Defence and attack of positions and localities, lectures1875 |
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Common terms and phrases
2nd line abatis active defence advanced post advantage American civil war army arranged artillery position assailant assault attacking artillery attacking infantry barbettes barricade battalion batteries battle battle of Gravelotte bill hooks buildings Carlists Clausewitz command concentrated fire counter-attack debouching deliberate fortification distance distant artillery fire door earth edge effect enemy enemy's artillery enfilade entanglement entrench epaulments favourable feet fences fighting line force fortified front line garrison Gatling guns German give cover Gravelotte ground in front gun cotton gun pits Hamley houses infantry and artillery infantry attack inside loopholes machicoulis main position Metz mode musketry numbers object occupied offensive movements offensive returns outer line outer reserves outpost parapet passive defence placed possible prepared probably range re-entering angles redoubts reduit retired retreat roads salients Scherff second line secure shelter trenches shovels Siege of Belfort special reserves Spicheren steep sufficient supports and reserves tactical points tambour trajectory troops village walls wood
Popular passages
Page 114 - The following is given as an average : — 100 yards of entanglement can be made by twenty men in six hours. They will require ten axes, two saws, ten billhooks, eight fathoms threeinch rope. An entanglement may be shown, like a shelter trench, by a tape. In constructing trenches, care must be taken that they do not obstruct the offensive return which the defending force should always have in view. The experience of the French in the war of 1870, and of the Spaniards in...
Page 63 - If accidents of ammumtlonground give cover to the limbers and horses sufficiently near to the guns, nothing further will be required ; but should this not be the case, one of the following alternatives must be adopted, viz : — 1. The limber boxes must be taken off and...
Page 7 - Artillery positions, either opposite those which are available for the enemy or taking them in flank, and commanding the approaches. 3. Good cover for supports and reserves. 4. Extent suited to the numbers of the defenders. 5. Security for the flanks. 6. Free and covered communications throughout the position. 7. Facilities for counter-attack, if it be contemplated. 8. Facilities for creating strong points and for protecting the whole or parts of the line by obstacles, according to the circumstances...
Page 66 - Particularly are obstacles useful in close country, where a long range cannot be secured, and the enemy in attacking has only a short distance to traverse under fire, and in the case of night attacks.
Page 113 - Artillery should not, as a rule, be placed in them, but rather in epaulments, retired behind their flanks. Clearing the ground in front of a position is most essential, more so even than shelter trenches, but there seems no way of indicating it in peace manosuvres.
Page 109 - The advantages which it is desirable to obtain in choosing a position are — a. A ridge for the first or fighting line, with a slope in front, clear of obstructions, which would mask the fire of the defence. It will be better if it has re-entering angles, in which the division artillery can be posted, so as to be out of range of the rifle fire of the attackers.