Complex sentence: Honda commanded a rank of musketeers as the combined Oda/Tokugawa forces annihilated Takeda Katsuyori's army, partly thanks to the skillful use of ranked muskets, firing in cycling volleys-the first example of this highly-effective tactic that the world had seen.
Split into simpler sentences: Honda commanded a rank of musketeers as the combined Oda/Tokugawa forces annihilated Takeda Katsuyori's army, partly thanks to the skillful use of ranked muskets, as they fired in cycling volleys. This was the first example of this highly-effective tactic that the world had seen.