Abatis

Abatisses are used in war to keep the approaching enemy under fire for as long as possible.

Abatis in front of the Union trench lines at Petersburg in 1865

Anabatis,abattis,orabbattisis a fieldfortificationconsisting of an obstacle formed (in the modern era) of the branches of trees laid in a row, with the sharpened tops directed outwards, towards the enemy. The trees are usually interlaced or tied withwire.Abatis are used alone or in combination withwire entanglementsand other obstacles.

In Slavic languages it is known aszaseka,a position behind sharpened objects.

History

Abatis improvised by Japanese troops duringWorld War II

There is evidence it was used as early as theRoman Imperialperiod, and as recently as theAmerican Civil Warand theAnglo-Zulu Warof 1879.

Gregory of Toursmentions the use of abatises several times in his writing about the history of the early Franks. He wrote that the Franks ambushed and destroyed a Roman army nearNeussduring the reign ofMagnus Maximuswith the use of an abatis. He also wrote thatMummolus,a general working for Burgundy, successfully used an abatis to defeat aLombardarmy nearEmbrun.

A classic use of an abatis was at theBattle of Carillon(1758) during the Seven Years' War. The 3,600 French troops defeated a massive army of 16,000 British and Colonial troops by fronting their defensive positions with an extremely dense abatis. The British found the defences almost impossible to breach and were forced to withdraw with some 2,600 casualties. Other uses of an abatis can be found at theBattle of the Chateauguay,26 October 1813, when approximately 1,300Canadian Voltigeurs,under the command of Charles-Michel de Salaberry, defeated an American corps of approximately 4,000 men, or at theBattle of Plattsburgh.

Construction

Giant abatis, made from entire trees, can make an effective anti-vehicle obstacle. This formation can be achieved by use of explosives—note the splintered stumps

Abatis can be defeated bydozer blades,as fitted here to a BritishChallenger 2tank

An important weakness of abatis, in contrast tobarbed wire,is that it can be destroyed byfire.Also, if laced together withropeinstead ofwire,the rope can be very quickly destroyed by such fires, after which the abatis can be quickly pulled apart bygrappling hooksthrown from a safe distance.

An important advantage is that an improvised abatis can be quickly formed in forested areas. This can be done by simply cutting down a row of trees so that they fall with their tops toward the enemy. An alternative is to place explosives so as to blow the trees down.

Modern use

Abatis are rarely seen nowadays, having been largely replaced bywire obstacles.However, it may be used as a replacement or supplement whenbarbed wireis in short supply. A form of giant abatis, using whole trees instead of branches, can be used as an improvised anti-tankobstacle.

Though rarely used by modern conventional military units, abatises are still officially maintained inUnited States ArmyandMarine Corpstraining. Current US training instructs engineers or other constructors of such obstacles to fell trees, leaving a 1 or 2 yards (0.9 or 1.8 m) stump, in such a manner as the trees fall interlocked pointing at a 45-degree angle towards the direction of approach of the enemy. Furthermore, it is recommended that the trees remain connected to the stumps and the length of roadway covered be at least 80 yards (75 m). US military maps record an abatis by use of an inverted "V" with a short line extending from it to the right.

See also

• Great Zasechnaya cherta

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Abatis".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

• Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldierincludes large and authentic reproduction of abatis used in the U.S. Civil War.