subject: What Is A Military Pursuit? [print this page] The term Pursuit is a term used to describe an offensive operation which is designed to destroy or cut off a retreating force. Normally this occurs after the defending force has been successfully routed. The fleeing force is normally in disarray when it is being pursued so a successful pursuit seeks to take advantage of this. This operation is hard on the pursuing force but the commander who has the upper hand will press the enemy at all costs.
There are many problems inherent in the pursuit for the retreating enemy as well as the attackers but the biggest problem for both sides is the issue of maintaining control of its individual elements. Units have to maintain discipline in order to withdraw from the battlefield successfully but this is seldom the case. Units who know that an attacking enemy is on their heels rarely remain in a designated area for the designated time. One example of this was our execution of the retrograde during the Korean War. The units which were designated to relieve the 24th Infantry Division left their posts so that the 24th had no one there to hold the line until they could reach their designated area to defend. The result was an all out rout with the 24th having to be in contact with the attacking armies for the duration of the operation.
The retreating unit may not have time to recover vehicles and other equipment which has broken down on the battlefield. Broken equipment is normally repaired or towed during normal operations but there may not be time enough to do so when the unit is being pursued. Many times communication among different elements of the retreating unit will be lost which results in more of a loss of control.
Units which are being chased may run out of supplies, food, and ammunition. Fleeing units may not be able to defend themselves because of a lack of necessary equipment. Many times retreating units will be cut off from all of the support that they need in order to survive. Many isolated units have perished during this type of operation which is the goal of the attacking force. Units which are in full retreat do not have time to prepare adequate defensive positions to keep their attackers at bay. Their defensive focus is to slow the attacking force down long enough to allow other units to get out of harms way.
The pursuit also presents a series of complicated problems for the attacking force. First of all they encounter the same command and control problems. The pursuit must allow small unit commanders to use their own initiative and promotes aggressive action. When you allow this you will not have an immediate handle on what all of the units subordinate to you are doing at any given time. It is also extremely difficult to keep pursuing units adequately resupplied. They will frequently outrun the supply trains and it is difficult to anticipate resupply points because the movement of the pursuing units is so hard to track. Pursuing units also often outrun lines of communication in that they may frequently travel beyond radio range. Friendly and enemy units will become intermingled during this type of operation which increases the chances that aircraft or artillery will fire on their own troops.
Pursuing units will frequently use captured enemy equipment and supplies rather than wait on their own resupply because pursuing commanders will not want to lose the momentum that they have built during the attack. href=http://www.militaryringexpress.com/products> Military Ring Express
