War Fighting Strategies Portfolio Worksheet
Strategy 1: Offensive strategies
Objective: To aggressively attack and weaken the enemy's forces, ultimately gaining control of key positions or achieving decisive victory.
- Name of strategy: Blitzkrieg
- Description: This strategy involves using a combination of speed, surprise, and overwhelming force to quickly penetrate the enemy's defenses and disrupt their lines of communication. It emphasizes combined arms, utilizing tanks, infantry, and aircraft, to exploit weaknesses and pursue the enemy relentlessly.
- Example of use: The German army employed Blitzkrieg tactics during World War II, notably in the invasions of Poland and France.
- Name of strategy: Guerrilla warfare
- Description: Guerrilla warfare focuses on using unconventional tactics, such as ambushes, hit-and-run attacks, and sabotage, to wear down the enemy's morale and resources. It relies on the support of local populations and the ability to blend in with the surrounding environment.
- Example of use: The Viet Cong employed guerrilla warfare tactics during the Vietnam War, targeting American forces through ambushes and y traps while using the dense jungles as cover.
Strategy 2: Defensive strategies
Objective: To establish strong defensive positions and repel enemy attacks, minimizing casualties and preserving resources.
- Name of strategy: Trench warfare
- Description: Trench warfare involves digging deep trenches to provide protection from enemy fire and serves as bases for launching counterattacks. It emphasizes the use of barbed wire, machine guns, and artillery to deter and inflict heavy casualties on the enemy.
- Example of use: Trench warfare was extensively used during World War I, particularly on the Western Front, where soldiers on both sides dug elaborate systems of trenches to hold their positions.
- Name of strategy: Fortified positions
- Description: Fortified positions entail constructing strong defensive structures, such as bunkers, pillboxes, and barricades, to create a network of interconnected strong points. These positions are strategically placed to provide overlapping fields of fire and hinder enemy advances.
- Example of use: The Allies employed fortified positions during the Battle of Normandy in World War II, using concrete bunkers and pillboxes to defend the beaches against German counterattacks.
Strategy 3: Maneuver-based strategies
Objective: To outmaneuver the enemy, disrupting their lines of communication, and gaining a positional advantage.
- Name of strategy: Encirclement
- Description: Encirclement strategy involves surrounding the enemy's forces, cutting off their supply lines and escape routes, and forcing them to surrender or engage in a decisive battle. It relies on quick and coordinated movements of troops to achieve a numerical advantage.
- Example of use: The German army successfully employed encirclement tactics during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II, trapping the Soviet forces and inflicting a heavy defeat on them.
- Name of strategy: Flanking maneuvers
- Description: Flanking maneuvers involve moving forces to the sides of the enemy's main position, targeting their vulnerable flanks or rear. By attacking from an unexpected direction, flanking maneuvers aim to disorient the enemy and disrupt their lines of communication and supply.
- Example of use: The Battle of Cannae in 216 BC saw Hannibal's Carthaginian army execute a double envelopment flanking maneuver, encircling and annihilating a much larger Roman army. This tactical victory is considered one of the greatest in military history.
Note: These strategies are not exhaustive, and various factors, such as terrain, available resources, and the enemy's capabilities, should be considered when formulating a war fighting strategy.