Ruse de guerre facts for kids

A ruse of war is a clever trick used in military situations to fool an enemy. The French term for this is ruse de guerre. It's all about deceiving your opponent using smart, unusual methods, or by having secret knowledge. Another word for this is stratagem.

Ruses of war have been used throughout history, from ancient stories like the Trojan Horse to more recent events. For example, in 1915, the British ship RMS Lusitania flew the American flag to try and avoid German submarine attacks. Ruses also appear in many fictional stories.

The term ruse de guerre also has a special meaning in the rules of war. These rules say that while you must act fairly, many types of tricks are allowed. These include ambushes, sending fake radio messages, using spies, and even using fake guns. These tricks are fine as long as they don't involve being truly disloyal or betraying trust. However, some things are forbidden, like using a flag of truce or enemy military symbols in the wrong way.

Clever Tricks from History

Ancient War Strategies

The Trojan Horse

In the famous story from the Iliad, the Greeks were fighting the city of Troy for ten years. They pretended to give up and sail away, leaving a giant wooden horse behind. The people of Troy thought it was a gift and pulled it inside their city walls. But Greek soldiers were hiding inside the hollow horse! That night, they came out and opened the city gates. This allowed the waiting Greek army to enter Troy and win the war.

Hannibal's Ship Trick

Before a naval battle, the general Hannibal wanted to find King Eumenes II's ship. He sent a messenger to Eumenes. This was a trick to locate the king's ship. Once he knew where it was, Hannibal could focus his attack on it.

Alexander the Great's River Crossing

Alexander the Great once tricked his enemy, Porus, during a battle. Alexander had his soldiers march up and down a river repeatedly. This made Porus think Alexander's whole army was just looking for a place to cross. Then, under the cover of night, Alexander secretly moved some of his men upriver. They crossed the Indus River while the rest of his army marched south as usual. This trick hid his troops' real location and helped Alexander win the Battle of Hydaspes in 326 BC.

Zhuge Liang's Empty Fort

In a story from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang used a trick called the Empty Fort Strategy. His army was much smaller than the enemy's. Zhuge Liang sat calmly on the city walls, playing his instrument. This made the enemy general, Sima Yi, think that Zhuge Liang had hidden troops nearby for an ambush. Sima Yi's army retreated, and Zhuge Liang was able to escape quickly.

Modern War Strategies

The Siege of Detroit

During the War of 1812, a smaller British and First Nations force faced a larger American army at Detroit. Their leaders, Major-General Isaac Brock and Shawnee leader Tecumseh, used clever tricks. They made the American general, William Hull, believe there were many more First Nations warriors than there actually were. Brock also sent misleading letters to fall into American hands.

To make the trick even better, Tecumseh had his men march three times through an opening in the woods. This made it look like a huge force was gathering. Brock also dressed some of his Canadian militia as British soldiers and told his men to light many small fires instead of a few large ones. All these tricks made the American general surrender the fort and the town.

Battle of Chateauguay

Another trick in the War of 1812 happened at the Battle of Chateauguay. The Canadian soldiers were outnumbered. When they were pushed back, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles de Salaberry ordered bugle calls, cheers, and war cries. This made the American soldiers think they were about to be surrounded by a much larger force. Fearing this, the American general called off his attack and retreated.

The Lusitania and the American Flag

During the First World War, the British passenger ship Lusitania flew the American flag while sailing through the Irish Sea. This was done to try and avoid attacks from German submarines. At the time, the United States was a neutral country. Some people in the U.S. government criticized this, saying it was wrong to use the national flag in such a trick.

Disguised Ships

In both the First and Second World Wars, ships used disguises.

• The German cruiser Emden added a fake fourth funnel to look like a British cruiser, which usually had four funnels.
• Q-ships were merchant ships that looked ordinary but had hidden weapons. They were designed to trick submarines into coming to the surface, then attack them.
• The Japanese battleship Asahi was fitted with fake wooden gun turrets to make it look like an old battleship.
• The British ship HMS Abdiel pretended to be two battleships by sending fake radio messages.

The St. Nazaire Raid

During the Second World War, British commandos attacked a dock in Saint Nazaire. They used several tricks as they sailed up the river. They flew German flags and gave misleading answers in German when challenged. These tricks bought them time. When the Germans realized what was happening, the British ships lowered their German flags, raised their own, and began fighting.

Otto Skorzeny's Uniform Trick

During the Battle of the Bulge, German commando Otto Skorzeny and his troops wore American uniforms. They did this to sneak behind American lines. Skorzeny later said that experts told him wearing enemy uniforms was a fair trick, as long as his troops changed back into German uniforms before firing their weapons. He was later found not guilty by a U.S. military court.

Rules for War Tricks

Fair Play in War

The rules of war say that countries must act fairly with their enemies. However, this doesn't stop them from using spies, encouraging people to switch sides, or trying to get enemy soldiers to give up. Basically, a country can use tricks to confuse or mislead the enemy, as long as the enemy could have protected themselves against such tricks.

Allowed Tricks

Many types of tricks are allowed in war:

• Surprise attacks, ambushes, or pretending to attack, retreat, or run away.
• Acting quiet and still to make the enemy feel safe.
• Using a small group of soldiers to make it look like a large army.
• Sending fake or confusing radio messages.
• Tricking the enemy with fake orders that seem to come from their own commander.
• Using the enemy's secret signals or passwords.
• Pretending to talk to soldiers or help that don't exist.
• Moving supplies in a way that makes the enemy think you're preparing for something else.
• Purposefully giving out false information.
• Using spies.
• Moving landmarks to confuse the enemy in unfamiliar places.
• Setting up fake guns, vehicles, or even fake mines.
• Building fake bases or airfields to scare the enemy or make them attack the wrong place.
• Removing unit names from uniforms (but not symbols that show who you are during a fight).
• Using psychological warfare (tricks to affect the enemy's minds).
• Disguising a warship to look like a neutral merchant ship or an enemy merchant ship. This is allowed as long as the warship raises its own flag before firing its guns. This was called sailing under false colors.
• Disguising a warship to look like an enemy warship. This is also allowed if the warship raises its own flag before firing.

Forbidden Tricks

Some tricks are not allowed because they involve being truly disloyal or breaking trust. These are called "perfidy."

• It's forbidden to kill or hurt someone by trickery.
• It's forbidden to improperly use a flag of truce, a country's flag, or enemy military uniforms and symbols.
• It's forbidden to use the special symbols of the Geneva Convention (like the Red Cross) in the wrong way.

It can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between a fair trick and a forbidden act of disloyalty. Generally, it's wrong to gain an advantage by lying or misleading when you have a moral duty to be truthful. For example, it's not allowed to pretend to surrender just to gain an advantage.

It's also forbidden to tell the enemy that a peace agreement has been made if it hasn't. Using the protection given to medical staff (like dressing combat soldiers as medics or putting a red cross on a combat vehicle) is also not allowed.

See also

In Spanish: Estratagema para niños