Military Tactics and Strategy - Breakout - Escape

Military Tactics
• Advancing • Retreating • Flanking Maneuver • Pincer Movement (pinch) • Feint
• Rotating your Forces (cycling) • Blitzkrieg • Breakthru • Leapfrogging
• Divide & Conquer • Center Peel • Infiltration • Encirclement • Breakout
• Bait & Bleed (camping) • Fabian Strategy

BREAKOUT | Military Tactics

Breakout: A sudden and forceful escape, as from prison or enemy troop encirclement_[28]

Breakout
The breakout is an emergency retreat to avoid or escape from an enemy encirclement; keeping in mind that circumstances may dictate the necessity to sacrifice some of your forces, to save the majority.

The best "breakout" is one that occurs before you are completely encircled. Keep your eyes on the battlefield and be ready to retreat at odd angles if necessary

In order for the breakout to be successful, the encircled force must either find a gap in the encirclement, use force concentration tactics to breakthru enemy lines, or be assisted by an allied force from the outside. _[29]

If a breakout attempt fails there are few alternatives, either entrench for siege warfare, surrender, of be faced with fighting a battle of annihilation from the inside.

Uses in History
THE BREAKOUT HELPED TO SAVE THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF TROOPS AND CIVILIANS DURING WORLD WAR II

Breakout: Dunkirk

• 1940 - Breakout - Battle of Dunkirk
The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940, when British, French, and Canadian troops were cut off by the German army during the Battle of Dunkirk in the Second World War. In a speech to the House of Commons, Winston Churchill called the events in France "a colossal military disaster", saying that "the whole root and core and brain of the British Army" had been stranded at Dunkirk and seemed about to perish or be captured. He hailed their rescue as a "miracle of deliverance"._[28¼][29¼]

Soviet Advances 1943-44

• 1944 - Hube's Pocket
The Battle of the Kamenets-Podolsky Pocket, also known as Hube's Pocket, was a Wehrmacht attempt on the Eastern Front of World War II to evade encirclement by the Red Army. Despite heavy snowfalls, low supplies, and encirclement, during the two week escape Hube's men managed to destroy 357 tanks, 42 assault guns and 280 artillery pieces, as well as causing severe casualties to the enemy's attacking forces. The quick thinking of Manstein, and the operational planning and skill of Hube had resulted in the 200,000 troops of the Army escaping the fate of Stalingrad. The Kamenets-Podolsky pocket is still studied in military academies today as an example of how to avoid annihilation when forces are trapped in a pocket. _[29½][29¾]

Counter Tactics
ONCE YOU HAVE OBTAINED ENCIRCLEMENT YOU HAVE THE ENEMY IN THE "CAULDRON", NOW LIGHT THE FIRE!

• Closing the Gaps
Focus less on immediately destroying your enemy, and more on closing off any potential avenues of retreat. Prepare to cut-off any allied forces coming to the rescue, then welcome our encircled friends to the killing fields.

• Operational Coordination
Operational Tactics are tactics and maneuvers coordinated with your allies, and when executed successfully, are usually more decisive in terms of victory; than tactics that occur in head-to-head isolation play. Once again communication is key, but play your cards right and you may be able to maintain encirclement and destroy the enemy.

In Axis and Allies RTS
THE BREAKOUT IS A DESPERATE SITUATION IN A&A, SPEED IS OF THE ESSENCE IN ORDER TO SAVE ANY PART OF YOUR FORCES

• Special Ops
If you or your allies have any special op bombs, now is the time to use them! Use any other special ops that might help save your forces, such as Armored Resupply, Assembly Line, Banzai Charge, Blitzkrieg, Communist Zeal, Demoralization, Fighting Spirit, Forced March, Infantry Resupply, Mechanized Advance, and so on..

• Zone of Supply
Whenever possible fight within your zone of supply, which not only offers the chance to heal the instant you retreat, but also offers a better view of the battlefield; greatly reducing the chance of being encircled.

• Using Terrain
One must be aware of the surrounding terrain, avoiding any manuevers where poor terrain may impede or block an effecient retreat. Planning ahead is crucial and may make the difference between a Tactical Withdrawal or a disasterous encirclement.

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REFERENCES | Military Tactics

Breakout

[28] Definition: Breakout - Websters New World Dictionary 1984 pg174
[28¼]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkirk_evacuation
[29]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakout_(military)
[29¼]

bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/launch_ani_wwtwo_movies_dunkirk.shtml
[29½]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamenets-Podolsky_Pocket
[29¾]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessel_(cauldron)

"All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved."

^{Sun Tzu, the Art of War}

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