Flanking maneuver

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This article is about the military tactic. For the marketing strategy, see Flanking marketing warfare strategies.

“Flanking” redirects here. For other uses of the word, see Flank.

The Battle of Marathon, an example of the double-envelopment, a form of flanking maneuver

In military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver were to succeed, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force. As flanks are usually the weaker part of an army, flanking gives the attacker an advantage on the psychological condition or the practical condition of an army, depending on the situation.

1 Types of flanking
2 Flanking in history
3 Maneuvering
4 Strategic flanking
5 See also
6 References

[edit] Types of flanking

The flanking maneuver is one of the most basic tactics used in battles. There are two types of flanking: In the first type, the principle of the flanking maneuver is to be sudden and able to catch the enemy by surprise, causing the enemy to overreact or retreat when they are surrounded from a few directions. Usually this type of flanking is concealed in an ambush.

The second type is obvious and transparent, and thus gives the enemy a chance to prepare. A typical example will be a platoon encountering an isolated enemy combat outpost. Taking fire from the combat outpost, the platoon commander may decide to flank. In this case, one third to two thirds of his platoon may remain in position and "fix" the enemy with suppressive fire. This prevents the enemy from retreating or reorienting to a new threat. The remainder of the platoon will advance discretely to the flanks of the enemy, before destroying the enemy in rushes. Because of the possibility of fratricide (friendly fire), coordination is very important.

The most effective form of flanking maneuver is the double envelopment that involves simultaneous flanking from both ends of the line of battle. The most classic example of this is Hannibal's victory over the Roman armies at the Battle of Cannae. Another famous example of the double envelopment was Khalid ibn al-Walid's victory over the Persian Empire at the Battle of Walaja.^[1]

To avoid being flanked, a unit could be sent to scout and engage the enemy flanking unit before the enemy reached its target.

While flanking is usually seen in land battles, it is also widely used in naval battles.^[2] An example of pre-modern flanking maneuver usage in sea was in the Battle of Salamis, where the Greek navy managed to outflank the Persian navy and won a decisive victory. In late 18th century and early 19th century, a type of enfilade called Crossing the T was often used in naval battles.

[edit] Flanking in history

Flanking maneuvers played an important role in nearly every major battle in history, and have been used effectively by famous military leaders like Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Khalid ibn al-Walid^[1] and Napoleon^[3] throughout history. Sun Tzu's The Art of War strongly emphasizes the use of flanking, although did not support surrounding the enemy force completely as he believed that when an enemy army can not retreat, it will fight with more ferocity ^[4]. However, a flanking maneuver is not always effective. A flanking maneuver can turn out disastrously if the flanking troop is ambushed while maneuvering, or if the main army could not hold its lines while a flanking maneuver is in process.

Flanking was revitalized in WWII and kept the same basic concept. But it required less men.

1.) first you had to find your enemy and find a position to fire at them from.

2.)then you had to actually suppress them so they got their heads down and you could maneuver.

3.)You then had to have a element of men go around to a place where they are in cover but the enemy is not(mostly on the sides or rear.)

4.) Then you have to finish them.

[edit] Maneuvering

Flanking on land in pre-Modern eras was usually achieved with cavalry (and rarely, chariots) due to their speed and maneuverability, and a heavily armored infantry was usually used to hold the main front while the maneuver proceeded, as in the Battle of Pharsalus. After armored vehicles such as tanks were invented, they replaced cavalries as the main force of flanking maneuvers. An example of such a use is in the Battle of France in World War II. Although modern flanking attacks have been made more difficult as a result of trench warfare, flanking is still used effectively to bring the defensive line under enfilade, wherein the flanking force can fire down the length of the opposing line.^[5] As trenches are often dug in a straight line, a flank attack from the side will largely negate the defensive value of the fortification.

[edit] Strategic flanking

A strategic flanking is a larger-scaled flanking where a nation or group of nations surround and attack an enemy from two or more directions, such as the Allies surrounding Nazi Germany in World War II. In these cases, the flanked country usually has to engage in two fronts at once, creating a major strategic disadvantage.