Difference between revisions of "War of attrition"
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| + | [[File:Sun Tzu portrait.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|"What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations." - [[Sun Tzu]] ]] | ||
A '''war of attrition''' is a war in which the competing sides seek to win by exhausting the enemy's resources, rather than by a decisive battlefield victory. Such wars tend to be long-lasting, with relatively static battlefronts. Probably the best modern example of a war of attrition was the conflict on the [[Western Front]] in the [[First World War]] (1914-1918); another is the [[Iran-Iraq War]] (1980-1988). Wars often start out as [[maneuver warfare]], but some turn into wars of attrition. | A '''war of attrition''' is a war in which the competing sides seek to win by exhausting the enemy's resources, rather than by a decisive battlefield victory. Such wars tend to be long-lasting, with relatively static battlefronts. Probably the best modern example of a war of attrition was the conflict on the [[Western Front]] in the [[First World War]] (1914-1918); another is the [[Iran-Iraq War]] (1980-1988). Wars often start out as [[maneuver warfare]], but some turn into wars of attrition. | ||
Revision as of 21:41, September 28, 2023
A war of attrition is a war in which the competing sides seek to win by exhausting the enemy's resources, rather than by a decisive battlefield victory. Such wars tend to be long-lasting, with relatively static battlefronts. Probably the best modern example of a war of attrition was the conflict on the Western Front in the First World War (1914-1918); another is the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Wars often start out as maneuver warfare, but some turn into wars of attrition.
No war is by intention a war of attrition; rather, the aggressor almost invariably expects a swift victory (Germany invading Belgium and France in 1914, Germany invading the USSR in 1941, the Allies invading Italy in 1943, Iraq invading Iran in 1980, terrorists attacking the United States in 2001), and it is only once such hopes are disappointed that a war takes on an attritional character.
In a war of attrition, countries ramp up their production of arms. In addition, countries often bomb the opposition's war production facilities in order to stop the enemy from resupplying (Unless it's a nuclear power.). In some cases, such as WWII, key components of a country's war machine capabilities such as oil production are restricted. Furthermore, various means are used to harm an enemy's economy such as economic sanctions.
Although wars of attrition can be won eventually often it is at great cost to the victors. A pyrrhic victory is a victory that comes at such a high cost that it's questionable if it was worth it.
Quotes
"What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations." - Sun Tzu