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About This Quiz
Are you a student of war? Do you think you know every military tactic in the book? Take this quiz to find out if you really know as much as you think you do.
So, who was Sun Tzu? He was a military strategist, philosopher, and general who lived in ancient China. Sun Tzu wrote "The Art of War" in the 5th century BC. The book is short, only 13 chapters, and it is Sun Tzu's version of how to apply military tactics and strategies to warfare.ÂÂ
Throughout the centuries, though, Sun Tzu's work has been applied to more than warfare. The strategies and tactics described in the book are now being applied to business, law, and even life in general.
Interesting, right? Of course, this quiz isn't only about Sun Tzu and his military prowess. We've compiled 35 of the most commonly used offensive military tactics that have been used since the beginning of warfare.ÂÂ
Do you think you know enough about how to apply offensive military tactics to the battlefield to identify each one or are you better suited for a game of Risk than actual combat?
Take this quiz if you're ready to prove your knowledge of offensive military tactics.
What's a fundamental first step towards successful offensive tactics?
Resting the soldiers
Understanding the objective
Unless all units know where they need to go and what they're trying to accomplish, its hard to launch a successful offensive.
Stockpiling gear
What kind of units participate in a human wave attack?
Infantry
It's a type of frontal assault in which soldiers basically charge enemy lines.
Tanks
Drones
If you have small, mobile force gathered against a much larger force, you may need to use which tactics?
Human wave attack
Guerilla tactics
Using superior mobility to attack and then evade has helped many outmanned forces defeat larger (but slower) enemies.
Coercion
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Strategic bombing offensives were a hallmark of which conflict?
WWI
WWII
Thousands of bombers dropped millions of bombs on both sides, causing widespread devastation.
Civil War
The German blitzkrieg relied on concentrated force paired with what other element?
Huge bombs
Superior communication
Speed
The potent combination of power and speed was very effective in WWII.
Banzai attacks were fairly common during which war?
WWI
Korean War
WWII
Japanese infantry would charge Allied lines, often at tremendous cost to their own units.
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For many years, cavalry forces were used to defend against and also mount what kind of attacks?
Flanking attacks
They were swift enough to ward off flanking attacks or to execute them against an enemy's lines.
Feint
Retreat
The offensive tactic called "shock and awe" was first widely publicized during which conflict?
Iraq War
It involves using overwhelming firepower to pound an enemy into submission.
Vietnam War
WWII
What is a "coup de main?"
An attack carried out mostly by armored vehicles
A rapid attack that attempts to settle a battle immediately
A fast, direct attack on an unsuspecting enemy can be effective in the right circumstances.
A slow, deliberate attack that protects supply lines
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In past wars, cavalry charges could be used to break what kind of defensive formation?
Column
Line formation
The speed and power of mounted soldiers could shatter an enemy's lines and cause chaos.
Wedge
What is always the primary objective of offensive military tactics?
To deprive the enemy of resources
To destroy the enemy
If you can simply destroy them, you don't have to think much about secondary objectives.
To secure key terrain
Offensive tactics can help the attacker secure what?
Initiative
A successful attack can give you the ability to dictate the terms of battle for days or months.
More resources
Better morale
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Napoleon often used which kind of offensive strategy to beat down his opponents?
Pre-dawn raids
Charm offensive
Battle of annihilation
The idea was to destroy an enemy's army in one major battle and bring a country to its knees.
Which tactic involves attacking an enemy from the rear?
Flanking maneuver
By flanking, an attacker avoids the concentrated power of a defender's central position
Counterforce
Pincer maneuver
What's one purpose of a turning maneuver?
To halt an enemy's flanking assault
To threaten an enemy's supply lines
These indirect attacks swing far around the enemy's main lines and threatens their flanks.
To fake a frontal assault
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What is strategic flanking?
Flanking designed to cut off civilian resources
A large-scale flanking operation
This kind of flanking might involve an entire army.
Flanking that skirts an entire country
When unit members walk in a zigzag pattern on a road, they are using which formation?
Staggered column
This formation prevents more than one solider being hit by fire and also maximizes retaliatory firepower.
Vee
Echelon
What is NOT a purpose of raiding?
To free POWs
To disrupt supply lines
To capture enemy territory
Raiders strike and then flee back to friendly lines before the defenders can pursue them.
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What kind of attack is generally a last resort for a field commander?
Feint
Flanking attack
Frontal assault
A frontal assault means the attacks will be subjected to the defense's strongest points.
Futile frontal assaults were a hallmark of which war?
WWI
Soldiers ran headlong into fortified machine guns and were mowed down by the thousands.
Civil War
Korean War
If your attack at one part of an enemy's lines fails, you should do what?
Attack again in the same location because the area is weakened
Retreat
Attack a spot where the enemy least expects it
Use an indirect attack to throw your enemy off balance.
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What is a key component of a pincer ambush?
It is much easier to execute with air superiority.
The "pincer" forces must remain concealed.
The enemy moves into the jaws of your pincer formation and then the ambush is initiated.
You must have the high ground.
A feint retreat may accomplish which feat?
Cause an enemy to begin a hasty chase
Pull an enemy into an ambush
Both
Fake retreats may cause all sorts of havoc for attackers that give chase.
What is a primary challenge for forces that attempt to encircle enemy units?
Maintaining supply lines
Encirclement tends to strain supply lines for the attackers and may make it harder for them to finish the offensive.
Limited field of fire
Harder to surveil the enemy
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Which maneuver is designed to draw defending forces to a particular area?
Feint
Make the enemy commit more forces to one spot and then execute the real attack in another spot.
Flanking attack
Swarming
Attrition is a key component of which offensive tactic?
Siege
If a siege is executed properly, the defenders will surrender without a fight.
Tactical retreat
Clear and hold
What's one reason you may want to choose NOT to completely encircle an enemy force?
In most situations a complete encirclement is too hard to execute.
If they have an escape route they won't fight as desperately.
Cornering desperate soldiers makes them fight even harder.
It gives the enemy false hope of victory.
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What is a hallmark of a salient during a battle?
It refers to troops that will be used for an impending flanking attack.
It refers to the high ground.
It is a point that protrudes into enemy territory.
The troops are typically surrounded on three sides and vulnerable to counter attacks.
A scorpion attack is a pincer attack that is by assisted by what kind of force?
Armored vehicle attack
Air attack
Woe to the enemy that finds itself being attacked from all sides and also from the skies.
Naval bombardment
What is the SECOND stage of a penetration attack?
Surveillance of the enemy's headquarters
A direct attack through an enemy's lines
An attack on the enemy's rear forces
Following a direct attack, the attackers must clean up the rear of the enemy to prevent effective counter attacks.
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