Maneuver and Encounter

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Maneuver | Encounter | See also

War can be divided into two activities: Maneuver and Encounter. Or, to put it more simply, moving and fighting.

Maneuver

Maneuvering means moving troops and equipment about the place, from battle to battle or otherwise to position them for specific effect. This is no mean feat when you have an army of tens or hundreds of thousands who need to be fed and watered several times a day.

A mark of a good general is not so much the battles won but the deaths avoided whilst winning the war. This can be achieved by positioning forces much as a game of chess, not in order to fight but to cause a desired counter-maneuver by the opposing side.

Thus by positioning apparently superior forces the enemy will avoid or move away from you, whilst by exposing a weak force you may lure the foe into a trap or away from a vulnerability.

Maneuver and the avoidance of encounter can be a deliberate strategy and form a critical part of planning of the war.

Encounter

The goal of virtually any encounter is to win, killing or capturing enemy troops or positions. This may be done using a superior force, although superior maneuvering both before and on the battlefield can give an inferior force significant advantage.

Thus maneuvers such as feints, wedges, flanking and pincers can Be used to great effect in winning the encounter with maximum economy.

Encounter can be a deliberate strategy, as in Battle War.