Suicide charge

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In military terminology, a "suicide charge" refers to a charge, usually of infantry or cavalry, into a strong and/or heavily fortified enemy, usually with the intent of breaking the offensive/defensive line and allowing subsequent forces to advance through the breach, or drive the attackers off. This tactic is usually only made after other conventional strategy has failed or as a final act of desperation by field officers. A number of well-known examples of this involved the use of the machine gun in the American Civil War and World War I; squads were forced to climb from the trenches and advance into heavy fire, with high casualty rates--hence the "suicide" description.

The term can also describe a rear guard action in which a portion of a military force turn and fight their pursuers in an attempt to allow the rest of their comrades to escape.

[edit] See also

• Human wave attack
• Suicide attack