Difference between revisions of "Delaying action"
Conservative (talk | contribs) |
Conservative (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
It is employed to avoid being beaten by a superior hostile force and/or to gain time or to improve the situation with reference to: | It is employed to avoid being beaten by a superior hostile force and/or to gain time or to improve the situation with reference to: | ||
| − | - Requesting and obtaining additional forces | + | - Requesting and obtaining additional forces in order to better defend against an attacker |
- Conducting military intelligence to batter assess the situation | - Conducting military intelligence to batter assess the situation | ||
Revision as of 22:43, December 12, 2015
A delaying action is a military "maneuver in which a defensive force delays the advance of a superior enemy force by withdrawing while inflicting the maximum destruction possible without engaging in decisive combat."[1]
It is employed to avoid being beaten by a superior hostile force and/or to gain time or to improve the situation with reference to:
- Requesting and obtaining additional forces in order to better defend against an attacker
- Conducting military intelligence to batter assess the situation
- Obtain cover
- Maneuver the enemy into a position in which he may be more effectively attacked.[2]
Delaying actions can involve drawing an enemy deeper into a territory and then employing scorched earthy policies (burning crops, destroying supplies/buildings) to weaken the attacker as the opponents supply lines are stretched thinner and thinner. The Russians employed this strategy against Napoleon Bonaparte during a winter attack on Russia by the French.