Coup de main
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A coup de main is a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow. The United States Department of Defense defines it as:
| “ | An offensive operation that capitalizes on surprise and simultaneous execution of supporting operations to achieve success in one swift stroke. [1] | ” |
The literal translation from French means a stroke or blow of the hand[2]. The term coup de main originally meant "by direct assault rather than by artillery"[3].
The very first airborne assault in the Battle of Normandy, on Pegasus Bridge, is an example of a "coup de main" operation, and is sometimes referred to as Operation Coup de Main, though this is incorrect -- the code name for this operation still has not been released to this day, as it is of the classification known as "Bigot" a level of classification in the British Government above top secret[citation needed].
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ covering force, DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
- ^ in French, coup de main can also mean "a helping hand" (informal language), or "know-how".
- ^ Dictionnaire de l'Académie françoise (1765)
 |
This military article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
