Editing Ambush

{{short description|Military attack from concealed positions}}
{{Other uses}}
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{{More citations needed|date=August 2007}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
[[File:Embuscade (Guerre de Vendée) - Evariste Carpentier (1)-.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|French royalist rebels preparing an ambush during the [[War in the Vendée]] (''The Ambush'' by [[Évariste Carpentier]], 1889)]]
[[File:Destruction de l'armée de Braddock en 1755.jpg|thumb|General [[Edward Braddock|Braddock]]'s troops [[Battle of the Monongahela|ambushed and decimated]] by the French and Indians in 1755]]
[[File:Charles Bell - Zoeloe-aanval op 'n Boerelaer - 1838.jpg|thumb|Depiction of a [[Weenen massacre|Zulu attack]] on a [[Boer]] camp in February 1838]]
[[File:THE RETREAT FROM AFGHANISTAN, 1842..gif|thumb|[[1842 retreat from Kabul|Massacre of Elphinstone's army]] during the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]] in 1842]]
[[File:Polish ambush during the January Uprising.png|thumb|Ambush of Polish [[Partisan (military)|partisans]] against Russian forces during the [[January Uprising]], 1863]]
{{wikt | ambush}}

An '''ambush''' is a [[surprise attack]] carried out by people lying in wait in a concealed position.<ref>"Ambush" definition in the ''[[New Oxford American Dictionary]]''</ref> The concealed position itself or the concealed person(s) may also be called an "{{linktext|ambush}}". Ambushes as a basic [[military tactics|fighting tactic]] of soldiers or of criminals have been used consistently throughout history, from [[ancient warfare|ancient]] to [[modern warfare]]. The term "ambush" is also used in [[Ambush predators|animal behavior]] studies, [[Journalism_genres#Ambush_journalism|journalism]], and [[Ambush marketing|marketing]] to describe methods of approach and strategy.

In the 20th century, a military ambush might involve thousands of soldiers on a large scale, such as at a choke point like a [[mountain pass]]. Conversely, it could involve a small [[irregulars |irregular]] band or [[insurgent]] group attacking a [[Regular army|regular]] armed-force patrol. Theoretically, a single well-armed, and concealed [[soldier]] could ambush other troops in a [[surprise attack]]. 

In recent centuries, a military ambush can involve the exclusive or combined use of [[improvised explosive device]]s (IED). This allows attackers to hit enemy convoys or patrols while minimizing the risk of being exposed to return fire.<ref>{{Cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5gIuAAAAYAAJ&q=ambush+%22using+ieds%22&pg=RA1-PA6|title= Armor|date= 2004|publisher= U.S. Armor Association|language= en|access-date= 1 October 2020|archive-date= 15 July 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240715014917/https://books.google.com/books?id=5gIuAAAAYAAJ&q=ambush+%22using+ieds%22&pg=RA1-PA6#v=snippet&q=ambush%20%22using%20ieds%22&f=false|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title= The improvised explosive solution|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17424830|url-status= dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522104428/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17424830|archive-date= 22 May 2023 |access-date=11 July 2020|website=msnbc|date=5 March 2007}}
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==History==
The use of ambush tactics by early people dates as far back as two million years when anthropologists have recently suggested that ambush techniques were used to hunt large game.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bunn|first=Henry T.|author2=Alia N. Gurtov|title=Prey Mortality Profiles Indicate That Early Pleistocene Homo at Olduvai Was an Ambush Predator.|journal=Quaternary International|date=16 February 2014|volume=322–323|pages=44–53|doi = 10.1016/j.quaint.2013.11.002 |bibcode=2014QuInt.322...44B}}<!--|access-date=26 March 2014--></ref>

