Chapter 3 - Operation Beachhead

The Greeks can't just land on the Trojan beach. Since the Trojans would have been warned by signal fires, the Greeks had to fight to win a spot. First, though, they had to land in the right spot, which they didn't on their first try. Hector struck the first blow. Strauss takes this opportunity to say that Hector was a great warrior, but a mediocre husband who shrugged his shoulders at the thought of the fate of Andromache if he aggressively pursued glory. He needed to prove himself. Hector leads the Trojan allies, the European Thracians and Macedonians, as well as the members of the Troad and other regions of Anatolia. Based on surviving material about ancient Egypt, Strauss deduces that the armies were in units of 5,000 men divisions. The smallest group was the squad of 10, which was grouped into platoons of 5 squads, companies of 5 platoons, and hosts of 2 or more companies. The Iliad mentions comparable figures. Shardana troops in Egyptian carved reliefs were foreign fighters in the Egyptian army, who fought with swords and spears at close range. Strauss says the Greeks fought like the Shardana and although not Shardana, did indeed fight in the Egyptian army. The Greeks had only a limited number of chariots, while the Trojans had many. "The chariot was part tank, pat jeep, and part armored personnel carrier." After Achilles heads into the Trojan territory and kills Cycnus, son of Poseidon, the landing of the Greeks is assured.