naval history midterm Flashcards
Guerre de course
commerce raiding aka privateering
Naval strategy focused on disrupting enemy commerce through merchant shipping.
used by weaker naval force
Significance of Guerre de course
Emphasizes importance of economic warfare
Weaken enemy resources without engaging in large scale naval battles
seen mainly in: the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812
Impressment
The act of forcibly recruiting individuals into military service, often used by the British Navy in the 18th and 19th centuries and was also used by the Confederate government during the Civil War.
Significance of Impressment
Contributed to tensions between britain and the US
One of the causes of War of 1812
Took sailors and forced them to serve for them during Napoleonic Wars
Blockade
An effort to cut off supplies, trade, or communication from a particular area by military means.
Significance of Blockade
Can cripple enemy’s economy and war effort; determining outcome of conflicts
Naval blockade by the Union along Mississippi prevented goods from getting to the confederacy.
German boats bypassed easily
Tactical/Operational/Strategic Levels of War
The three levels of military planning and execution: tactical (individual battles), operational (campaigns), and strategic (overall political war objectives).
Significance of Tactical/Operational/Strategic Levels of War
Understanding these help leaders think critically about conflict complexities
Ensures that actions at all levels are coordinated
Carl von Clausewitz’ Theory of War
Theoretical framework that emphasizes “war as a continuation of politics by other means” highlighting the interplay of chance, chaos, and human emotion (friction)
AND SOMETHING ELSE!!!
IN NOTES ON IPAD CHOOSE SOME
significance of Carl von Clausewitz’ Theory of War
Influenced military strategy and political thinking about war.
Fog of War
Friction/Fog of war: “Everything is war is very simple, but the simplest
thing is difficult.” ON NOTES IN IPAD
Attrition Warfare
a strategy where a navy aims to gradually wear down an enemy fleet by inflicting continuous losses through sustained combat, essentially winning by outlasting the opponent through sheer exhaustion of their ships, personnel, and resources, rather than seeking a single decisive battle
Maneuver Warfare
Maneuver warfare is a military strategy that uses movement, surprise, and initiative to gain an advantage over an enemy. The goal is to defeat the enemy by disrupting their ability to react, rather than by physically destroying their forces.
Civil War at sea is an example of what
war of maneuver vs. war of attrition
Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote what book? AND WHEN?
“The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783” (1890):