Scorched earth

: This article is about the military strategy. See Scorched Earth (computer game) for the computer game.

Related Topics:
Scorched Earth (computer game) - Computer game

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Scorched earth is a military tactic which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy whilst advancing through or withdrawing from an area. The name refers to the practice of burning crops to deny the enemy food sources, although it is by no means limited to food stocks with transportation, communications and industrial resources often of equal or greater military value in modern warfare where food stocks are often externally sourced i.e. ration packs. The practice may be carried out by an army in enemy territory, or by an army in its own home territory.

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The tactic can also be used aggressively to cripple an enemy's ability to operate and fight in their own territory. General Sherman's March to the Sea during the American Civil War and the German destruction of its rail network as it retreated during World War Two are well known examples. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese soldiers destroyed dams and levees in an attempt to flood the land to slow down the advancement of Japanese soldiers. This policy resulted in the 1938 Huang He flood.

Related Topics:
General Sherman - March to the Sea - American Civil War - German - World War Two - Second Sino-Japanese War - Huang He

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During the Napoleonic Wars, scorched earth policies were successfully employed in both Spain (see Peninsular War) and Russia (see Napoleon's invasion of Russia). Contrary to popular opinion maintained mainly by the Tolstoy novel War and Peace, in Russia the tactic was first proposed not by Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov but Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly.

Related Topics:
Napoleonic Wars - Spain - Peninsular War - Russia - Napoleon's invasion of Russia - Tolstoy - War and Peace - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov - Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly

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