Hannibal’s Perfect Trap at Cannae

At the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC, Hannibal Barca achieved the impossible against the largest army

Rome had ever fielded. He turned his army's weakness into a weapon to annihilate them.

Hannibal’s plan was pure genius. He placed his weakest troops in a bulging crescent at his

center. As the massive Roman infantry pushed forward, the line bent inward,

luring the legions deep into a pocket. They thought they were winning; in reality,

they were diving headfirst into a kill box. Then, the trap sprung.

Hannibal’s elite infantry, held in reserve, wheeled inward and slammed into the

Romans' exposed flanks. His superior cavalry charged their rear, sealing the encirclement.