Battle of Lake Trasimene

The Battle of Lake Trasimene (June 24, 217 BC) was a Roman defeat in the Second Punic War between the Carthaginians under Hannibal and the Romans under the consul Gaius Flaminius. The battle is one of the largest and most successful ambushes in military history.

As Hannibal passed Lake Trasimene, he came to a place very suitable for an ambush, and hearing that Flaminius had broken camp and was pursuing him, made preparations for the impending battle. To the north was a series of heavily forested hills where the Malpasso Road passed along the north side of Lake Trasimene. Along the hill-bordered skirts of the lake, Hannibal camped where he was in full view of anyone entering the northern defile, and spent the night arranging his troops for battle.

The next morning, the Roman troops marched eastward along the road running near the northern edge of the lake. Eager for battle, Flaminius pushed his men hard and hurried up the column in the rear. Hannibal then sent a small skirmish force to draw the vanguard away from the front of the line, in order to split the Roman forces. Once all the Romans had at last marched through the foggy, narrow defile and entered the plains skirting the lake, trumpets were blown, signalling the general attack.

The Carthaginian cavalry and infantry swept down from their concealed positions in the surrounding hills, blocked the road and engaged the unsuspecting Romans from three sides. Surprised and outmanoeuvred, the Romans did not have time to draw up in battle array, and were forced to fight a desperate hand-to-hand battle in open order. The Romans were quickly split into three parts. The westernmost was attacked by the Carthaginian cavalry and forced into the lake, leaving the other two groups with no way to retreat. The centre, including the consul Flaminius, stood its ground, but was cut down by Hannibal's Gauls after three hours of heavy combat.

In less than four hours, the Roman army of 30,000 men was annihilated.

Hannibal, emerging from another brilliant victory, had successfully planned and executed the greatest ambush in history. News of the defeat caused a panic in Rome. Hannibal was left largely free to ravage the Apulia region for the next year, until the Battle of Cannae, the worst defeat the Romans would suffer throughout the Second Punic War.