Battle of Lake Trasimene, 217 BC

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Hannibal Barca versus Gaius Flaminius: A Carthaginian army under Hannibal Barca lies in wait to ambush a Roman army under Flaminius. If the Roman army is pinned against the lake, will it fight more fiercely and repel the Carthaginians? Click on the image below to view. Also known as the Battle of Lake Trasimeno.

This is the second of a few Roman armies to be annihilated by Hannibal in the Second Punic War, each of them destroyed by flashy tactical maneuvers. Any historian knows that the victories were hollow for Hannibal did not win the war, outgeneraled strategically.

This battle was a perfectly executed ambush; Hannibal was able to take note of the daily mist from the lake and use it to completely surprise Flaminius. Even Roman legionnaires panicked in this situation and were slaughtered by the sudden striking power of the Carthaginian combined arms attack. The site Hannibal chose for the ambush ensured that if successful, the Roman army would be pinned against the lake and annihilated.

This is the second battle of Hannibal’s three-battle spotlight and is obviously the next logical tactical masterpiece of his to be animated. Unfortunately, the next logical tactical masterpiece, Cannae, has already been animated and can be viewed here.

- Jonathan Webb

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Tags: 200s BC, ambush, Ancient Era, carthage, Carthaginians, cavalry, envelopment of both flanks, feigned retreat, Gaius Flaminius, Hannibal Barca, infantry, land, modern day Italy, Roman Empire, Romans, Season 4, second punic war, Southern Europe