Abatis

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Abatis

Abatis, abattis, or abbattis (a French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
word meaning a heap of material thrown) is a term in field fortification

Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defense in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs....
for an obstacle formed of the branches of trees laid in a row, with the sharpened tops directed outwards, towards the enemy. The trees are usually interlaced or tied with wire

Wire

A wire is a single, usually cylinder , elongated string of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical Structural loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications Wiktionary:signal....
. Abatis are used alone or in combination with wire entanglements and other obstacles.

There is evidence it was used as early as the Roman Imperial

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, and as recently as the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
.

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Encyclopedia

Abatis, abattis, or abbattis (a French

French language

Fortification

Wire

Roman Empire

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
. Abatis is rarely seen nowadays, having been largely replaced by wire obstacle

Wire obstacle

In the military science of fortification, wire obstacles are defensive obstacles made from barbed wire, barbed tape or concertina wire. They are designed to disrupt, delay and generally slow down an attacking enemy....
s. However, it may be used as a replacement or supplement when barbed wire

Barbed wire

Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand....
is in short supply. A form of giant abatis, using whole trees instead of branches, can be used as an improvised anti-tank

Tank

A tank is a Continuous track, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and Military tactics Offensive and defence capabilities....
obstacle.

An important weakness of abatis, in contrast to barbed wire

Barbed wire

Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand....
, is that it can be destroyed by fire

Fire

Fire is the oxidation of a combustion material releasing heat, light, and various Chemical reaction products such as carbon dioxide and water....
. Also, if laced together with rope

Rope

A rope is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength ....
instead of wire

Wire

A wire is a single, usually cylinder , elongated string of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical Structural loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications Wiktionary:signal....
, the rope can be very quickly destroyed by such fires, after which the abatis can be quickly pulled apart by grappling hook

Grappling hook

A grappling hook is a hook attached to a rope, designed to be thrown or projected a distance, where its hooks will engage with the target. Grappling hooks were originally used in naval warfare to catch the rigging of an enemy ship so that it could be drawn in and boarded....
s thrown from a safe distance.

An important advantage is that an improvised abatis can be quickly formed in forested areas. This can be done by simply cutting down a row of trees so that they fall with their tops toward the enemy. An alternative is to place explosives so as to blow the trees down.

Though rarely used by modern conventional military units, abatises are still officially maintained in United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
and Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing Military power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to rapidly deliver Marine Air-Ground Task Force....
training. Current training instructs engineers or other constructors of such obstacles to fell trees, leaving a 1 or 2 meter stump, in such a manner as the trees fall interlocked pointing at a 45 degree angle towards the direction of approach of the enemy. Furthermore, it is recommended that the trees remain connected to the stumps and the length of roadway covered be at least 75 meters. US military maps record an abatis by use of an inverted "V" with a short line extending from it to the right.

External links

includes large and authentic reproduction of abatis used in the U.S. Civil War.