Mongols: Doctrine, Strategies And Tactics

As a military force, the Mongols were excellent fighters, renowned for their conquests throughout Asia and eastern Europe. Their overwhelming strength came from a combination of tactics and weaponry, allowing for swift and decisive victories as they expanded their territory across the continent. While most armies across the continent set up as soldiers around a small force of knights, the Mongols troops functioned as highly effective units, relying on a series of battlefield commands relayed by “drums, gongs, banners, and whistling arrows to direct them” (“Mongol: Doctrine, Strategies, and Tactics”). They would open with their infamous barrage of arrows, shot into the sky to arc over and land on their enemies. This key tactic was well-suited

to battlefields, this allowed the leaders to see and analyze the reactions of the enemy troops without wiping them out. (“Mongol: Doctrine, Strategies, and Tactics”). While they also fought in close combat, the volley of arrows was the preferred fighting style of the Mongols due to the devastating effectiveness of ranged attacks and also to continuously monitor the movements of the enemy and how their commanders would direct them. This in turn helped the Mongols select their next tactic, such as riding out to envelope the sides of the enemy or coming closer for an even more powerful barrage.
Mongolian warriors all served as cavalry on the battlefield. Composed of a balance of light and heavy mounted units, and split about 60-40 between the two, the Mongols wore away at their “enemies with arrows before charging in for close fighting” (“Mongol: Doctrine, Strategies, and Tactics”). The incredible speed of their mounts was well-utilized by the Khans in their strategies, making quick hit-and-run strikes before swiftly fleeing. There trained speed was more than “most enemies could hope to match, especially over a distance,” as stated in the article "All the Khan's Horses" (Rossabi 2). Mounted combat was an integral part of their strategies as they could both keep their enemies at a distance with bows and move swiftly to close combat. A common maneuver was the mangutai, where “horsemen would harass the frontlines to provoke a charge before riding away and firing arrows” behind them, a technique that came to be known as the famous “Parthian Shot” (“Mongol: Doctrine, Strategies, and Tactics”).