A salient, also known as a bulge, is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. The salient is surrounded by the enemy on multiple sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The opponent's front line that borders a salient is referred to as a re-entrant – that is, an angle pointing inwards. A deep salient is vulnerable to being "pinched off" through the base, and this will result in a pocket in which the forces in the salient become isolated and without a supply line. On the other hand, a breakout of the forces within the salient through its tip can threaten the rear areas of the opposing forces outside it, leaving them open to an attack from behind.
German attack plan (blue arrows) to pinch out the Soviet-occupied Kursk salient, which resulted in the Battle of Kursk
German-occupied salient in the Ardennes on the eve of the Battle of the Bulge on December 15, 1944
Salients can be formed in a number of ways. An attacker can produce a salient in the defender's line by either intentionally making a pincer movement around the military flanks of a strongpoint, which becomes the tip of the salient, or by making a broad, frontal attack which is held up in the centre but advances on the flanks. An attacker would usually produce a salient in his own line by making a broad, frontal attack that is successful only in the center, which becomes the tip of the salient. A salient can also be formed if the attacking army feigns retreat, tricking the defending forces to chase them down, leading to the main army being on all sides in a pre-arranged ambush.[1]
In trench warfare, salients are distinctly defined by the opposing lines of trenches, and they were commonly formed by the failure of a broad frontal attack. The static nature of the trenches meant that forming a pocket was difficult, but the vulnerable nature of salients meant that they were often the focus of attrition battles.
Map showing German forces pushing out through the tip of the salient in an attempt to penetrate into the rear of the Allied forces during the Battle of the Bulge, December 16–25, 1944.
At the Battle of Spotsylvania, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia arrived first at a strategic crossroads, and constructed a timber-reinforced line of trenches to stand against the numerically superior Union Army of the Potomac. The trench line bulged forward to protect a piece of high ground, in a curve that became known as the Mule Shoe Salient. Union troops concentrated their attack on this point, broke through, and 22 hours of brutal, hand-to-hand fighting ensued before the Confederates pulled back to a new position.
The British occupied a large salient at Ypres for most of the war. Formed as a result of the First Battle of Ypres, it became one of the most bloody sectors of the Western Front. So enduring was the feature and so dreadful its reputation that when British infantry spoke of "The Salient", it was understood that they were referring to Ypres.[4]
A similar salient existed around the French city of Verdun; the Battle of Verdun around it cost both sides heavy casualties.
The Germans occupied a small salient in front of Fromelles called the Sugarloaf due to its distinctive shape. Being small, it provided advantage to the occupiers by allowing them to enfilade the stretches of no man's land on either flank.
The German Army launched a surprise attack against advancing Allied forces in the Ardennes (a region of extensive forests primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg) in December 1944. This battle created a large salient for several weeks, and is commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge (also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Von Rundstedt Offensive).[6]
In mobile warfare, such as the German Blitzkrieg, salients were more likely to be made into pockets which became the focus of annihilation battles.
A pocket carries connotations that the encircled forces have not allowed themselves to be encircled intentionally, as they may when defending a fortified position, which is usually called a siege. This is a similar distinction to that made between a skirmish and pitched battle.
