That Time Egypt Fought 100 Cats

Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction, and when it comes to war, a lot of odd things can happen. Some of the craziest tactics in human history ended up being the most impactful, after all, here we are talking about them decades later.

Youhana Nassif on Unsplash

1. The Battle of Pelusium

The Persian king Cambyses II used cats to attack the Egyptians. The Persians used cats as a shield to advance towards Egypt and attack, knowing well that cats were sacred to them. This ultimately led to the Persians conquering Egypt, as harming a cat was punishable by death to Egyptians.

Kévin et Laurianne Langlais on Unsplash

2. The Trojan Horse

One of the most well-known military tactics in all of history, the Trojan Horse was a Greek tactic against the city of Troy. The Greeks made a giant wooden horse and hid inside while presenting it to the Trojans as a gift. Once they brought the horse into the city, the Greeks waited until nighttime and opened the gates for their soldiers.

Tayla Kohler on Unsplash

3. William the Conqueror’s Fake Retreat at Hastings

In the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror used a fake retreat tactic to lure the English forces from their strong defensive positions. Once they went on the offensive, the Normans counterattacked. It was a very clever way of defeating a seemingly impenetrable defense.

Vlad Ardeleanu on Unsplash

4. Hannibal’s Ambush at Lake Trasimene

The Carthaginian force led by Hannibal Barca had a brilliant plan to seemingly reduce the size of the Roman army. They lured them into a narrow pass near Lake Trasimene, where they ambushed and defeated the army much more easily. This was a clever way of defeating a much bigger army.

Sébastien Slodtz (French, 1655–1726) on Wikimedia

5. Ambush at Teutoburg Forest

Germanic leader Arminius pretended to make an alliance with the Roman forces. He lured them into dense forests where warriors ambushed and defeated three Roman legions. This clever tactic put a stop to the Roman expansion into Germania.

Filip Zrnzević on Unsplash

6. Naval Ambush at Salamis

The Greek fleet was massively outnumbered by the Persian navy, meaning sure defeat unless they came up with a plan. The Greeks ultimately decided to try and lure the Persian ships into a narrow passage of Salamis. Confined spaces of the waters reduced the Persians’ numbers, allowing the Greeks to defeat them as they came in smaller numbers.

Mohamed_hassan on Pixabay

7. The Ghost Army

During WWII, the Allied forces used a combination of things to deceive and trick the Germans. They used fake radio transmissions, sound effects, inflatable tanks, and fake strategy radio signals to mislead the Germans about the D-Day landing locations.

Studio_Iris on Pixabay

8. The Phalanx Formation

The famous Phalanx formation was used by the Greeks as an impenetrable formation against bigger armies. The soldiers tightly packed ranks, overlapping their shields and long spears to create a defensive offense. This tactic dominated ancient warfare for centuries.

Tungsten on Wikimedia

9. Japan’s Hot Air Balloons

In WWII, Japan launched incendiary balloons across the Pacific Ocean. The goal was to attack North America without any risk or casualties. Although not overly successful, it was an innovative way of using early long-distance unmanned air attacks.

ian dooley on Unsplash

10. Siege of Tyre

After the city of Tyre refused to surrender, Alexander the Great had to get creative. He built a bridge to reach the island city and siege it. Despite Tyre’s formidable defenses, Alexander the Great overcame Tyre’s resistances.

Now that we have talked about the most successful military tactics, here are 10 that totally backfired.

Andre Castaigne on Wikimedia

1. Sieging the Russian Winter

Napoleon decided to send his army into Russian territory and invade them. There was a big issue when it came to this plan, as the harsh Russian winter and vast terrain proved to be more than a challenge. By the time Napoleon’s forces faced Russian resistance, his army was weakened and reduced by the weather.

Aleks G on Wikimedia

2. Marching Through the Desert

The French army decided to attack Egypt by crossing the unmarked desert parts. They, however, heavily underestimated the difficulty of crossing the unforgiving landscapes of these deserts. Heat, dehydration, and lack of sufficient resources and supplies led to troop losses and the ultimate failure of this mission.

Rubén Bagüés on Unsplash

3. The Spanish Armada

The Spanish massive fleet intended to invade England and take over. This proved to be more difficult than they thought, as they were not prepared for the poor weather conditions that surround England. Spain lost a significant number of troops and resources, marking their ultimate failure of the invasion.

Keith Evans on Wikimedia

4. The Charge of the Light Brigade

One of the biggest disasters when it comes to military tactics is definitely the miscommunication during the Crimean War. The British cavalry charged into a heavily fortified Russian artillery, leading to heavy casualties and a huge strategic loss. With no plan and reduced forces, the British had to retreat, marking this as one of the most disastrous failures.

Lina Kivaka on Pexels

5. The Maginot Line

France had made extensive defensive lines to protect themselves against the German invasion. Although the defenses were strong, they were proven to be useless. The Germans bypassed their whole strategic positioning by invading through Belgium instead, making the French static defense pointless.

Alvesgaspar on Wikimedia

6. Varangian Guard’s Betrayal

Although strong and strategic, the Byzantine mercenaries failed to prevent the sack of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. Some individuals within the Varangian Guard betrayed their leaders. This led to the fall of Constantinople, marking one of the most significant and ironic failures of the elite guard.

Silar on Wikimedia

7. The Battle of Crécy

The battle against French and English forces had one side be more advanced and strategic than the other. The French knights underestimated the longbows of the English, which led to their ultimate loss. This result led to a very historically important military shift toward ranged weapons.

The New York Public Library on Unsplash

8. Louis XIV’s Invasion of the Netherlands

While initially successful, Louis XIV’s forces were overambitious in their invasion. The overextended positioning of his forces led to a coalition of European powers uniting against them. This strategy of maintaining pressure backfired, leading to a very costly outcome for Louis XIV.

Hyacinthe Rigaud on Wikimedia

9. The Zulu's "Horns of the Buffalo"

The traditional Zulu "Horns of the Buffalo" formation was used to encircle their enemies and gain a strategic advantage. This tactic failed at the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, as the British forces were well-prepared defensively. The loss was fairly small-scale but damaged the Zulu’s morale and reputation.

Cethegus on Wikimedia

10. The Braddock Expedition

General Edward Braddock led the British army through the dense forests of North America with a well-prepared and strategic tactic of invasion. While many had warned him of ambushes in these forests, he chose to ignore them and proceed. This quickly proved to be a huge disaster, as the British forces were decimated by French and Native American troops.

Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash