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United States Use and Exploitation of Terrain and Geography in Combat Operations.
One of the first considerations that all commanders ...
Submitted by kcsapper on April 27, 2008
Category: American History
Words: 5635 | Pages: 23
Views: 13
Popularity Rank: 107,340
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One of the first considerations that all commanders must have when planning and conducting
combat operations throughout history are the geographical landscape of the battle space. Throughout
US history the geography that soldiers found themselves fighting in, has dictated not only the tactics,
but most often the final outcome of engagements. The US has found itself in almost every type of
terrain and climate zone, in almost every region of the globe. Initially the US only dealt with terrain in
the continental United States until the Spanish American War, after this the United States found itself
the major power in the Western Hemisphere. As the United States became a global power it found itself
sending troops throughout the world to protect its' interests.
From the American Revolution (1775-1783) until the Spanish American War (1898) the US Army in
its many incarnations found itself engaged in conflicts confined to Northern America. Initially these
conflicts focused their operations East of the Appalachian mountain chain. While seeking independence
The rebelling colonials used terrain to great affect against the more traditional forces of King James I,
who insisted on following Napoleonic tactics of
line formations to mass fire on the enemy. The
colonists instead chose to hide behind natural
terrain, i.e. trees, small depressions, and rock
formations, and trench works to counter the
superior numbers of the English army. The
most classic example of using terrain to
advantage at this time was the Battle of Bunker
Hill, in which a numerically inferior force of
colonials defeated a much larger force of
British regular...
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