^Britton, Rick (2019-11-26). "The Antihero of Gettysburg". Historynet. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
^C. A. Rose (June 2007). Three Years in France with the Guns: Being Episodes in the Life of a Field Battery. Echo Library. p. 21. ISBN978-1-4068-4042-1. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
^"Battle of Kursk". HISTORY. October 29, 2009. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
^Waxman, Olivia B. (Dec 16, 2019). "How the Battle of the Bulge Got Its Name". Time. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
External links
Look up salient, re-entrant, or pocket in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
The Great Kitilä Motti (Winter War history from a documentary film's website)
March 04, 2023
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For other uses see Salient This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Salient military news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message A salient also known as a bulge is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory The salient is surrounded by the enemy on multiple sides making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable The opponent s front line that borders a salient is referred to as a re entrant that is an angle pointing inwards A deep salient is vulnerable to being pinched off through the base and this will result in a pocket in which the forces in the salient become isolated and without a supply line On the other hand a breakout of the forces within the salient through its tip can threaten the rear areas of the opposing forces outside it leaving them open to an attack from behind German attack plan blue arrows to pinch out the Soviet occupied Kursk salient which resulted in the Battle of Kursk German occupied salient in the Ardennes on the eve of the Battle of the Bulge on December 15 1944 Contents 1 Implementation 1 1 Examples 1 2 Pocket 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksImplementation EditSalients can be formed in a number of ways An attacker can produce a salient in the defender s line by either intentionally making a pincer movement around the military flanks of a strongpoint which becomes the tip of the salient or by making a broad frontal attack which is held up in the centre but advances on the flanks An attacker would usually produce a salient in his own line by making a broad frontal attack that is successful only in the center which becomes the tip of the salient A salient can also be formed if the attacking army feigns retreat tricking the defending forces to chase them down leading to the main army being on all sides in a pre arranged ambush 1 In trench warfare salients are distinctly defined by the opposing lines of trenches and they were commonly formed by the failure of a broad frontal attack The static nature of the trenches meant that forming a pocket was difficult but the vulnerable nature of salients meant that they were often the focus of attrition battles Map showing German forces pushing out through the tip of the salient in an attempt to penetrate into the rear of the Allied forces during the Battle of the Bulge December 16 25 1944 Front line 16 December Front line 20 December Front line 25 December Examples Edit American Civil War On the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg Union General Daniel Sickles moved his III Corps ahead of the main line of the Union Army without orders causing him to be nearly cut off from the main army when the Confederate Army attacked Sickles had held a similar position at Catherine s Furnace in the Battle of Chancellorsville two months earlier and in both cases his corps was badly mauled and had to be rescued by other units 2 3 At the Battle of Spotsylvania the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia arrived first at a strategic crossroads and constructed a timber reinforced line of trenches to stand against the numerically superior Union Army of the Potomac The trench line bulged forward to protect a piece of high ground in a curve that became known as the Mule Shoe Salient Union troops concentrated their attack on this point broke through and 22 hours of brutal hand to hand fighting ensued before the Confederates pulled back to a new position World War I The British occupied a large salient at Ypres for most of the war Formed as a result of the First Battle of Ypres it became one of the most bloody sectors of the Western Front So enduring was the feature and so dreadful its reputation that when British infantry spoke of The Salient it was understood that they were referring to Ypres 4 A similar salient existed around the French city of Verdun the Battle of Verdun around it cost both sides heavy casualties The Germans occupied a small salient in front of Fromelles called the Sugarloaf due to its distinctive shape Being small it provided advantage to the occupiers by allowing them to enfilade the stretches of no man s land on either flank World War II The Soviet Union occupied a massive 150 km deep salient at Kursk that became the site of the largest tank battle in history and a decisive battle on the Eastern Front 5 The German Army launched a surprise attack against advancing Allied forces in the Ardennes a region of extensive forests primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg in December 1944 This battle created a large salient for several weeks and is commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Von Rundstedt Offensive 6 Turkish invasion of Cyprus Turkish forces reached as far south as the Turkish Cypriot village of Louroujina The cease fire line dividing Cyprus into Greek and Turkish controlled sectors put Louroujina in a salient accessible from the rest of Turkish Cypriot controlled Cyprus by a single road Bangladesh Liberation War The Battle of Boyra was fought by the Indian Army and the Mukti Bahini against the Pakistan Army over the Boyra salient overlooking an important supply route the Jessore Road Pocket Edit Main article Pocket military In mobile warfare such as the German Blitzkrieg salients were more likely to be made into pockets which became the focus of annihilation battles A pocket carries connotations that the encircled forces have not allowed themselves to be encircled intentionally as they may when defending a fortified position which is usually called a siege This is a similar distinction to that made between a skirmish and pitched battle See also EditPanhandle Spur mountain References Edit The Art of War under Chinggis Qahan Genghis Khan de Re Militari Rice Gary Daniel Sickles Historynet Retrieved 2022 03 24 Britton Rick 2019 11 26 The Antihero of Gettysburg Historynet Retrieved 2022 03 24 C A Rose June 2007 Three Years in France with the Guns Being Episodes in the Life of a Field Battery Echo Library p 21 ISBN 978 1 4068 4042 1 Retrieved 13 March 2011 Battle of Kursk HISTORY October 29 2009 Retrieved 2022 03 24 Waxman Olivia B Dec 16 2019 How the Battle of the Bulge Got Its Name Time Retrieved 2022 03 24 External links Edit Look up salient re entrant or pocket in Wiktionary the free dictionary The Great Kitila Motti Winter War history from a documentary film s website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Salient military amp oldid 1110548744, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
