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Investment is the military tactic of surrounding an enemy fort (or town) with armed forces to prevent entry or escape.

A circumvallation is a line of fortifications, built by the attackers around the besieged
Siege

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by Battle of attrition and/or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit." A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that cannot be easily taken by a coup de main and refuses to surrender ....
 fortification facing towards the enemy fort (to protect itself from sortie
Sortie

Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it of aircraft, ship or, in older times, of columns of troops from a fort....
s by its defenders and to enhance the blockade
Blockade

A blockade is an effort to cut off the communications of a particular area, by force. It is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually directed at an entire country or region, not a fortress or city....
).






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Investment is the military tactic of surrounding an enemy fort (or town) with armed forces to prevent entry or escape.

Alesiafortifications
A circumvallation is a line of fortifications, built by the attackers around the besieged
Siege

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by Battle of attrition and/or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit." A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that cannot be easily taken by a coup de main and refuses to surrender ....
 fortification facing towards the enemy fort (to protect itself from sortie
Sortie

Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it of aircraft, ship or, in older times, of columns of troops from a fort....
s by its defenders and to enhance the blockade
Blockade

A blockade is an effort to cut off the communications of a particular area, by force. It is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually directed at an entire country or region, not a fortress or city....
). The resulting fortifications are known as 'lines of circumvallation'. Lines of circumvallation generally consist of earthen rampart
Defensive wall

A defensive wall is a fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements....
s and entrenchment
Entrenchment

Entrenchment may refer to:* A method of trench digging, particularly with relation to Trench warfare.* A type of fortification created by digging ....
s that encircle the besieged city. The line of circumvallation can be used as a base for launching assaults against the besieged city or for constructing further earthworks nearer the city.

In cases where the besieging army is threatened by a field army allied to the enemy fort, the besieging army may construct a contravallation, a second line of fortifications outside the circumvallation, facing away from the enemy fort. The contravallation protects the besigers from attacks by allies of the city's defenders and enhances the blockade
Blockade

A blockade is an effort to cut off the communications of a particular area, by force. It is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually directed at an entire country or region, not a fortress or city....
 of the enemy fort by making it more difficult to smuggle in supplies.

The Siege of Alesia which took place in September 52 BC is one of the most famous investments in history. Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar

'Gaius Julius Caesar' , July 13, 100 BC ? March 15, 44 BC,) was a Roman Republic military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
 in his Commentaries on the Gallic War describes his text book use of the circumvallation and contravallation to defeat the Gaul
Gaul

Gaul is the name used for the region of Western Europe comprising part of present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River Rhine....
s under their chieftain Vercingetorix
Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix , born around 82 BC, died 46 BC, was tribal chief of the Arverni, originating from the Arvernian city of Gergovia and known as the man who led the Gauls in their ultimately unsuccessful war against Roman republic rule under Julius Caesar....
.

The basic objectives and tactics of a military investment have remained the same down to today. During the Second World War there were many sieges and many investments. One of the most famous sieges of the Second World War which demonstrated the tactical use of investment was the siege of Stalingrad. During the first half of the siege the Germans were unable to fully invest the city so the Soviets were able to get men and supplies into the city across the Volga River. In the second half of the battle, the complete investment of Stalingrad by the Soviets, (including air space which prevented the construction by the Germans of an adequately large airbridge
Airbridge (logistics)

An airbridge is the route and means of delivering material from one place to another by an airlift.An airbridge is the means by which an airhead is kept supplied by overflying enemy held territory....
), eventually forced the starving Germans inside the city to surrender.

See also

  • List of established military terms
    List of established military terms

    This is a list of established military terms which have been in use for at least 50 years. Technology has changed so not all of them are in current use, or they may have been superseded by more modern ones....