Why was encirclement so deadly to armies?

It’s been a reoccurring theme that an encircled army is forced to surrender, and so I’m sure the reasons must extremely forceful, I just don’t know what those reasons are.

It’s also super hard to understand how the corridors that pincer shut a salient are not as vulnerable as the salient, but this might be unnecessary and additional!

Leon

1 Like

Encirclement is deadly because encirlced unit is out of supply and reinforcements and it is assaulted from every direction.

To more deeply, encircled unit can’t get more ammo or food to replace those spend and without reinforcements unit can’t replace casualties, thus lowering its combat abilities. There is also no relief for tired soldiers as the enemy can attack from multiple directions simultaneoulsy. Where you would go, where to retreat? Nowhere, they’re everywhere!

Those units that are part of a pincer to shut a salient are not as vulnerable because they are still in supply and can get reinforcements to replace losses and cycle fresh troops.

6 Likes

As previously stated encircled armies rarely had access to supplies, reinforcements and food or drink. Sometimes encircled armies were lucky enough to get air supply drops but to supply 200-600,000 personnel requires a lot of air drops and Generally required air superiority. Unfortunately the wounded in many cases in encircled armies were generally the first to suffer from lack of medicine and proper care and were sometimes left to fend for themselves or were offered to the opposing force for mercy.

Encircled armies fought as long as they could until relief came, they broke out or were left without choice but to surrender. In WW2 this is how many soldiers became prisoners of war.

4 Likes