300th anniversary of de Vauban's death

This year is the 300th anniversary of the death of the French military engineer Sebastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban (1633-1707), who was one the most esteemed of King Louis XIV's subjects. He was bestowed the rank and title of Le Maréchal de Vauban by the king in 1703, in recognition of his more than 50 years of tireless service to king and country.

In an era when the siege dominated military affairs, Vauban, as a soldier and a military engineer, had no equal in the art of attacking and defending fortified places. During peace and war, he was busy designing and building new fortresses and strengthening existing ones thus guaranteeing his place as one of the leading military geniuses of his age.

Vauban wrote dozens of treatises on all manner of subjects. His influence on history might be described as considerable. But his impact on warfare was enormous, and not just in his lifetime. He directed 47 sieges during the many campaigns that shaped France's emerging frontiers under Louis XIV.

Vauban's Méthode for the attack on a fortified place remained influential a hundred years or more after his death. He is to be acknowledged for many inventions and innovations, among which was the design of the first socket bayonet that fitted around rather than inside the muzzle of the soldier's firearm, as the old 'plug bayonet' had done.

The result enhanced personal protection without losing the offensive capability of the firearm. It was Vauban too who encouraged the French Army to adopt the new flintlock musket in preference to the less efficient matchlock.

Although Malta's network of fortifications varied in design during the 16th and 17th centuries, those of the 18th century know their design to the treatises by Vauban. The Order's resident engineers followed his concepts in the building of these long lines of fortifications that, even years later, Napoleon had exclaimed that, without help from the inside, these strong walls would not have been easily conquered, if at all.

We have been hearing of many local commemorations and exhibitions in honour of many great names and geniuses of the past, but as far as I know, Le Maréchal de Vauban was not among them. I stand to be corrected.