![]() ![]() They had the element of surprise, and this was also aided by the defection of Arminius from Roman ranks prior to the battle. They took cover in difficult forested terrain, allowing the warriors time and space to mass without detection. The Germanic forces demonstrated several principles needed for a successful ambush. This particular ambush was to affect the course of Western history. Possibly the most famous ambush in ancient warfare was that sprung by Germanic warchief Arminius against the Romans at Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Viriathus later defeated Servilianus with a surprise attack. The ambush allowed Curius and Apuleius to steal Servilianus's loot train, although a tactic error in their retreat led to the Romans retaking the train and putting the Lusitanians to flight. Another famous Lusitanian ambush was performed by Curius and Apuleius on Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus Servilianus, who led a numerically superior army complete with war elephants and Numidian cavalry. ![]() Viriathus's ability to turn chases into ambushes would grant him victories over a number of Roman generals. In his first victory, he eluded the siege of Roman praetor Gaius Vetilius and attracted him to a narrow pass next to the Barbesuda river, where he destroyed his army and killed the praetor. Their usual tactic, called concursare, involved repeatedly charging and retreating, forcing the enemy to eventually give them chase, in order to set up ambushes in difficult terrain where allied forces would be awaiting. Īmbushes were widely utilized by the Lusitanians, in particular by their chieftain Viriathus. This ability to maintain discipline and break out or maneuver away from a kill zone is a hallmark of good troops and training in any ambush situation. Although most of the legions were lost, about 10,000 Romans cut their way through to safety, maintaining unit cohesion. Nevertheless, the battle also displays the effects of good tactical discipline on the part of the ambushed force. The result was slaughter and defeat for the Romans. When the Roman infantry became entangled in combat with his army, the hidden ambush force attacked the Roman infantry in the rear. He had noticed, says Polybius, a "place between the two camps, flat indeed and treeless, but well adapted for an ambuscade, as it was traversed by a water-course with steep banks, densely overgrown with brambles and other thorny plants, and here he proposed to lay a stratagem to surprise the enemy". Hannibal encamped within striking distance of the Romans with the Trebia River between them, and placed a strong force of cavalry and infantry in concealment, near the battle zone. One example from ancient times is the Battle of the Trebia river. This use by early people of ambushing may date as far back as two million years when anthropologists have recently suggested that ambush techniques were used to hunt large game. Sometimes an ambush can involve the exclusive or combined use of improvised explosive devices, that allow the attackers to hit enemy convoys or patrols while minimizing the risk of being exposed to return fire. Theoretically, a single well-armed and concealed soldier could ambush other troops in a surprise attack. In the 20th century, an ambush might involve thousands of soldiers on a large scale, such as over a choke point such as a mountain pass, or a small irregulars band or insurgent group attacking a regular armed force patrols. Ambushes have been used consistently throughout history, from ancient to modern warfare. The Bắc Lệ ambush: French marine infantry deploy beneath the Nui Đồng Nai cliffs in 1884 General Braddock's troops ambushed and decimated by the French and Indians in 1755 Depiction of a Zulu attack on a Boer camp in February 1838 Massacre of Elphinstone's army during the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1842 Ambush of Polish partisans against Russian forces during the January Uprising, 1863Īn ambush is a surprise attack by people lying in wait in a concealed position. JSTOR ( August 2007) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification. ![]()
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