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The military tactic of frontal assault is a direct, hostile movement of forces towards enemy forces in a large number, in an attempt to overwhelm the enemy. Military tactics ( Greek: Taktikē, the art of organizing an army are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating This is often referred to as a "suicide strike," because it is often a commander's last resort when he has run out of strategies.

Before the 19th century, a frontal assault against a thin line could be effective when conducted by horse cavalry. However, as the accuracy and range of firearms increased, this procedure proved increasingly suicidal. Cavalry charges against deeply-regimented infantry formations were also frequently repulsed as exemplified by the Battle of the Golden Spurs in Flanders in 1302. The Battle of the Golden Spurs (Dutch nl Guldensporenslag, French fr Bataille des éperons d'or, or Battle of Courtrai) was fought on July 11

As an example, this style of combat was used heavily in the American Civil War. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South The type of militaries used as well as the terrain lent themselves to direct frontal assault, and most of the battles of the Civil War were fought in this manner. However, this style of combat was rapidly becoming out-classed due to the increased accuracy of rifles. Near the end of the war, the failed Pickett's Charge demonstrated just how disastrous frontal assaults against fortified positions could be. See also Battle of Gettysburg See also [[Gettysburg Battlefield]] [[Gettysburg Confederate order of battle]] [[Confederate order of battle]] and [[Gettysburg Union order

Frontal assaults were also the cause of massive casualties in the trench warfare of World War I. Trench warfare is a form of warfare where both combatants have fortified positions and fighting lines are static World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All In many cases, frontal assaults were made by thousands of men towards trenches defended by machine gun emplacements, artillery and barbed wire with predictable and tragic results. For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation.

Battles with Notably Successful Frontal Assaults

Battles with Notably Unsuccessful Frontal Assaults

See also

The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 on Breed's Hill, as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary The Third Battle of Chattanooga (popularly known as The Battle of Chattanooga, and including the Battle of Lookout Mountain and the Battle of The Battle of Pea Ridge (also known as Elkhorn Tavern) was a land battle of the American Civil War, fought on March 7 and March 8, The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second battle in Lt Background and movement to battle See also [[Gettysburg Campaign]] [[Gettysburg Battlefield]] [[Gettysburg Confederate order of battle]] [[Confederate order of battle]] See also Battle of Gettysburg See also [[Gettysburg Battlefield]] [[Gettysburg Confederate order of battle]] [[Confederate order of battle]] and [[Gettysburg Union order Background and Burnside's plan The battle was the result of an effort by the Union Army to regain the initiative in its struggle against Lee's smaller but more aggressive army Background See also [[Vicksburg Campaign]] After crossing the Mississippi south of Vicksburg at Bruinsburg and driving northeast Grant had won battles at Military Science is the process of translating National defence policy to produce Military capability by employing Military scientists including
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