Ambush facts for kids
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An ambush ( also called a surprise attack) is a long-established military tactic. It is a surprise attack from a hidden position against an enemy. The enemy may be moving or they may have stopped. Ambush uses the element of surprise to confuse the enemy soldiers long enough to be successful.
Unlike other surprise attacks, the point of an ambush is not to gain territory. Instead it may be used to harass an enemy. It may also be used to capture or destroy key assets (people, equipment, supplies, etc.).
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In history
One of the earliest recorded use of the ambush was in 9 AD in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. A Germanic leader Arminius ambushed three Roman legions under the command of Varus. The 20,000 Roman soldiers were strung out in a long line of march through the densely wooded forest. They fought for days but in the end the Romans were completely destroyed. This was not just a military victory, it was a psychological victory over the Romans.
Related pages
Images for kids
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The Bắc Lệ ambush: French marine infantry deploy beneath the Nui Đồng Nai cliffs in 1884
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General Braddock's troops ambushed and decimated by the French and Indians in 1755
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Ambush of Polish partisans during the January Uprising
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US Army idealised linear ambush plan
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US Army idealised L-shaped ambush plan
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The VC/NVA prepared the battlefield carefully. Siting automatic weapons at treetop level for example helped shoot down several US helicopters during the Battle of Dak To, 1967
See also
In Spanish: Emboscada para niños
