spoiling attack

spoiling attack

A tactical maneuver employed to seriously impair a hostile attack while the enemy is in the process of forming or assembling for an attack. Usually employed by armored units in defense by an attack on enemy assembly positions in front of a main line of resistance or battle position.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
References in periodicals archive ?
The advance to Chor went according to plan but the advance from Islamgarh was abandoned because what he calls the Spoiling Attack" by 18 Division (the appearance of tanks in his rear at Longanewala) and secondly the loose sand" that had been encountered.
When the French entered the war on the side of the Americans, the Culper Ring warned General Washington about a pending British spoiling attack on the newly arrived French forces.
Negus Negusti army conducted a spoiling attack which caught the Italians off guard.
Despite the brewer's spoiling attack, however, this will be a hard fight to win.
"Despite their losses, we are not dis-counting the possibility of spoiling attacks in retaliation to our latest exploit.
Brawner said the militants were no longer capable of mounting large-scale attacks, but could still stage "spoiling attacks" to make their presence felt.
You can also launch pre-emptive strikes, spoiling attacks, or other manoeuvres that avoid trouble spots and get you quickly to your objective.
In an attempt to relieve pressure by anti-ISIS forces on numerous fronts, ISIS has recently launched spoiling attacks across Iraq, according to an Iraq situation (http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/12/22/ISIS-lost-14-pct-of-its-territory-in-2015-report.html) report published by the Institute for the Study of War.
BUDDE: "I flew two spoiling attacks. In other words, we shelled buildings." BARTELS: "But not destructive attacks with a specific target, like we did?" BUDDE: "Naah, just spoiling attacks.
BUDDE: "Naah, just spoiling attacks. We encountered some of the nicest targets, like mansions built on a mountainside.
With the success of his 1965 offensive strategy in stemming the tide of the communist offensive, Westmoreland seized the opportunity and altered his tactics in the early portion of 1966 by initiating spoiling attacks against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese units throughout South Vietnam.
When Iraqi armored forces launched spoiling attacks into Saudi Arabia in late January 1991, and were summarily repulsed, it was evident that coalition forces were facing an inept, outgunned, and dispirited foe.