Reverse slope defence
Encyclopedia
A reverse slope defence is a military tactic
where a defending force is positioned on the slope of an elevated terrain
feature such as a hill, ridge, or mountain, on the side opposite from the attacking force. This tactic hinders both the attacker's ability to observe the defender's positions as well as the effectiveness of the attacker's long-range weapons, such as tanks and artillery
A defending unit usually does not conduct a reverse-slope defence along its entire front; however, there are situations where subordinate units and weapon systems may be positioned on the reverse slope. This may be a wise choice when enemy forces have superior long-range direct-fire or indirect-fire
weapons. The defending force uses the hill to limit enemy observation reducing the effectiveness of long-range enemy fire. It may even succeed in deceiving the enemy as to the true location and organisation of the main defensive positions. As the attacker advances and passes over the top of the hill, they may be ambush
ed by short-range fire from the defender.
who used it repeatedly during the Napoleonic Wars
to defeat the French infantry
tactic of attacking in column
s. By placing a ridge between his own army and his opponent's, and having his troops lie down, Wellington was able both to protect his troops from French artillery fire and to surprise the attacking French infantry by having his troops stand up at the last moment and deliver volleys of musketry
at close range. So often were the French beaten in this manner it prompted Wellington to comment, "They came on in the same old way and we defeated them in the same old way."
's defence of Henry House Hill during the First Battle of Manassas where he ordered his soldiers to lie down below the crest of the hill in order to avoid Union artillery.
Winfield Scott Hancock
's counter-attack against Jubal Early at the Battle of Williamsburg
.
by American paratroopers, German forces (elements of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division
and 6th Fallschirmjäger
Regiment) counterattacked in an attempt to recapture this strategically vital town on 13 June 1944. Elements of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division (502nd and 506th Parachute Infantry Regiments (PIR)) met the enemy advance southwest of Carentan at the Battle of Bloody Gulch.
The terrain offered the Americans the opportunity of a reverse slope defence and two companies of the 506th PIR lined up along the hedgerows at the bottom of Hill 30. The American troops were outnumbered and being hit with tank
and assault gun
fire, but the reverse incline enabled them to direct all their firepower at the Germans as they appeared over the top of the hill. Although they were almost overrun, their position gave them enough of an advantage to hold their ground until they were relieved by the U.S. 2nd Armored Division
.
At the Battle of Wireless Ridge
, when 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
(2 Para) occupied Argentine positions, they were on a reverse slope from the enemy, protected from Argentine artillery fire.
, the American 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment came upon eight Iraqi tanks after crossing a ridge. Rather than retreating, 2nd ACR used their mutal surprise to its advantage, and executed a hasty attack
on the Iraqi tanks. Charging at the tanks, and firing while moving, the American tanks were able to destroy the Iraqi tanks before they could counterattack, with no American casualties.
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
where a defending force is positioned on the slope of an elevated terrain
Terrain
Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...
feature such as a hill, ridge, or mountain, on the side opposite from the attacking force. This tactic hinders both the attacker's ability to observe the defender's positions as well as the effectiveness of the attacker's long-range weapons, such as tanks and artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
A defending unit usually does not conduct a reverse-slope defence along its entire front; however, there are situations where subordinate units and weapon systems may be positioned on the reverse slope. This may be a wise choice when enemy forces have superior long-range direct-fire or indirect-fire
Indirect fire
Indirect fire means aiming and firing a projectile in a high trajectory without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire...
weapons. The defending force uses the hill to limit enemy observation reducing the effectiveness of long-range enemy fire. It may even succeed in deceiving the enemy as to the true location and organisation of the main defensive positions. As the attacker advances and passes over the top of the hill, they may be ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
ed by short-range fire from the defender.