One example from ancient times is the [[Battle of the Trebia]] River. [[Hannibal]] encamped within striking distance of the Romans with the Trebia River between them, and placed a strong force of cavalry and infantry in concealment, near the battle zone. He had noticed, says [[Polybius]], a "place between the two camps, flat indeed and treeless, but well adapted for an ambuscade, as it was traversed by a water-course with steep banks, densely overgrown with brambles and other thorny plants, and here he proposed to lay a stratagem to surprise the enemy". When the Roman infantry became entangled in combat with his army, the hidden ambush force attacked the Roman infantry in the rear. The result was slaughter and defeat for the Romans. Nevertheless, the battle also displays the effects of good tactical discipline on the part of the ambushed force. Although most of the legions were lost, about 10,000 Romans cut their way through to safety, maintaining [[unit cohesion]]. This ability to maintain discipline and break out or maneuver away from a [[kill zone]] is a hallmark of good troops and training in any ambush situation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 July 2013 |title=(ebook) US Army Ranger Handbook |url=http://www.scribd.com/doc/100897/ebook-US-Army-Ranger-Handbook |access-date=5 July 2023 |archive-date=20 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130720090840/http://www.scribd.com/doc/100897/ebook-US-Army-Ranger-Handbook |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ambushes were widely used by the [[Lusitanians]], in particular by their chieftain [[Viriathus]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dyck |first=Ludwig Heinrich |title=Viriathus |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Viriathus/ |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=World History Encyclopedia |language=en |archive-date=20 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420183156/https://www.worldhistory.org/Viriathus/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Their usual tactic, called ''concursare'', involved repeatedly charging and retreating, forcing the enemy to eventually give them chase, to set up ambushes in difficult terrain where allied forces would be awaiting.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 March 2019 |title=Celtiberia histórica {{!}} Celtiberia {{!}} Celtiberians in campaign |url=https://celtiberiahistorica.es/en/celtiberia/celtiberians-in-campaign |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=CELTIBERIA HISTÓRICA |publisher=ACC TIERRAQUEMADA |language=es-ES |archive-date=20 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420183207/https://celtiberiahistorica.es/en/celtiberia/celtiberians-in-campaign |url-status=live }}</ref> In his first victory, he eluded the siege of Roman praetor Gaius Vetilius and attracted him to a narrow pass next to the [[Guadiaro (river)|Barbesuda]] river, where he destroyed his army and killed the praetor. Viriathus's ability to turn chases into ambushes would grant him victories over a number of Roman generals. 

Another Lusitanian ambush was performed by [[Curius and Apuleius]] on Roman general [[Quintus Fabius Maximus Servilianus]], who led a numerically superior army complete with [[Roman war elephants|war elephants]] and [[Numidian cavalry]]. The ambush allowed Curius and Apuleius to steal Servilianus's loot train. However, a tactic error in their retreat led to the Romans retaking the train and putting the Lusitanians to flight. Viriathus later defeated Servilianus with a [[surprise attack]].<ref name="Hina">{{cite book|author=Benjamín Collado Hinarejos|title=Guerreros de Iberia: La guerra antigua en la península Ibérica|date=2018|publisher=La Esfera de los Libros|isbn=978-84-916437-9-1|language= es}}</ref>{{page needed|date=August 2019}}

Germanic war chief [[Arminius]] sprung an ambush against the Romans at [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest]]. This particular ambush was to affect the course of Western history. The Germanic forces demonstrated several principles needed for a successful ambush. They took cover in difficult forested terrain, allowing the warriors time and space to mass without detection. They had the element of surprise, and this was also aided by the defection of Arminius from Roman ranks prior to the battle. They sprang the attack when the Romans were most vulnerable; when they had left their fortified camp, and were on the march in a pounding rainstorm.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What was the Roman Empire's greatest defeat? It might be Teutoburg Forest in AD 9 |url=https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/roman-empire-greatest-defeat-teutoburg-forest-who-was-arminius/ |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=HistoryExtra |language=en |archive-date=19 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519134830/https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/roman-empire-greatest-defeat-teutoburg-forest-who-was-arminius/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Germans did not dawdle at the hour of decision but attacked quickly, using a massive series of short, rapid, vicious charges against the length of the whole Roman line, with charging units sometimes withdrawing to the forest to regroup while others took their place. The Germans also used blocking obstacles, erecting a trench and earthen wall to hinder Roman movement along the route of the killing zone. The result was a mass slaughter of the Romans and the destruction of three legions. The Germanic victory caused a limit on Roman expansion in the West. Ultimately, it established the Rhine as the boundary of the Roman Empire for the next four hundred years, until the decline of the Roman influence in the West. The Roman Empire made no further concerted attempts to conquer Germania beyond the Rhine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schousboe |first=Karen |title=Battle of Teutoburg Forest |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1010/battle-of-teutoburg-forest/ |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=World History Encyclopedia |language=en |archive-date=20 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420183206/https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1010/battle-of-teutoburg-forest/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

