NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Circumvallation

Circumvallation is a standard military tactic of siege used in ancient and modern warfare. It describes the process of the attacking army building a line of fortifications around the besieged city facing towards the city (to protect itself from sorties by its defenders and to enhance the blockade). The resulting fortifications are known as 'lines of circumvallation'. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Contravallation is a standard military tactic of siege used in ancient and modern warfare. ... Download high resolution version (977x845, 45 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (977x845, 45 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Combatants Roman Republic Gallic Tribes Commanders Julius Caesar Vercingetorix Commius Strength ~30,000-60,000, 12 Roman legions and auxiliaries ~330,000 some 80,000 besieged ~250,000 relief forces Casualties 12,800 40,000-250,000 [] The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia took place in September 52... Military tactics is the collective name for methods of engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. ... A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition, often accompanied by an assault. ... Table of Fortification, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... Sortie is a term for deployment of one military aircraft or a ship for the purposes of a specific mission, whether alone, or with other aircraft or vessels. ... A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies, troops, information or aid from reaching an opposing force. ...

Lines of circumvallation generally consist of earthen ramparts and entrenchments that encircle the besieged city. The line of circumvallation can be used as a base for launching assaults against the besieged city or for constructing further earthworks nearer the city. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Separation barrier. ... -1...

In cases where the besieging army is threatened by a field army allied to the city, the besieging army may construct a second line of fortifications between itself and the outside enemy parallel to the lines of circumvallation, known as "lines of contravallation". This envelopes the city in a double line of fortifications and doubly protects the besiegers. In turn, the besieging army may find itself besieged within its lines of circumvallation and contravallation. Contravallation is a standard military tactic of siege used in ancient and modern warfare. ...

The circumvallation and contravallation tactic has the advantage of making it possible to redirect troops from the siege (now reinforced by the first wall of fortifications) to the defence of the besieging army itself.

Examples of circumvallation in military history

Categories: Articles to be merged since December 2006 | Ancient Roman siege warfare Battle of Alesia Conflict Gallic Wars Date September 52 BC Place Alesia, near modern Alise-Sainte-Reine (France) Result Roman victory The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia was a conflict fought in September 52 BC around the Gallic oppidum of Alesia, a major town centre and hill fort... Combatants Roman Republic Several Gallic tribes Commanders Julius Caesar Titus Labienus Mark Antony Quintus Cicero Vercingetorix, Ambiorix, Commius, among other The Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns by several invading Roman legions under the command of Julius Caesar into Gaul, and the subsequent uprisings of the Gallic tribes. ... Gaius Julius Caesar [1] (Latin pronunciation ; English pronunciation ; July 12 or July 13, 100 BC â€“ March 15, 44 BC), often simply referred to as Julius Caesar, was a Roman military and political leader and one of the most influential men in world history. ... The battle of Agrigentum (Sicily, 261 BC) was the first pitched battle of the First Punic War and the first large-scale military confrontation between Carthaginians and the Republic of Rome. ... Combatants Roman Republic Carthage Commanders Marcus Atilius Regulus Gaius Lutatius Catulus Gaius Duilius Hamilcar Barca Hanno the Great Hasdrubal Xanthippus The First Punic War (264 to 241 BC) was the first of three major wars fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic. ... The Sicilian Expedition was an Athenian expedition to Sicily from 415 BC to 413 BC, during the Peloponnesian War. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Combatants Delian League led by Athens Peloponnesian League led by Sparta Commanders Pericles, Cleon, Nicias, Alcibiades Archidamus II, Brasidas, Lysander The Peloponnesian War (431â€“404 BC) was an Ancient Greek military conflict, fought between Athens and their empire and the Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta. ... Combatants Prussia France Commanders Prince Friedrich Karl FranÃ§ois Bazaine Strength 134,000 180,000 Casualties unknown 180,000 surrendered The Siege of Metz lasting from September 3 â€“ October 23, 1870 was a crushing defeat for the French during the Franco-Prussian War. ... Combatants Prussia, Baden Bavaria, WÃ¼rttemberg (later German Empire) France Commanders Wilhelm I of Germany Helmuth von Moltke Louis Jules Trochu Joseph Vinoy Strength 240,000 regulars 200,000 regulars 200,000 militia and sailors Casualties 12,000 dead or wounded 24,000 dead or wounded 146,000 captured 47... Combatants Second French Empire North German Confederation allied with south German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III Otto Von Bismarck Helmuth von Moltke the Elder Strength 400,000 at the beginning of the war 1,200,000 Casualties 150,000 dead or wounded 284,000 captured 350,000 civilian... Combatants Germany Italy Hungary Romania Slovakia Soviet Union Commanders Maximilian von Weichs Friedrich Paulus # Erich von Manstein Hermann Hoth Italo Garibaldi Gusztav Jany Petre Dumitrescu Constantin Constantinescu Vasiliy Chuikov Aleksandr Vasilyevskiy Georgiy Zhukov Semyon Timoshenko Konstantin Rokossovsky Rodion Malinovsky Strength German Sixth Army German Fourth Panzer Army Romanian Third Army... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

Examples of circumvallation in military history GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Examples of circumvallation in military history