Alexander the Great & his Army - Stephen English

In his work *Alexander the Great & His Army*, Stephen English analyzes in detail the composition and organization of the various troop types, including heavy infantry (phalanx), cavalry (both Macedonian and Thessalian), hypaspists, as well as naval units and siege engines. He pays particular attention to recruitment, weapons, armor, and specific tactics, as well as the command structure and the use of mercenaries and allied contingents.

Wird geladen...

Stephen English analyzes Alexander's military success through a detailed examination of the organization, equipment, and tactics of the Macedonian army. He demonstrates how Alexander used tactical flexibility to strategically utilize the terrain to compensate for numerical inferiority (for example, at Issus), and how superior leadership and troop discipline, as psychological factors, led to the decisive outcome on the battlefield.

Stephen English describes the Macedonian army as the most advanced military machine of its time. He analyzes the command structure as a highly organized hierarchy in which Alexander acted as the undisputed strategist, supported by specialized units such as the hypaspists (elite infantry) and heavy cavalry. This organization enabled perfect synergy between the branches of the armed forces: while the heavy infantry tied down the enemy with long spears, the cavalry exploited the gaps coordinated by the command structure to decisively break through the enemy lines.