Since the Paleolithic Age witnessed the dawn of the first armed conflicts between empires that straddled reality and myth, war has been a source of death, but it has also been a source of creativity and innovation. “The paradoxical aspect is the creative impulse that… … It often accompanies war. The urgency of mortal danger usually leads to the rapid invention of new ways to confront it,” he explains to the ABC. Vincent BernardDr. Honoris Coza from four Spanish universities and author of the new book “The History of War in Graphics” (criticism). The list of devices that have revolutionized battlefields is very long: medieval siege machines, Chinese repeating crossbows, gunpowder… “This process has continued to this day with the use of drones and artificial intelligence in Ukraine,” says the Frenchman.
This creative drive has also influenced the way we fight. “Tactical military art is an eternal cycle, with methods constantly evolving, but always based on the same basic elements: Maneuverability And the relationship between fire (Long-range combat) and shock “(Hand-to-hand combat),” the Frenchman explains. There are dozens of examples, but he has a favorite: “The tactic I adore for its effectiveness is flanking or double envelopment, because it allows the enemy’s retreat to be cut off. It is undoubtedly the most effective and was responsible for such crushing victories as the Battle of Cannae (216), Napoleon’s Ulm Maneuver (1805), or, on a more operational scale, the French Army’s siege of the Ardennes in 1940.”
Sometimes the magic worked and the country was able to be a leader in tactical advancement and military means. Bernard is clear about the example: the golden age of the Spanish monarchy. “The Tercio, due to its common weapons composition, discipline and tactical organization, was a model to follow for professional infantry, which only declined with the advent of more flexible forces and greater firepower,” explains the Frenchman. As he put it, Spain and its empire, thanks to all this, may have constituted the first truly world power in history since the sixteenth century. “With its wealth and territorial control, the influence of the Spanish Golden Age was enormous in all areas. Let us not forget sea power: the galleon represents a fundamental advance in ocean navigation.”
Periodic war
The best example of war being cyclical, Bernard asserts, occurred when Russia invaded Ukraine: “This cycle exposed An amazing mix of ancient and modern He showed that although the means and methods of combat are constantly evolving, there is always a trace of antiquity in conflicts. On February 24, 2022, robotic teams Vladimir Putin They crossed the country’s southwestern border at full speed towards the capital, Kyiv. He continues, “It was the same blitzkrieg used in World War II and improved upon in the Cold War: a series of deep attacks that relied on armored forces supported by aviation and missiles.”
“The Last Third”, by Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau
When Ukrainian resistance and Western assistance stopped the mechanized teams in their tracks, operations changed. “Became a War of positions and attritionmore stable and decentralized, as artillery, camouflage, and field fortifications determined the development of the battlefield. “These general conditions, old and undoubtedly deteriorating, are more typical of World War I or the end of the American Civil War,” Bernard says. Historian James Holland, author of the recent book “Brothers in Arms,” adds in statements to ABC that an ancient figure such as the mercenary was also central to this conflict. “The Wagner group became decisive until Prigozhin’s death.”
History of war in charts
Laurent Touchard, Julien Peltier and Vincent Bernard published A History of War in Graphics (review). The article seeks to analyze how combat and weaponry have evolved from stone and bone tools used at the dawn of humanity to contemporary digital technologies. All this, through the first forged metals, the domestication of animals, the discovery of gunpowder, and, among many other events, the organization of the Roman legions and the use of battle chariots. Through dozens of diagrams, they study how armies are formed, what resources they have or how they fight.
Military historian Jean Lopezauthor of the last article “Barbarossa 1941” (The Library of Books)supports the idea that conflicts are cyclical. The problem, he says, is that on the ancient continent we have forgotten what large-scale battles that took place only a century ago looked like. “What surprised us was the return of a very intense war that mobilized the state as a whole: from the army to society. “In Europe we are accustomed to short or distant wars that do not affect our daily lives, and now we have two rivals, as happened decades ago, mobilizing all the resources at their disposal and without any care.”
On the other hand, Bernard acknowledges the existence of means and methods of combat that have revolutionized the battlefields: “Technological progress in warfare has been as rapid as it has been astonishing in recent years. The two most obvious examples of this are the proliferation of drones of all types and sizes, and the huge rise of so-called “drones.” “Cyber Warfare”, Today based artificial intelligence». The first was the most decisive because, at a cost of only 1,000 euros, they could end up with a battle tank worth 8 million euros. However, the expert emphasizes that the army must still find a way to combine traditions that still conflict with unprecedented technological modernity. “Knowing how to use them will be the biggest challenge in the coming years,” he says.
Outdated media?
The advent of drones has revealed a profound change in the nature of combat. The use of tanks, which served as the spearhead of the armies of World Wars I and II, is now in question for some experts. Although this is not the case with Bernard. “It is not the first time its end has been announced. “With the arrival of the missiles, there was speculation about their disappearance,” he explains. The Frenchman advocates that it is, to date, the only weapons system that integrates the three main tactical elements on the ground: destructive power – through cannons and machine guns – protection – armor capable of protecting infantry inside – and mobility.
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“This is not the first time the end of the tank has been announced. “As the missiles arrived, speculation arose about their disappearance.”
The Netherlands also rejects death as a method of combat that has dominated battlefields for more than a century. “Since tanks were born, ways have been invented to eliminate them, but they persist there, reinventing themselves. “In the end, there is little left for anti-aircraft devices to limit the range and efficiency of drones,” he explains. These armored monsters will continue to play a major role in future wars, although almost always in conjunction with other branches of the military. “They must work alongside the infantry to protect each other,” he adds. He backs his words up with data: “Of the 14 Challenger 2s that the British sent to Ukraine two years ago, 12 are still in operation. He emphasizes that this is no longer outdated.
Ukrainian drone operator
The military is cautious when it comes to drones. Alejandro Ocon CasalThe senior sergeant of the 73rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment does not deny that these aircraft have great operating capability and a very low cost: “They vary greatly depending on the mission they are assigned. Surveillance, intelligence and information…the most common are female suicide bombers, who can destroy a tank for just 200 euros. However, he doesn’t think it’s the ultimate weapon. “They can be eliminated by systems such as cervixwhich has the ability to prevent, disable or take down the threat. It is also possible to kill them using 35/90 guns OerlikonOr missiles or electronic warfare. But you have to be careful: you can’t waste an expensive projectile on a drone that costs a few euros.”
The issue is far from resolved, but there is something that Bernard made very clear: “Despite the spread of artificial intelligence, the spread of drones and large robots, I am convinced that humans will not completely disappear from the decision-making process or the implementation of plans. “I don’t think anyone wants to entrust the entire dimension of war to automated systems,” he says. For the Frenchman, this statement can also be applied to the Air Force. “Machines will not replace the pilot; “There will always be one in the future, although their function is likely to change profoundly in the coming decades,” he concludes. Meanwhile, we will continue to see how the noble art of martial arts evolves.