A counter-attack is a tactical soldier used by the defenders when they are attacked by the enemy. During their attack, the attackers can be become vulnerable while placing themselves in an unfavourable position:

• exhaustion (due to the losses of the attack),
• the disorganization (the lines of attack can be split by the engagements),
• distance of its home bases and its supports (times of arrival of the reinforcements and limitation of artillery fires),
• rupture of its lines of communication (the staff does not know any more where is its forces),
• sufficiency (the continuous attack because of impetuous soldiers but without more any result).

At the good moment, the defenders leave their fortifications violently, meeting and astounding their attackers directly and thus taking the initiative. That can break a seat and/or change the exit of the Bataille. However, if the moment is badly chosen or if the counter-attack is badly carried out, that can lead to a military disaster, since the defenders are not protected any more by their Fortification S.

Historical examples

In the military History, the counter-attack could be used as well efficiently as in a completely ineffective way.

During the Forwarding of Sicily of 415 with 413 av. J.C, the Athenians were about to gain the battle, a line of Syracuse were due and resisted the attack, dispersant and thus beating the forces of invasion of the Athenian Empire.

With the battle of Hefei in 215, a defense force of less than 6.000 men, directed by the officer of CAD Wei, Zhang Liao, pushed back successfully the army of invasion of Sun Wu which counted approximately 80.000 men by a daring ambush and a counter-attack which divided the enemy army in two.

The colonel Joshua Chamberlain ordered the 20th regiment of Maine with Little Round Signal the second day of the Bataille of Gettysburg. The elite of the rebellious troops of John Bell Hood charged, but Chamberlain maintained its lines, then ordered a overflow by the line through the hills. The result was a massive destruction of the lines of Confédérés.

With the Battle of Koursk in July 1943, the German tanks Panther became exhausted against the Artillerie anti-tank Soviet. Once their lost advance, the Soviet tanks T-34 melted on them since a close edge “like rats”, according to the general Heinz Guderian. The Wehrmacht was dispersed during the battle, and much of their lines were destroyed. Germany launched never again of attack of this scale against the Union of the Soviet socialist republics after this battle and remained on the defensive with respect to them.

Value of a counter-attack

The consequences of the counter-attacks were decisive throughout the history. If the Athenians had gained has Syracuse, the Greek , and not the Romains, could have dominated the Mediterranean basin at that time. If the Russians had not gained the battle of Koursk, the Nazis would have dominated the face of the East for at least a year moreover, thus delaying the pressures over the III {{E}} Reich, having most probably a substantial effect on the war, if it is not its exit. Other decisive battles of the History also were gained or lost by counter-attack.

Other

• Contre-attaque is also the title of the third book of the series The corp , written by W.E.B. Griffin

• the counter-attack in Sport and notammement in Sport of combat is synonymous with Riposte i.e. of offensive started after having carried out a defense.