Editing Crossfire (section)

== Early modern warfare ==
[[File:Battle of Breitenfeld - Annihilation, 17 September 1631.png|300px|thumb|Swedish cavalry at Breitenfeld capture the Imperial artillery, turning them to crossfire bombardment of the main Imperial army.]] 
The concept of overlapping arcs of fire drove major developments in the use of [[cannon]] in early modern Europe. The [[star fort]] forced attackers approaching the walls into the overlapping [[enfilade]] of the protruding [[bastion]]s;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/types_10_star.htm |title=Types and History of Castles - Star Forts }}</ref> attempts to achieve a similar effect through maneuver on the battlefield were limited by the weight and size of the artillery of the time. The earliest experiments in mobile artillery, such as the [[leather cannon]], were generally flawed due to the limitations of the materials science of the period, but eventually gave rise to the [[regimental gun]].

Perhaps the most famous example of crossfire tactics in early modern warfare occurred in the final stages of the [[Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)|First Battle of Breitenfeld]]. [[Swedish Empire|Swedish]] cavalry under [[Gustavus Adolphus]] outflanked and seized the artillery pieces of the [[Holy Roman Empire|Imperial]] army. As the battle had progressed, the Imperial guns were now well-positioned to fire upon the bulk of the Imperial army, and the crossfire of Swedish and captured cannon shattered the Imperial forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historynet.com/thirty-years-war-battle-of-breitenfeld/ |title=Thirty Years' War: Battle of Breitenfeld |date=12 June 2006 }}</ref>