Rise of the Roman Empire (Episode 15): Second Punic War 217-215 BC
Battle of Hebrew (216 BC)
At the end of 216 BC, Publius CPO went as far as the Rone River to deal with Hannibal. Hearing of Hannibal on his way to Italy, he returned to Italy with 25,000 troops under his brother Genius Cornelius CPO. Cornelius CPO landed at the Emporium in Mesalia on the Rhone River in 216 BC. He occupied many of the surrounding Spanish territories by force or by alliance.He defeated and captured Hanoi, the Carthaginian commander in charge of the area.
On the arrival of the CPO, General Hasdrubal of Spain sat motionless. He advanced with 6,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry. But when winter came, he encamped south of the river Ebro.When the winter was over, Hasdrubal planned to strike the CPO together on land and water. He landed and a fleet of 40 ships under Hamilker sailed along the Ibro River. The CPO did not attack Hasdrubal. He jumped on the Hamilker with 35 of his ships. About thirty Carthaginian ships were destroyed and the Roman army won. Hasdrubal could do nothing from the shore.
After this war, the Senate reconsidered the importance of Spain. They realize that in order to defeat Hannibal, they must destroy his stronghold in Spain. So more Roman troops arrived in Spain under the Publius CPO.
*Battle of Kannada (216 BC)
Varo and Paul gathered a large force of about 60,000 infantry and 8,000 cavalry. When Hannibal left her winter quarters in early spring, they attacked Carthage's isolated small army, disrupting their food supplies.
Hannibal encamped in the desert near Kann, a small village in Apulia, to fight the Romans.The consuls confronted Hannibal, telling him to go to the Gaul region to give Albinas some troops. The Roman infantry numbered about eighty thousand, almost twice the number of Carthage's infantry. But 10,000 Carthaginian warriors on horseback are more than Roman cavalry. The plains of Kannada were extremely favorable for the skilled cavalry of Carthage.
Hannibal arranged the cavalry on two arms, and placed the infantry in the middle.
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His intention was that when the Roman forces hit, the middle part of his party would move slowly backwards and the infantry would move towards the cavalry on both sides. As a result, the Roman army would enter the empty space. Then Hannibal's cavalry would be crushed on both sides, and the Roman army would be surrounded. He led Hasdrubal in the left arm and Hano in the right arm, Maharbal in the controversy, and himself and Mago remained in the middle.
Hannibal's strategy succeeded in a way he might not have imagined. When Roman infantry struck in the middle of Carthage's army, they retreated and pushed the Romans deeper. Hannibal's cavalry, meanwhile, defeated the Roman cavalry and attacked the Roman infantry from both sides. Surrounded from all sides, the Roman army began to shrink.In addition to Consul Paulus, former Consul Regulus and Cervilius, Mussinius, as many as eighty Roman senators were killed. About 45,000 infantry and 2,600 cavalry were killed, and 5,000-7,000 were taken prisoner. 5,000-6,000 fighters were killed for Carthage. Very few Roman soldiers were able to escape with their lives. This defeat was one of the most tragic defeats in the history of Rome.