Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. Was frequent bathing for personal hygiene in medieval Europe common or not? Myers writes that "maneuver is more a philosophical approach to campaign design and execution than an arrangement of tactical engagements". Skirmishers are light infantry or cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard, or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. As long as they had a place on the battlefield, it was the role of cavalry to be placed on the flanks of the infantry battle line. The risks of a frontal assault can be mitigated by the use of heavy supporting fire, diversionary attacks, the use of cover, or infiltration tactics. It is stated that Napoleon would see his equipment being gained through provisional control of the armories of France allowing the weapons' direct control by government. Ideally he would use the terrain to hide the turning movement. Closer examination, however, reveals that the view is not universally held, and many military doctrines and cultures are based on replete historical examples of maneuver warfare. To guard against that, the infantry subunits were trained to be able to form squares rapidly that gave the cavalry no weak flank to attack. The most effective form of flanking maneuver is the double envelopment, which involves simultaneous flank attacks on both sides of the enemy. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. [2]. Its primary focus is denial, deception, and surprise. Historical examples of flanking maneuvers; User:Llywrch/Battle of Cannae; Usage on fi.wikipedia.org Cannaen taistelu; Usage on he.wikipedia.org שיחת משתמש:Yonatan; Usage on hy.wikipedia.org Կաննեի ճակատամարտ; Usage on it.wikipedia.org Progetto:Laboratorio grafico/Immagini da migliorare/Archivio risolte/26 Units friendly to the ambushing unit may be hidden to the sides of the ambush site to surround the enemy, but care must be taken in setting up fields of fire to avoid friendly fire. The tactic was employed at Stalingrad in … Please report examples to be edited or not to be displayed. Tactics should be distinguished from military strategy, which is concerned with the overall means and plan for achieving a long-term outcome, and operational art, an intermediate level in which the aim is to convert the strategy into tactics. Flanking maneuver Maneuver warfare Encirclement Battle of Cannae Battle of Marathon. By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Armored vehicles such as tanks replaced cavalry as the main force of flanking maneuvers in the 20th century, as seen in the Battle of France in World War II. "Flanking" redirects here. The Battle of Wagram was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon I's French and allied army against the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles of Austria-Teschen. The most effective form of flanking maneuver is the double envelopment, which involves simultaneous flank attacks on both sides of the enemy. The maneuver warfare tactic has been used throughout history. This happened so often.. The threat of flanking has been existent since the dawn of warfare and the art of being a commander entailed the choice of terrain to allow flanking attacks or prevent them. It should directly contain very few, if any, pages and should mainly contain subcategories. rev 2020.12.18.38240, The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, History Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us. Military strategy deals with the planning and conduct of campaigns, the movement and disposition of forces, and the deception of the enemy. Theoretically, a single well-armed and concealed soldier could ambush other troops in a surprise attack. Robert E. Lee used the tactic at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. The most effective form of flanking maneuver is the double envelopment, which involves simultaneous flank attacks on both sides of the enemy. Which part of the world? Battle of Indus, Battle of Legnica, Battle of Samara Bend, etc... Flanking may be a tactical maneuver; given the quality of pre-modern battlefield reporting, it may not have been recorded. Our community welcomes everyone from around the world to discuss world history, historical periods, and themes in history - military history, archaeology, arts and culture, and history in books and movies. For example, the fear of being strategically flanked by the other in The Great Game between the British and the Russian Empires led to the expansion of both of them into China and the British eastwards into South-East Asia. Maneuver is about the ability to use flexible combat power. Accidental fire not intended to attack the enemy, and deliberate firing on one's own troops for disciplinary reasons, is not called friendly fire; nor is unintentional harm to civilians or structures, which is sometimes referred to as collateral damage. Therefore, to circumvent a force's front and attack a flank is to concentrate offense in the area where the enemy is least able to concentrate defense. It is one of three types of fire support, which is defined by NATO as "the application of fire, coordinated with the maneuver of forces, to destroy, neutralize or suppress the enemy. In contemporary military science, tactics are the lowest of three levels of warfighting, the higher levels being the strategic and operational levels. An ambush is a long-established military tactic in which combatants take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops. Hannibal Barca was a general and statesman from Ancient Carthage who is widely considered one of the greatest military commanders in history. Must the Vice President preside over the counting of the Electoral College votes? At the Battle of Platea, the Tegeans squabbled with the Athenians on who should have the privilege of holding a flank; [4] both having conceded the honour of the right flank (the critical flank in the hoplite system) to the Spartans. This refers to the general common broad maneuvre types used in … The third and last section of Maneuver Warfare: An Anthology consists of eight