Napoleonic Wars
The most well-known proponent of the tactic was the Duke of WellingtonArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
who used it repeatedly during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
to defeat the French infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
tactic of attacking in column
Column (formation)
A military column is a formation of soldiers marching together in one or more files in which the file is significantly longer than the width of ranks in the formation...
s. By placing a ridge between his own army and his opponent's, and having his troops lie down, Wellington was able both to protect his troops from French artillery fire and to surprise the attacking French infantry by having his troops stand up at the last moment and deliver volleys of musketry
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
at close range. So often were the French beaten in this manner it prompted Wellington to comment, "They came on in the same old way and we defeated them in the same old way."
American Civil War
Stonewall JacksonStonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
's defence of Henry House Hill during the First Battle of Manassas where he ordered his soldiers to lie down below the crest of the hill in order to avoid Union artillery.
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
's counter-attack against Jubal Early at the Battle of Williamsburg
Battle of Williamsburg
The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War...
.
World War II
After the capture of CarentanCarentan
Carentan is a small rural town near the north-eastern base of the French Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy in north-western France near the port city of Cherbourg-Octeville. Carentan has a population somewhat over 6,000 and is now administratively organized as a commune in the Manche department...
by American paratroopers, German forces (elements of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division
17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen
The 17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Götz von Berlichingen was a German SS panzergrenadier division which saw action on the Western Front during World War II.-Formation and training:...
and 6th Fallschirmjäger
Fallschirmjäger
are German paratroopers. Together with the Gebirgsjäger they are perceived as the elite infantry units of the German Army....
Regiment) counterattacked in an attempt to recapture this strategically vital town on 13 June 1944. Elements of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division (502nd and 506th Parachute Infantry Regiments (PIR)) met the enemy advance southwest of Carentan at the Battle of Bloody Gulch.
The terrain offered the Americans the opportunity of a reverse slope defence and two companies of the 506th PIR lined up along the hedgerows at the bottom of Hill 30. The American troops were outnumbered and being hit with tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
and assault gun
Assault gun
An assault gun is a gun or howitzer mounted on a motor vehicle or armored chassis, designed for use in the direct fire role in support of infantry when attacking other infantry or fortified positions....
fire, but the reverse incline enabled them to direct all their firepower at the Germans as they appeared over the top of the hill. Although they were almost overrun, their position gave them enough of an advantage to hold their ground until they were relieved by the U.S. 2nd Armored Division
U.S. 2nd Armored Division
The 2nd Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army. The division played an important role during World War II in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily and the liberation of France, Belgium, and Holland and the invasion of Germany...
.
Falklands
Argentine defensive positions were on the forward slopes.At the Battle of Wireless Ridge
Battle of Wireless Ridge
The Battle of Wireless Ridge was an engagement of the Falklands War which took place on the night of 13 June and 14 June 1982, between British and Argentine forces during the advance towards the Argentine-occupied capital of the Falklands Stanley. Wireless Ridge was one of seven strategic hills...
, when 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
The Second Battalion, The Parachute Regiment is a battalion-sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and subordinate unit within 16th Air Assault Brigade whose Commanding Officer was Lieutenant Colonel Joseph O'Sullivan....
(2 Para) occupied Argentine positions, they were on a reverse slope from the enemy, protected from Argentine artillery fire.
The Persian Gulf War
During the early stages of the Battle of 73 EastingBattle of 73 Easting
The Battle of 73 Easting was a decisive tank battle fought on 26 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between American-British armored forces and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard. The battle took place several hours after the Battle of Al Busayyah...
, the American 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment came upon eight Iraqi tanks after crossing a ridge. Rather than retreating, 2nd ACR used their mutal surprise to its advantage, and executed a hasty attack
Hasty attack
Hasty attack is a specific form of attack identified within United States military doctrine, in which upon contact with an enemy that is unprepared a unit decides to conduct an attack with limited planning and coordination and with rapid preparation and execution to exploit an enemy's weakness...
on the Iraqi tanks. Charging at the tanks, and firing while moving, the American tanks were able to destroy the Iraqi tanks before they could counterattack, with no American casualties.