who do you think was the best defensive tactician of all time ?

Answer 1

The Spartans and South Wales Borderers(Zulu war) fought defensive actions against overwhelming odds with great valour but little real tactics were involved.The Duke of Wellington was probably the greatest defensive tactician ever in Portugal he withdrew to what were then the strongest man made defences ever built and left to French to starve outside.In Battle he usually placed his infantry behind rises in the ground of long grass and ordered them to lay down until the enemy came into range instead of standing in long lines being battered by enemy artillery and skirmishers in this way he managed to hold ground against larger forces of highly experienced French troops.He also fortified any buildings on the battlefield so small amounts of defenders tied up large numbers of the enemy.He was basically very good at defensive tactics which resulted in victory in battle against a superior force trained solely in offensive tactics.

Answer 2

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians. Mainly because he was on the defense all of the time, with no opportunity to be on the offensive.

(The best defense is a strong offense.)

He led his band of 800 Indians, including women and children on a 3 month retreat from the US Army through four states. His tactics in the retreat are required reading at West Point.

Answer 3

My first thought was the Russians, Alexander I or Stalin, but in retrospect, the counted on the terrible winters, leaving it to chance (there was an off chance of a mild winter) the cold would take it's toll.

Leonidas gets my vote. Devoted soldiers who lived to fight, and he picked the best possible place to make his stand.

Answer 4

Irwin Rommel

Answer 5

Buddy Ryan

Answer 6

Bobby Fischer - Chess Grandmaster.

Answer 7

My dad. Our house never got bombed during the war, but most of our street was flattened.

I not absolutely sure how my dad managed that, because he was busy in the Army somewhere at the time.

I think it was him anyway. Can't have been Churchill, I mean we never voted for him anyway.

Answer 8

Kesselring (WW2 German Field Marshal). His conduct of the defence of Italy was masterly, and kept huge numbers of Allied troops tied up when they could have been used elsewhere.

Answer 9

Wow! Excellent question.

My candidate has to be King Leonidas. of Sparta, at Thermopylae.

I'll be interested to see what some of the other answers are, though.

Answer 10

The defenders in the movie Zulu