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Old 07-11-2003, 09:38 AM   #16
Finwe
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Gondor knew that she couldn't face Sauron in open battle, because that would be just folly. Sauron had the advantage of numbers. But Gondor had one thing that Sauron didn't, men who were willing to fight 'til the end in the defense of their homes and their country. No matter how frightened the Orcs were of Sauron, they could not fight like that.

Guerilla warfare has worked throughout history, when open warfare has failed. Look at Alexander the Great's campaigns. When crossing over the mountains in Persia, good ol' Alex had the presence of mind to send ahead sorties to annoy the Persian army. After a while, the leaders and the soldiers just get so annoyed and harried that they end up making a stupid mistake. Then, the main part of Alexander's army can swoop in and decimate the really annoyed soldiers. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Another reason that the Raids into Ithilien were such a good idea is that you don't need a lot of men to do it. You can divide up your main fighting force into sectors, and while one sector is out there harrying, the others are preparing to fight. And then, they rotate. One of the more rested sectors goes into the fray, and the tired one falls back. That way, you get a nearly non-stop attacking force. Since the Gondorians knew Ithilien like the back of their hand, they could make a small force seem like a much larger force by moving around and using the land. I personally think it was one of Gondor's best strategies to keep up morale and to keep harrying the Orcs.
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But Melkor also was there, and he came to the house of Fëanor, and there he slew Finwë King of the Noldor before his doors, and spilled the first blood in the Blessed Realm; for Finwë alone had not fled from the horror of the Dark.
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