A tactical withdrawal or retreating defensive action is a type of military operation , generally meaning that retreating forces draw back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to consolidate forces, to occupy ground that is more easily defended, force the enemy to overextend to secure a decisive victory, or to lead the enemy into an ambush . It is considered a relatively risky operation, requiring discipline to keep from turning into a disorganized rout or at the very least doing severe damage to the military 's morale .
6-871: The Steppe March (Russian: Степной поход) was a successful military withdrawal by the Don Cossacks in Spring 1918, towards the steppe around the Sal River , to ensure their survival under attack from the Red Army . In January–February 1918, the Red Army had conducted the successful Donbass-Don Operation in which Rostov-on-Don was occupied on February 23, and the Cossack capital Novocherkassk on February 25. The Don Cossack Ataman Alexei Kaledin committed suicide on 11 February 1918. The Volunteer Army under
12-406: A case, the retreating force may use a number of tactics and strategies to further impede the enemy's progress. That could include setting mines or booby traps during or before the withdrawal, leading the enemy into prepared artillery barrages, or using of scorched-earth tactics. In warfare, the long-term objective is the defeat of the enemy. An effective tactical method is the demoralisation of
18-614: The combined force, Popov organized Southern, Northern and Trans-Don army groups, under S. V. Denisov, Semiletov, and Semenov respectively. On 6 May, the Southern group helped capture Novocherkassk , which coincided with the German advance, and the arrival of Mikhail Drozdovsky 's men from Romania. Withdrawal (military) A withdrawal may be anticipated, as when a defending force is outmatched or on disadvantageous ground, but it must cause as much damage to an enemy as possible. In such
24-594: The command of Generals Mikhail Alekseev and General Lavr Kornilov retreated during the Ice March to the Kuban . Field Ataman Popov's Don Cossacks didn't want to leave the Don and instead departed toward the river Sal on 26 February. Popov's force included 1500 Cossacks, five guns, and 40 machine guns. On 23 April, Popov's force, now diminished to 1000, linked up with K. S. Poliakov's Zaplavskaia army at Konstantinovskaia. From
30-413: The enemy by defeating its army and routing it from the battlefield. Once a force has become disorganized and has lost its ability to fight, the victors can chase down the enemy's remnants and attempt to cause as many casualties or to take as many prisoners as possible. However, a commander must weigh the advantages of pursuit of a disorganised enemy against the possibility that the enemy may rally and leave
36-415: The pursuing force vulnerable, with longer lines of communications that are vulnerable to a counterattack . That causes the value of a feigned retreat. The act of feigning a withdrawal or rout to lure an enemy away from a defended position or into a prepared ambush is an ancient tactic, which has been used throughout the history of warfare. Three famous examples are: "It was murder. They rolled right into
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