Strafing (adaptation of German strafen, to punish, specifically from the World War I humorous adaptation of the German catchphrase "Gott strafe England"), is the practice of firing on a static target from a moving platform. The term is usually applied to machine gun fire from a low flying aircraft, and sometimes attack runs by light bomber aircraft. Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Franz... Gott strafe England, illustration from Germany, The Next Republic?, by Carl W. Ackerman, published in 1917 in the US - unknown origin. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...

Gaming

This term has been adopted by gamers with the meaning "sidestepping", primarily in first person shooters (FPS); it refers to the movement alone, even when no weapon is being fired. The origin of this usage is uncertain, but is most likely derived from a misunderstanding of the military term. The word "strafe" was used in game menus at least as early as the popular FPS Wolfenstein 3D, indicating the first use was most likely by developers. Sidestepping is an integral part of any first person shooter as it allows the player to dodge incoming fire while keeping their view aimed at their target. A first-person shooter (FPS) is a computer or video game where the players on-screen view of the game world simulates that of the character, and there is some element of shooting involved. ... Wolfenstein 3D (commonly abbreviated to Wolf 3D) is the computer game that started the first person shooter genre on the PC. It was created by id Software and published by Apogee Software on May 5, 1992. ... A first-person shooter (FPS) is a computer or video game where the players on-screen view of the game world simulates that of the character, and there is some element of shooting involved. ...

It should be noted very few modern first-person shooters use the term "strafe" themselves; most game menus use the more semantically transparent "move left" and "move right" instead. However, "strafe" is firmly established in gamer jargon.

See also straferunning and circlestrafing. In video games, particularly in first-person shooters (FPSs), straferunning (known as speed-strafing among players of GoldenEye and Perfect Dark) is a technique that allows a player to run faster through levels by moving forwards and sideways at the same time. ... The blue player circlestrafes anticlockwise around his red adversary, firing continually as he does so. ...

See also

• Military aviation

It has been suggested that Aerial warfare be merged into this article or section. ...

External link

• [1] Citing "Gott strafe England" as origin of "to strafe".
• Masters Of Doom