The human wave attack is a military tactic that relies on overwhelming numbers of attackers to subdue another force. It was used in older battles, but is now outdated due to advanced weapons and heavy casualties. Sun Tzu defined it as a last resort. The Iran-Iraq war saw unsuccessful attempts with this tactic.
The human wave attack is a military tactic that relies on massive and overwhelming numbers of attackers to subdue another force. In a sense, the attack is very brutal, as the members of the human wave attack only serve to increase the number of the attack. Heavy losses in the surge are usually the result of this form of tactic, and the military force perpetuating the attack may be forced to accept these losses in an attempt to achieve victory.
In the current history, there are not many cases of human wave attack tactics because the loss of life can be so great. Most armies also have access to much more sophisticated ranged weapons. Even in generally less advanced countries, the availability of accurate weapons for remote attack of other countries makes this method far from preferable. One incident cited in the recent history of human wave attack was the use of these waves during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. At the frontier, Iran attempted three unsuccessful uses of this tactic, resulting in extremely heavy casualties.
You are more likely to see the human wave attack referred to as part of the history of older battles. There was some use during the Korean War, Vietnam War and both world wars. It was sometimes employed to dislodge other military forces from the trenches, where they were less accessible through aerial bombardment. However, the tactic’s heavy price in sheer loss of life may diminish further attempts by those armies that employ it. Further battles with an army with a reduced population due to human attacks can mean that you won a battle, but still lost the war.
Even in antiquity, although this tactic was widely used, great military philosophers often opposed its use to avoid serious losses. Sun Tzu, who composed The Art of War in about the sixth century BC, defined this tactic as a last resort. However, many armies relied on human wave attacks in ancient and not so ancient battles, such as the American Revolutionary War.
As weapons became more advanced, human wave attack became less common. Hand-to-hand combat, which would have been a hallmark of attack in ancient times, was less preferred when people could fire muskets, rifles, or later throw grenades. While the method may be used from time to time currently, it is one that is outdated and tremendously costly in terms of casualties.
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