There are many notable examples of ambushes during the [[Roman-Persian Wars]]. A year after their victory at [[Battle of Carrhae|Carrhae]], the [[Parthian Empire|Parthians]] invaded Syria but were driven back after a Roman ambush near [[Antigonia (Syria)|Antigonia]]. Roman Emperor [[Julian (emperor)|Julian]] was mortally wounded in an ambush near [[Battle of Samarra (363)|Samarra]] in 363 during the retreat from his [[Julian's Persian War|Persian campaign]]. A Byzantine invasion of Persian Armenia was repelled by a small force at [[Battle of Anglon|Anglon]] who performed a meticulous ambush by using the rough terrain as a [[force multiplier]] and concealing in houses.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bury |first1=John Bagnell |title=A History of the Later Roman Empire: From Arcadius to Irene (395 A.D. to 800 A.D.) |date=1889 |publisher=Macmillan and Company |page=436 |language=en}}</ref> [[Heraclius]]' discovery of a planned ambush by [[Shahrbaraz]] in 622 was a decisive factor in [[Heraclius' campaign of 622|his campaign]].

===Arabia during Muhammad's era===
{{Main|List of battles of Muhammad}}
According to Muslim tradition, Islamic Prophet [[Muhammad]] used ambush tactics in his military campaigns. His first such use was during the [[Caravan raids]]. In the Kharrar caravan raid, [[Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas]] was ordered to lead a raid against the [[Quraysh]]. His group consisted of about twenty Muhajirs. This raid was about a month after the previous one. Sa'd, with his soldiers, set up an ambush in the valley of [[Kharrar]] on the road to Mecca and waited to raid a Meccan caravan returning from Syria. However, the caravan had already passed and the Muslims returned to Medina without any loot.<ref name="Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar p. 127">Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar (Free Version), p. 127.</ref><ref name="Haykal 1976">{{citation|title=The Life of Muhammad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fOyO-TSo5nEC |first=Husayn |last=Haykal|year=1976|publisher=Islamic Book Trust |isbn=978-983-9154-17-7|pages=217–218}}</ref>

Arab tribes during Muhammad's era also used ambush tactics.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gabriel|first=Richard A.|date=17 May 2007|title=Muhammad: The Warrior Prophet|url=https://www.historynet.com/muhammad-the-warrior-prophet.htm|access-date=24 June 2021|website=HistoryNet|language=en-US|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203723/https://www.historynet.com/muhammad-the-warrior-prophet.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>  One example retold in Muslim tradition is said to have taken place during the [[First Raid on Banu Thalabah]]. The Banu Thalabah tribe were already aware of the impending attack; so they lay in wait for the Muslims. When Muhammad ibn Maslama arrived at the site, the Banu Thalabah with 100 men ambushed the Muslims while they were making preparation to sleep and, after a brief resistance, killed them all except for Muhammad ibn Maslama, who feigned death. A Muslim who happened to pass that way found him and assisted him to return to [[Medina]]. The raid was unsuccessful.<ref name=mubarakpuri >{{citation|title=The Sealed Nectar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ppPqzawIrIC|first=Saifur Rahman Al|last=Mubarakpuri|year=2005|publisher=Darussalam Publications|page=205|isbn=9798694145923}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Procedure==
In modern warfare, an ambush can be employed by ground troops up to [[platoon]] size against enemy targets, which may be other ground troops, or possibly vehicles. However, in some situations, especially when deep behind enemy lines, the actual attack will be carried out by a platoon. A [[Company (military unit)|company]]-sized unit will be deployed to support the attack group, setting up and maintaining a forward patrol harbour from which the attacking force will deploy, and to which they will retire after the attack.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.atu.edu/rotc/docs/3_21-76_Ranger_HB |title=Ranger |date=April 2000 |publisher=Ranger Training Brigade }}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Planning===
[[File:Ambush.gif|thumb|US Army idealised linear ambush plan]]
[[File:Ambush_L_shaped.png|thumb|US Army idealised L-shaped ambush plan]]
Ambushes are complex multiphase operations and are therefore usually planned in some detail.<ref name="Moore.Army">{{Cite web |title=Mission Command |url=https://www.moore.army.mil/Infantry/DoctrineSupplement/ATP3-21.8/chapter_08/CombatPatrols/ActionsontheObjective_Ambush/index.html |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=www.moore.army.mil |archive-date=20 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420183206/https://www.moore.army.mil/Infantry/DoctrineSupplement/ATP3-21.8/chapter_08/CombatPatrols/ActionsontheObjective_Ambush/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> First, a suitable killing zone is identified. This is where the ambush will be laid, where enemy units are expected to pass, and gives reasonable cover for the deployment, execution, and extraction phases of the ambush patrol. A path along a wooded valley floor would be a typical example.