case studies of maneuver warfare. Battle of Altenkirchen (345 words) exact match in snippet view article find links to article Frederick Augustus of Württemberg. Did a forged seal ever seriously compromise a political or military operation? That prudence was used in the manifestation of the oblique order in which one wing was massively reinforced, creating a local superiority in numbers that could obliterate that part of the enemy line that it was sent against. If time and circumstances allowed, field fortifications could be created or expanded to protect the flanks, as the Allied forces did with the hamlet of Papelotte and the farmhouse of Hougoumont on the left and right flanks at the Battle of Waterloo. Where have you looked already? Maneuver warfare is a war tactic that focuses on catching the enemy by surprise, making it impossible to organize a defense or seek out reinforcements. When the terrain favored neither side, it was down to the disposition of forces in the battle line to prevent flanking attacks. Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/TheHossUSMC/107385756065898?fref=ts Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/thehossusmc Website http://thehossusmc.com/ Hungarians started to win the battle against Batu, but once Subutai forces arrived from the side, panic in hungarian army forcing them to retreat to the camp. This is indicative of the effect of the flanking attack over superior forces. The following examples are merely intended to show the use of different types of units during combined maneuvers. The flanking maneuver is a basic military tactic, with several variations. The role of the infantry on the battlefield is, typically, to close with and engage the enemy, and hold territorial objectives; infantry tactics are the means by which this is achieved. I am shocked you can't find any examples of it.. Look up nearly every mongol battle during that time period and you will find examples of flanking attacks. Deception operations have been employed in warfare throughout history, with the earliest mentions being in works like Virgil’s Aeneid describing the Trojan Horse during the Trojan War. In the Roman chequer board formation, readopted by Renaissance militaries, each of the units in the front line could be thought of as having two lines of units echeloned behind it. Shock troops or assault troops are formations created to lead an attack. Longer titles found: Historical examples of flanking maneuvers searching for Flanking maneuver 132 found (198 total) alternate case: flanking maneuver. It was an important Serbian victory over the Ottoman army in the Kosovo Vilayet, shortly after the outbreak of the war. reserve of mounted troops fell upon the French left flank and rear. The Battle of Marathon, an example of the double-envelopment, a form of flanking maneuver. The Roman formation stretches over a mile from flank-to-flank. maneuvers his main effort around or over the enemy's defenses to strike at his flanks and rear. Thank you for your feedback. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Service. Although not strictly impassable, woods, forests, rivers, broken, and marshy ground can also be used to anchor a flank: Henry V at Agincourt. The main article for this category is Military tactics. Why might an area of land be so hot that it smokes? Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Flanking an enemy means attacking from one or more sides, at an angle to the enemy's direction of engagement. Military tactics are the collective name for methods used by units up to a division in strength in engaging and defeating an enemy in combat. One type is employed in an ambush, where a friendly unit performs a surprise attack from a concealed position. Also, there should be an added section for examples from the Civil War; arguably the most famous flank attack in history was Jackson's flanking march and then attack late in the afternoon of May 2, 1863 at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, is recognized as one of the greatest commanders in military history. It has been used by numerous successful generals. Retrieved 22 March 2015 from, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Historical examples of flanking maneuvers, http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/adrp3_90.pdf. One of Napoleon I of France's favorite tactics was the "Strategy of Indirect Approach" or the turning movement. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. He has a supply route coming a small city called Cannae. Flanking on land in the pre-modern era was usually achieved with cavalry (and rarely, chariots) due to their speed and maneuverability, while heavily armored infantry was commonly used to fix the enemy, as in the Battle of Pharsalus. In the past decade the maneuver – attrition debate has forced the Marine Corps to examine and reevaluate some of its doctrinal concepts. The Seven Classic Maneuvres of war — a term coined by historian D.Chandler. In theory a cascade of such engagements could occur all along the line for as many units as there were in echelon. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest in history and perhaps the first for large-scale, close combat example of urban warfare. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Naturally his troops did like wise. Soldiers take the initiative to identify enemy weak points and choose their own routes, targets, moments and methods of attack; this requires a high degree of skill and training, and can be supplemented by special equipment and weaponry to give them more local combat options. In the late Medieval (1356) period The Battle of Poitiers during the hundred years war is an example of effective flanking. To be able to manoeuvre, it was necessary to introduce intervals between units and these intervals could be used to flank individual units in the battle line by fast acting-units such as cavalry. They are not selected or validated by us and can contain inappropriate terms or ideas. Often an opposing force must be maneuvered into a position where a flanking attack would work. Can your Hexblade patron be your pact weapon even though it's sentient? 