Fin vs History Napoleonic Warfare is Rock Paper Scissors | Austerlitz & The Peninsular War (Part 6/10)
Sep 17, 2026
Napoleon’s armies turn battlefield tactics into a deadly game of rock, paper, scissors at Ulm and Austerlitz. His quest for an heir collides with imperial ambition, while the Continental System sparks disaster in Portugal and Spain. Wellington arrives, guerrillas rise, and John Moore’s brutal retreat to Corunna sets the stage for the long road to Russia.
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Napoleonic Warfare Works Like Rock Paper Scissors
- Napoleonic land warfare becomes understandable as a rock-paper-scissors system involving cavalry, artillery, and infantry.
- Cavalry overwhelms infantry in line, squares repel cavalry, and artillery devastates tightly packed squares; combined arms exploit those reactions.
Napoleon Won Ulm Through Operational Speed
- Napoleon’s speed let him defeat coalitions before their armies could coordinate, rather than merely overpowering them in direct combat.
- At Ulm, he encircled an Austrian field army that expected him to remain far away and forced its surrender with minimal fighting.
Russia Arrived Twelve Days Out Of Date
- The Russian army arrived later than the Austrians expected because Russia used a different calendar.
- The twelve-day discrepancy helped Napoleon isolate Austria before its coalition partners could provide support.