Winter.

This is coolbert:

Interesting program on PBS TV the other day. Dealt with the campaigns of George Washington.

The 1776 Christmas Eve attack on Hessian-occupied Trenton by the forces of the Continental Army under Washington was a very big anomaly for the times.

Winter-warfare was just not done in the period of 1776.

And there was a good reason for it. Armies of the time, and subsequently until the modern era of the internal combustion engine, were dependent upon the horse for transport. Artillery, cavalry, trains and stores all depended upon horses for transport. Without sufficient fodder the horses could not be fed and sustained. This fodder was not available in the winter. Campaigns of the period were just not possible for this reason.

Troops would go into what was called "winter quarters".

There seems to be exceptions to this rule of "no warfare during time of winter" rule.

Those Mongols again.

That incredible "force of nature" from the 13th century. The greatest battle [and his last]Genghis Khan ever fought was on the ice of the frozen Yellow River during wintertime [December 1226]. 150,000 Mongols versus 300,000 Chinese. And the Mongol invasion and successful campaign against the Russian principalities in the period after the death of Genghis was conducted during the winter. Enabled the Mongol army to cross without impediment the Volga river. So winter campaigning DID NOT stop the Mongols as it did other armies.

Why was this??

I cannot say why!!

Like in most other areas, it seems that NOTHING stopped the Mongols. NOT armies of the time, and not even the weather.

The Prussian army of Frederick the Great also did not seem to be inhibited by winter weather either!!

Frederick the Great of Prussia enjoyed his greatest military victories, at Rossbach and Leuthen back to back during a time and conditions of cold. The former victory [Rossbach] occurring in November, the latter victory [Leuthen] occurring in December. Cold weather and lack of fodder for horses was no bar to the Prussians!!??

[It may be that at Rossbach and Leuthen Frederick did NOT rely upon horse drawn artillery or cavalry, he relied upon his superlative infantry alone for victory.]

[In the movie of the same name, Patton says that the German will attack in the Ardennes in 1944. And part of his calculation is that the German Army has not had a winter offensive since the time of Frederick. Because it is so out of nature to do so, it WILL BE SO!! [to obtain surprise, which it did!!]]

But, then in the cases of the Mongols and the Prussians, greatness is not confined to the conventional. What is not normal for ordinary generals is normal for great generals [Genghis, Frederick]!!

They do what others do not!!


coolbert.