Alexander the Great had a military upbringing and lived a life that was shaped by militarism. He led the Macedonian army successfully to expand Greece and conquer the east. The Macedonian army mass success is attributed to the Alexander’s philosophical influence that led him to adapt to conditions, and use mindful tactics when leading his army.
Alexander had military training and tactics from his father and learnings of philosophy from Aristotle. These set the base for him, and led to his ability to adjust his army to conditions. Alexander displayed awareness of logistics in his army. He considered every aspect, for example the routes taken and allies courted.2
In order to fulfill his conquests, he needed troops. In order to reach his goal …show more content…
The phalanx was tight lines of men who could travel together, almost like a tank. The soldiers were given more compact shields that strapped to their arms. This allowed the formation to be even tighter and more stable. The soldiers were also equipped with spears and stabbing swords. The extra long spears allowed several ranks and lines of men to participate in the battle and decrease strain of the front line. The long spears also allowed for large scale attacks without enduring any severe losses. The big weapon of his army was also the cavalry. The army also had a large supply of horses, and men that man the horses and can fight on foot. In the phalanx, the men of high military expertise, the lochage, was in the front. The soldiers in front and rear would be the strongest soldiers. The phalanx offered impenetrable defense and was well fitted to wear down the enemy line (cite). The effectiveness of the phalanx was demonstrated through the fact that the army would beat enemies even when outnumbered. The phalanx provided a confident tight formation of soldiers surrounded by peers, and a wall of long spears.In addition to the phalanx, the army would have the calvary going into battlefield, flanking the opponents. Alexander reformed the phalanx. He made a way to increase mobility. His reform made it so the archers and javelin men could deploy into intervals and discharge their missiles, and then closing up again in order …show more content…
After defeating the Persian army in the battle at Granicus, the army moved south searching for the main force. The main force was led by the ruler of Persia, Darius. The battle happens in a narrow area between the gulf of Issus and mountains on November 5, 333 BC. The macedonian army used its phalanx, and Alexander used his tactics to adapt to the situation. The army had a phalanx in the center, hypaspists on the right, and companion cavalry with Alexander riding with them on the flank. On the left was a mix of heavy and light cavalry, with an infantry in reserve. Far right in the hills, the army had agrarians, elite javelin soldiers, and cavalry. The Macedonian army advances, protecting their flank. Alexander led an attack of the agrarians, and managed to drive off the heavy infantry. Meanwhile the rest of the macedonian cavalry on that flank drove off the persian cavalry. On the opposite flank, the Persian heavy cavalry succeeding in pushing back the weaker cavalry of the Macedonian army. Alexander responded to this by using his infantry. The Macedonians with this infantry put up a defensive line against a possible breakthrough. As the Persian line advanced, placing their flank in the air, they left themselves vulnerable. The Agrarians continued to pursue heavy infantry, while the cavalry turned on the flank of the infantry. Alexander in this moment saw Darius and advanced toward him. He believed that by