Hannibal knew he could never win a war of attrition against Rome. Rome had endless manpower; Carthage had mercenaries. He had to win by fighting differently.
Click on each unit to learn their role in asymmetric warfare
Select a unit on the map to learn about their role in Hannibal's coalition army
Hannibal's genius was in leveraging qualitative superiority against quantitative superiority. He utilized the unique skills of his multi-ethnic army—the horsemanship of Numidians, the range of Balearic slingers, the ferocity of Gauls—combining them into a system that was greater than the sum of its parts.
Using elephants to terrorize raw recruits, starting battles at dawn to blind the enemy with the sun, utilizing fog for ambushes.
Crossing the Alps in winter was considered suicidal. Because it was impossible, the Romans didn't guard against it.
Each unit in his army had a specific role. When combined, they created synergies that made 50,000 men fight like 100,000.
Rome's strength was heavy infantry. Hannibal's cavalry superiority let him dominate the flanks while his center absorbed the Roman charge.
"Hannibal won every battle for 15 years, yet still lost the war. Asymmetric advantage is tactical, not strategic."