#someone who actually comprehends the strategies underpinning the siege!!!

[anghraine]

I honestly don't remember who I saw the link from, but I just found Bret Devereaux's analysis of the Siege of Gondor in the LOTR films and the book (the part most relevant to my Stewardist interests is here, but I read the whole thing once I started!). I don't agree with all his interpretations on the literary level, but they're generally defensible and the military analysis is fascinating.

An excerpt:

In contrast to the film, the book shows Faramir and Denethor’s handling of the battle as nothing short of a masterful execution of defense in depth. At each stage, the army of Mordor is forced to sustain casualties and disorder to surmount one set of defenses, only to be presented with fresh defenses and troops. At the end of it, Denethor’s sortie shatters Mordor’s vanguard and buys the escape of Faramir’s force. Thus for all of their pains and delays, the Army of Mordor faces a Minas Tirith fully defended, having lost the chance to destroy a good part of the army of Gondor in the field.