tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post3594015059740441869..comments2024-03-27T20:37:08.065+01:00Comments on Defence and Freedom: PursuitUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-30028762838150178642016-05-14T22:00:01.330+02:002016-05-14T22:00:01.330+02:00CvC was heavily impressed by Napoleon's pursui...CvC was heavily impressed by Napoleon's pursuit after Jena/Auerstedt, just as the same campaign caused his emphasis on a decisive battle, and focus on it.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-66490395602062188102016-05-14T20:42:21.158+02:002016-05-14T20:42:21.158+02:00"Returning now to our subject, the deduction ..."Returning now to our subject, the deduction from our reflections in relation to the first stage of pursuit is, that the energy thrown into it chiefly determines the value of the victory; that this pursuit is a second act of the victory, in many cases more important also than the first, and that strategy, whilst here approaching tactics to receive from it the completed work, exercises the first act of her authority by demanding this completion of the victory.<br /><br />But further, the effects of victory are very seldom found to stop with this first pursuit; now first begins the real career to which victory lent velocity.<br /><br />...<br /><br />In the further stages of pursuit, again, we can distinguish three degrees: the simple pursuit, a hard pursuit, and a parallel march to intercept."<br /><br />Book 4, Chapter 12 of On War. CvC also points out the importance of a <br /><br />"But there is one condition requisite to the success of this race of two corps for an object [to intercept], which is that a division [unit] of the pursuing army should follow by the same road which the pursued has taken, in order to pick up stragglers, and keep up the impression which the presence of the enemy never fails to make." <br /><br />One interesting aspect of modern forces is their sheer potential speed. In a pursuit with low force densitiy a small unit can have a outsized impact by driving far and wide with a high average marching speed. A fairly large retreating enemy with little march discipline on the other hands tends to bog down and move relatively slowly. Those trends seems to support the use of reserves/units from nearby and higher up similar to the way other assets like artillery or electronic means should be used and concentrated. The outsized impact of such small pursuing units is increased by such smart concentration of means. <br /><br />Firn <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com