1 Advantages 2 Risks 3 Measures for Protection against Flank Maneuver 4 Battles won by using flanking maneuvers Some of the possibilities offered by flank movement are: avoid the enemy's main defenses. These forms of maneuver include envelop­ ment, the turning movement, infiltration, penetration, and frontal attack. The long march paid off, and Jackson’s attack took the Union troops by complete surprise. Simultaneously, de Buch's mobile Examples are used only to help you translate the word or expression searched in various contexts. Thanks for contributing an answer to History Stack Exchange! Force concentration is the practice of concentrating a military force so as to bring to bear such overwhelming force against a portion of an enemy force that the disparity between the two forces alone acts as a force multiplier in favour of the concentrated forces. From the French troops led to their death at Agincourt, to Hitler’s lost army of 330,000 men at Stalingrad, historian Rupert Matthews rounds up 10 of the worst military mistakes in history… Other units may be hidden to the sides of the ambush site to surround the enemy, b… Many of the differences between American and British English date back to a time when spelling standards had not yet developed. In the field of military theory, the operational level of war represents the level of command that connects the details of tactics with the goals of strategy. ", The most effective form of flanking maneuver is the double envelopment, which involves simultaneous flank attacks on both sides of the enemy. It was the marked superiority of Hannibal's cavalry at the Battle of Cannae that allowed him to chase off the Roman cavalry and complete the encirclement of the Roman legions. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions. Another type is used in the attack, where a unit encounters an enemy defensive position. The commander can then try to defeat the enemy in detail. A classic example is Hannibal 's victory over the Roman armies at the Battle of Cannae. Maneuver warfare, or manoeuvre warfare, is a military strategy that advocates attempting to defeat the enemy by incapacitating their decision-making through shock and disruption. Was the Italian campaign a strategic mistake? Prophet Velen says: Make haste, my friends. In exceptional circumstances, an army may be fortunate enough to be able to anchor a flank with a friendly castle, fortress, or walled city. His younger brothers were Mago and Hasdrubal, and he was brother-in-law to Hasdrubal the Fair; all also commanded Carthaginian armies. p. 2-11. Derived from the Greek word strategos, the term strategy, when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", or "'the art of arrangement" of troops. It is regarded both as one of the greatest tactical feats in military history and as one of the worst defeats in Roman history. In military tactics, a flanking maneuver (also called a flank attack), is an attack on the sides or rear of an opposing force. What is the difference between concurrency control in operating systems and in trasactional databases? The pincer movement, or double envelopment, is a military maneuver in which forces simultaneously attack both flanks (sides) of an enemy formation. When did the IBM 650 have a "Table lookup on Equal" instruction? The flanking maneuver is a basic military tactic, with several variations. Presumably you meant you cannot find any good examples. Flanking attacks into areas outside the main zone of contention might be attempted to break the stalemates. Solving trigonometric equations with two variables in fixed range? Of course some of the following settings are based on historical and ancient battles; many general thought the same way, hence the described formations have some common elements. The examples also show that the employer of these tactics suffered few casualties, inclicted many and bagged a great deal of prisoners. [1] Flanking is useful because a force's offensive power is concentrated in its front. Therefore, to circumvent a force's front and attack a flank is to concentrate offense in the area where the enemy is least able to concentrate defense. After this defeat, the Ottoman army abandoned the major part of the region, suffering heavy losses in manpower and in war materiel. 3) Encirclement attack This form of market challenger strategy is used when the competitor attacks another on the basis of strengths as well as weaknesses and does not leave any stone unturned to overthrow the competition. Another example of flank attack is the flank attack used by Mercedes Benz on Cadillac by selling more expensive cars. The war commenced with the Red Air Force attacking Helsinki and Viip… Fearful of encirclement, the cohesion of the French army disintegrated Was any significant percentage of Mongol army infantry? 1960s F&SF short story - Insane Professor. Take Mercedes-Benz, for example. During World War II, German General Erwin Rommel used it successfully at the Battle of Gazala, which led directly to his capture of Tobruk in 1941. The initial Russian attack, which began after Finland refused to cede to Russia naval basing rights and a large strip of land along the Karelian Isthmus, saw 19 Soviet divisions and 5 armored brigades (800 tanks) take on nine Finnish divisions (100 tanks). But I would agree that B@M is probably the best example of explicit modeling of the flanking maneuver that I have ever seen. Throughout history, battles have been lost to bad weather, insufficient weaponry and bad luck. In the late Medieval (1356) period The Battle of Poitiers during the hundred years war is an example of effective flanking. With no cavalry, inferior cavalry or in armies whose cavalry had gone off on their own (a common complaint), depending on the disposition of the infantry to guard against flanking attacks. The British feared that British India would be surrounded by a Persian and Central Asia satellite to Russia in the west and north and a Russian-dominated China in the east. 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