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What is a Counter-Offensive?

Introduction A counter-offensive is a large-scale military strategic offensive operation, usually by forces that had successfully halted the enemy’s offensive, while occupying defensive positions. Background The counter-offensive is executed after exhausting the enemy’s front line troops and after the enemy reserves had been committed to combat and proven incapable of breaching defences, but before the… Read More

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What is a Counterattack?

Introduction A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in “war games“. The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek to regain lost ground or destroy the attacking enemy (this may take the form… Read More

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What is a Cantonment?

Introduction A cantonment is a military or police quarters. The word cantonment, derived from the French word canton, meaning corner or district, refers to a temporary military or winter encampment. For example, at the start of the Waterloo campaign in 1815, while the Duke of Wellington’s headquarters were in Brussels, most of his Anglo-allied army… Read More

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What is a Ballista?

Introduction The ballista (Latin, from Greek βαλλίστρα ballistra and that from βάλλω ballō, “throw”), plural ballistae, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an ancient missile weapon that launched either bolts or stones at a distant target. Developed from earlier Greek weapons, it relied upon different mechanics, using two levers with torsion springs instead of a tension… Read More

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What is the Agoge?

Introduction The agōgē (Greek: ἀγωγή in Attic Greek, or ἀγωγά, agōgā in Doric Greek) was the rigorous education and training programme mandated for all male Spartan citizens, except for the firstborn son in the ruling houses, Eurypontid and Agiad. The training involved cultivating loyalty to the Spartan group, military training (e.g. pain tolerance), hunting, dancing,… Read More