Strategy in SnK: Marley’s Weakness plays to SC’s strength
The first clash between Paradis and Marley from chapter 101-3 has brilliantly illustrated the military strategy, strength as well as weakness from both sides.
Marley, being the dominant world power, relies heavily on Titan technology. And from the beginning of the Marley arc their strategy includes overwhelming their enemies with brute military force. We see it again in the Paradis-Marley clash when Margath mobilises vast military resources to tighten the noose and close the escape route of just a few enemies.
However, in chapter 103 their weakness really shows. Having been used to dominating the battlefield, underestimates the enemies’ strategy (which I’ll explore a bit later) and never formed a coherent strategy around how to deal with them.
We see sending battleships to Paradis island. How many? 37? You think you’d start revising notes when 5 or 6 didn’t make it back. We see them planning to get back to Paradis for one last showdown. But the strategy, objective, entry, exit of the operation were all up for grasps. In fact, this is exactly the same mistakes as the Warrior mission in 845. The plan was pretty much ‘send a bunch of kids to retrieve the Founding Titan’. How? Well, it’s up to them to improvise, isn’t it?!
They had four years. Four years before they focused on the threat of Paradis island. Yes, it was because they had had a bigger war on their hands. But it did not change the fact that in this clash they were very ill-prepared strategy-wise. And let’s not forget that they knew they had been infiltrated and still didn’t come up with a proper strategy. Or at least, it hasn’t been revealed yet. But if there is, it does not seem to be working. For someone who knows there are spies, Margath is awfully lax with keeping watch of his Warriors.
Pieck and Porco’s conversation shows how the Warriors could not unify behind a single strategy.
Also, having been used to dominating the battlefield with their Titan power, they become paralysed and distracted when they see a comrade fall.
They became overwhelmed with shock - How could this happen? How could the mighty Ttitan shifters have fallen? - and couldn’t recover. Had they chosen to focus on changing their strategy or re-evaluating their situation, they wouldn’t leave themselves in vulnerable state for the enemies to exploit.
Porco even broke rank, when it was clear that had he stayed he could’ve protected the Cart Titan. Both of them let their emotions get the better of them.
Even smart, calm-headed Pieck was no exception.
This is exactly the opposite of the Survey Corps (the veterans at least) who couldn’t afford to let grief cloud their judgements because the stakes is always against them, had always chosen to put the survival of their cause and the realisation of their objectives first. There would be a time for mourning dead comrades later.
So while the Warriors were distracted and confused Jean and Sasha took their opportunity.
They immobilised the Pantzer unit. Didn’t bother themselves with hitting the armour, they targeted the unit’s weakness: humans behind the dangerous machine guns. Putting themselves in front of the enemy. Targeting their weakness.
The result drives further panic into the already confused the Pantzer unit.
Then the SC targeted the Cart Titans limbs to neutralised its mobility.
… and up until the last moment Pieck’s last thoughts still were
Let’s be clear. The SC is the disadvantaged party from the start, but is that any news? just the fact that they have come this far is brilliant testament to their formidable battle prowess and strategy. They were able to predict to which places their enemy would mobilise their forces, and sent Armin there. I think it was clear in hindsight that the Colossal Titan wouldn’t drop from the sky, since Sasha spared Gabi and there wouldn’t be any point in doing that if they just decided to wipe out the entire area. Which would be bad for the exposed Corps members too.
Now we’ll just consider the Paradis/Survey Corps forces briefly since everyone is familiar with them.
They have always been at a disadvantage. Disadvantage in numbers, compared to the other two military branches. Disadvantage against the Titans. Disadvantaged in financial sponsorship. Disadvantaged in public support. Hanji said it herself, in a particularly memorable moment in the Uprising, that the Survey Corps’s record has always been full of failures.
But how does this shape their strategy? Well, it has led them to:
1. Rely on small, but highly efficient and mobile groups of people. Which leads them to…
2. Rely on widespread signalling to communicate their intentions and positions.
3. Achieve the objective regardless of the means. If it means putting your body in the fire, you do it. If it means watching countless precious comrades die, you do it. Regardless of the situation, always remember the objective.
4. Follow an absolute chain of command. When there is chaos during expeditions, you don’t always know what is going on, so you have to trust your leader has the big picture.
5. Absolute teamwork and trust. Whether against discrimination or danger beyond the walls, SC members have no one to rely on except teammates.
6. Exploit your opponent’s weakness to your advantage, while play to maximise your own strength.
6. Disguise and espionage. When the public is out to get you, it’s better to blend in. Use whatever tools you have available.
7. Improvisation. Keep a calm head and analyse the situation. Thing won’t always go according to plan. There may be lags in the chain of command. Strategy may change, but the objective does not. When you see the first window of opportunity, strike.
See if you can spot how many of these strategies have the SC used during the Paradis-Marley clash.
In this battle, they understand that they have an advantage playing a guerrilla warfare rather than a match of firepower. And what a team they make. Over 100 years of battling against the Titans have made them specialised Titan killers. They have ‘evolved’ their equipment to afford max mobility and efficiency against Titans. Against a predatory force, their ranks have gone through many trials of ‘natural selection’, if you will, to become exactly suited for the purpose of killing Titans and managing the ensuing chaos. Considering how heavily Marley’s very strength relies on the Titans, I think there is a reason to be very afraid.
Marley has been fighting the wrong war. Instead of their enemy from the other nations of the world, their greatest threat has always been Paradis island, ever since Paradis was armed with the truth. Ever since the SC decided to leave the island. It is far from clear who will emerge victorious in this fight, because the SC’s application of strategy has only at most even the battlefield. Marley still undoubtedly has their home turf advantage, and superior military resources.
But despite the awesome last page of chap. 102 aka double panel of the two opposing forces, from chapter 103 it is clear whose rank is more unified, which side has the clearer goal.
Disclaimer: This is not a post to glorify war, or the loss of human life. Just an analysis of the strategies used in this battle. Tootles.
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