Ney pin everything on massed cavalry assaults unsupported by infantry. Even at that, Ney came within inches.

Formula instructs us to avoid frontal assaults. The first battle ended in a tactical draw, the second in French disaster. My point is that Napleon had solid arguments for the seemingly unimaginative plans he chose to use in these instances.