Breakout (military)

[2] That was the case in 1944 in the Saint Lo Breakout in which a large portion of the force's movement was restricted by water and not in fact by enemy positions.

Consider a small detachment of marines with more than sufficient amphibious transports and a significant military presence at sea, such as the beginning stages of the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War.

As the situation on the Western Front during the First World War has been widely regarded as a single continent-long siege, rather than a series of distinct battles, it is possible to consider offensive action from the Allies as a type of breakout.

[8] [9] Similarly, as is seen at the Battle of Sarikamish, mountainous terrain remained a significant obstacle to military movement and could inflict numerous casualties.

[11] In the case of the Battle for North Africa, a variation of the tactic was used by German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, who secured both his flanks before quickly penetrating into the enemy's rear.

[14][15][16] The US Army lists four conditions, one of which normally exists when a force attempts a breakout maneuver: Of necessity, the broad concept is subject to interpretation.

[19] The maneuver was an improvisation after Soviet General Georgy Zhukov concentrated his blocking forces southwards, where the German breakout had been anticipated.