The Pincer Effect

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Bruce Ivar Gudmundsson

Jan 03, 2023

This page makes it easier for readers to enjoy an article that was published in installments.

The Tactical Notebook

The Pincer Effect (Part I)

The most remarkable thing about modern weapons is not their destructiveness. Rather, it is the ability of human beings to counter-act their effects. A slight irregularity in the ground will protect a prone man from a burst of .50 caliber machine gun fire that, had he been standing, would literally cut him in half. A bit of overhead cover - a few logs p…

3 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

The Pincer Effect (Part II)

Tactics that make use of this “pincer principle” are called combined arms tactics. Such tactics use two tactical actions (the “arms”), each of which alone is relatively weak, and combine them to put the enemy in a situation where he is “damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t…

3 years ago · 2 likes · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

The Pincer Effect (Part III)

The classic application of the “pincer effect” is the technique fire and maneuver. A force divides itself into two elements. The first is called the “base of fire.” The second is called the “maneuver element.” The base of fire positions itself where it can deliver enough fire to keep the enemy suppressed. The maneuver element then takes advantage of tha…

3 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

The Pincer Effect (Part IV)

A crossfire sets up a pincer action that creates a dilemma in space. Whichever way the enemy turns he makes himself vulnerable to fire from the other direction. The “lifting barrage,” however, creates a dilemma of time. In particular, it exploits the fact that military units need a period of time, however brief, to switch from one activity to another…

3 years ago · 2 likes · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

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