KnowraFlanking maneuverFlanking maneuverA military attack against an enemy’s side or rear, intended to bypass its front and gain a tactical advantage.BriefConnectEnvelopment: A maneuver that surrounds an enemy force or attacks it from multiple directions. A flanking maneuver becomes an envelopment when forces move around both sides or fully encircle the enemy.Battle of Cannae: A 216 BCE battle in which Hannibal’s army encircled and destroyed a larger Roman force. Hannibal’s wings enveloped the Roman advance, making Cannae a classic example of double envelopment.Frontal assault: An attack directed against an enemy’s front, often across its strongest defensive position. Unlike a flanking maneuver, it confronts the enemy’s forward defenses directly.Flank (military): The side of a military formation or the area along either end of its line. The flank is the part of an enemy formation that the maneuver targets.Refused flank: A defensive arrangement in which one side of a line is withdrawn or angled back to reduce its exposure. A refused flank denies an attacker an easy route around that side.Turning movement: A maneuver that avoids a defended position to threaten an enemy’s rear or lines of communication. It seeks the same positional advantage as a flank attack but often forces the enemy to move rather than fight in place.Battle of Leuthen: A 1757 battle in which Frederick the Great defeated a larger Austrian army in Silesia. A concealed Prussian march shifted the main attack toward the Austrian flank.Infiltration tactics: Tactics in which small units penetrate gaps in an enemy’s defenses to disrupt positions behind the front. Infiltration passes through defensive gaps rather than maneuvering around an exposed side.Line of battle: The arrangement of forces deployed to engage an opposing force. A formation’s front and ends define where its flanks lie.Hedgehog defense: A defense organized into mutually supporting strongpoints designed to resist encirclement. Hedgehog positions can remain effective even when an attacker moves around the main line.Show all 26Linked from 6 pagesJames LongstreetRelated: At Second Bull Run and Chickamauga, Longstreet’s forces delivered powerful attacks against Union flanks.Stonewall JacksonRelated: At Chancellorsville, Jackson’s concealed march struck the Union right flank.Winfield ScottRelated: Scott repeatedly used routes around Mexican defenses, notably at Cerro Gordo.B. H. Liddell HartRelated: Flank pressure exemplifies how an indirect line can avoid a prepared front.Show all 6