Читать книгу American Civil War For Dummies - Keith D. Dickson - Страница 104

In a battle, a commander uses tactics to attack or defend, depending on that commander’s assessment of the situation. In the attack, the commander can use maneuver, which is the positioning of forces to gain an advantageous position against the enemy. There are three basic choices in the attack:

 Advance forces head-on to break through the enemy defenses

 Envelop the defender from one or both flanks (the left and right limits of an army’s defensive line) by maneuvering forces around the enemy’s defensive line and then attacking

 Attack from the rear (usually the result of maneuvering behind an unsuspecting or unprepared defender)

The rear area is where the supply depots are located and where the lines of supply and communication are located. The frontal attack is the least desirable (that’s usually where the enemy has concentrated combat power and is expecting to repel an attack), a flank attack is better (the enemy has less or sometimes no combat power on the flanks), and the attack from the rear is the best of all (no combat power and vulnerable, easy to destroy targets such as wagon trains and rail and telegraph lines).

These different types of attack can be combined into main attacks and supporting attacks. A main attack is where a commander employs the bulk of a unit’s offensive combat power. The intent of the main attack is to defeat the enemy quickly and decisively. Often, a commander will use a supporting attack — a smaller portion of a unit’s offensive combat power either to occupy enemy forces so they cannot reinforce (adding additional combat power to support other friendly forces), or deceive the enemy as to where the main attack will take place. Think of it in terms of a boxer who first comes at his opponent with a fake right cross to make his opponent react, then lands a roundhouse left. Like boxers, military commanders use tactics to try to employ more than one type of punch, usually in combinations, to put their opponents off balance and gain the initiative. In military terms, commanders employ a feint, in which the commander maneuvers forces to appear as if he is committing most or all of his combat power at a certain point. The feint is intended to deceive the enemy into thinking that this is the main attack. As the enemy responds, a vulnerability opens that can be exploited when the actual main attack is launched and can expose the enemy army to defeat and destruction. This type of employment of forces in space and time requires a masterful commander who appreciates the art of war.