Ambush can be described geometrically as:<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 November 2023 |title=Military Tactics 101: The Anatomy of the Modern Ambush Attack |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a45574165/military-tactics-how-ambushes-work/ |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=Popular Mechanics |language=en-US |archive-date=20 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420183206/https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a45574165/military-tactics-how-ambushes-work/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Moore.Army" />
* '''Linear''', when a number of firing units are equally distant from the linear [[kill zone]]. It can easily be controlled under all visibility conditions.
* '''L-shaped''', when a short leg of firing units are placed to [[enfilade]] (fire the length of) the sides of the linear kill zone.
* '''V-shaped''', when the firing units are distant from the kill zone where the enemy enters and the firing units lay down bands of intersecting and interlocking fire. This ambush is normally triggered only when the enemy is well into the kill zone. The intersecting bands of fire prevent any attempt of moving out of the kill zone.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/7-85/ch6.htm|title=FM 7–85 Chapter 6 Special Light Infantry Operations|website=www.globalsecurity.org|accessdate=15 July 2024|archive-date=16 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516162234/https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/7-85/ch6.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Viet Cong ambush techniques===
[[File:vchelicopterfight2.jpg|thumb|right|The VC/NVA prepared the battlefield carefully. Siting automatic weapons at treetop level for example helped shoot down several US helicopters during the [[Battle of Dak To]], 1967<ref>Terrence Maitland, A CONTAGION OF WAR: THE VIETNAM EXPERIENCE SERIES, (Boston Publishing Company), 1983, p. 180</ref>]]

====Ambush criteria====
The terrain for the ambush had to meet strict criteria:
* provide concealment to prevent detection from the ground or air
* enable ambush force to deploy, encircle and divide the enemy
* allow for heavy weapons emplacements to provide sustained fire
* enable the ambush force to set up observation posts for early detection of the enemy
* permit the secret movement of troops to the ambush position and the dispersal of troops during withdrawal

One important feature of the ambush was that the target units should 'pile up' after being attacked, thus preventing them any easy means of withdrawal from the [[kill zone]] and hindering their use of heavy weapons and supporting fire. Terrain was usually selected which would facilitate this and slow down the enemy. Any terrain around the ambush site which was not favourable to the ambushing force, or which offered some protection to the target, was heavily mined and booby trapped or pre-registered for [[Mortar (weapon)|mortars]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tactics used in the Vietnam War – The Vietnam War – Edexcel – GCSE History Revision – Edexcel |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z89hg82/revision/4 |access-date=20 April 2024 |website=BBC Bitesize |language=en-GB |archive-date=20 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420183156/https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z89hg82/revision/4 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Ambush units====
The NVA/VC ambush formations consisted of:
* lead-blocking element
* main-assault element
* rear-blocking element
* observation posts
* command post

Other elements might also be included if the situation demanded, such as a sniper screen along a nearby avenue of approach to delay enemy reinforcements.

====Command posts====
When deploying into an ambush site, the NVA first occupied several observation posts, placed to detect the enemy as early as possible and to report on the formation it was using, its strength and firepower, as well as to provide early warning to the unit commander. Usually, one main OP and numerous secondary OPs were established. Runners and radios were used to communicate between the OPs and the main command post. The OPs were located so that enemy movement into the ambush could be observed. They would remain in position throughout the ambush to report routes of reinforcement and withdrawal by the enemy, as well as his manoeuvre options. Frequently the OPs were reinforced to squad size and served as flank security. The command post was situated in a central location, frequently on terrain which afforded it a vantage point overlooking the ambush site.

====Recon methods====
Reconnaissance elements observing a potential ambush target on the move generally stayed 300–500 meters away. A "leapfrogging" recon technique can be used. Surveillance units were echeloned one behind the other. As the enemy drew close to the first, it fell back behind the last recon team, leaving an advance group in its place. This one in turn fell back as the enemy again closed the gap, and the cycle rotated. This method helped keep the enemy under continuous observation from a variety of vantage points, and allowed the recon groups to cover one another.<ref name="RAND Corp">RAND Corp, "Insurgent Organization and Operations: A Case Study of the Viet Cong in the Delta, 1964–1966", (Santa Monica: August 1967)</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ambush predator]]
* [[Viet Cong and PAVN battle tactics#Offensive tactics|Viet Cong and PAVN battle tactics]]
* [[Flanking maneuver]]
* [[Flypaper theory (strategy)]]
* [[List of military tactics]]
* [[Sniper]]
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==References==
{{Reflist}}
*[https://www.angelfire.com/art/enchanter/herbert.html Extract from Lt Col Anthony B. Herbert's Soldier's Handbook]


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