On the battlefield, retreat does not represent defeat and is often a strategic shift. You must know that war is a contest of resource consumption, and the preservation of the main force is the key to ultimate victory. In some cases, if you continue to fight, the main force will be severely damaged or even completely annihilated, and retreat will become a wise choice to preserve the main force. By retreating, it is possible to retain enough troops and equipment to provide greater resistance for future campaigns.
The situation on the battlefield is often changing rapidly, and sometimes the original battle plan and strategic layout may become invalid due to changes in the enemy's situation. In this case, the retreat can provide the army with an opportunity to reorganize and adjust. With a temporary retreat, commanders can reassess the situation, revise tactics, and redeploy forces to meet new challenges.
On the battlefield, being surrounded and isolated by enemy forces is an extremely dangerous situation that can lead to the annihilation of an entire army. In the face of such a situation, a timely retreat can avoid this danger, maintain the army's space for maneuver and mobility, and reserve more options for future operations. It can be seen that retreat is a strategy. In the history of World War II, there were two great retreats, one to save China and the other to save the world.
The Red Army's Long March was a great battle of historical significance in China. The Red Army's Long March began in October 1934 and lasted about a year, ending in October 1935. During this long journey, the Red Army faced great difficulties and challenges. Not only did they have to cross steep mountains and rivers, cross turbulent rivers, walk through barren grasslands, and climb over cold snow-capped mountains, but they also had to deal with the encirclement, interception, and sniping of the national army, as well as the cruel test of the natural environment. During the 25,000-mile Long March, the Red Army suffered great losses, but it also showed tenacious perseverance and indomitable will.
The main purpose of the Red Army's Long March was to go north to resist Japan, get rid of the enemy's "encirclement and suppression", transfer the main force to the Soviet base area, and join forces with the Red Army in northern Shaanxi. At that time, the Red Army crossed the Sichuan-Yunnan Soviet region from Xiangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan and other regions, and finally entered the northern Shaanxi region. While shifting, he fought more than 600 battles with the enemy, captured more than 700 strategic points, and finally completed the three major Red Army divisions. The significance of the Red Army's Long March was far-reaching and significant. It laid the foundation for our army's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation. It also injected new vitality and confidence into the cause of the Chinese revolution. It is also a great miracle of humanity.
On the European battlefield at that time, there was also a retreat written in the textbooks, that is, the Dunkirk retreat. It took place in May 1940, in the middle of World War II, when the German army had achieved overwhelming superiority in Western Europe, and in order to preserve its strength, the Anglo-French forces were forced to retreat from Dunkirk. In the face of the encirclement and interception of the German army, the British and French forces showed excellent organization and command skills, successfully evacuated 400,000 soldiers in extreme difficulties, and saved the main force of the Western Allied forces.
The retreat was regarded as a feat of World War II, as it not only effectively preserved the main forces of the Anglo-French forces, but also saved the strategic position of the Western allies. This retreat allowed the British to regroup their forces and continue to fight the Germans, laying the groundwork for a later counteroffensive. At that time, the German army did not attack the French Maginot Line, as everyone expected, but crossed the river from Sedan to attack France. For a time, under the heavy bombardment of the German army, 400,000 British and French troops were forced to the narrow area of Dunkirk.
In the face of the German army with more than 3,000 tanks in 136 divisions, Britain and France could not defeat it at all, and in the end there was only one way to retreat, otherwise the German artillery fire would soon attack. In the end, after losing all heavy weapons and not even guns, 336,000 people were transferred in one week. This gave Britain and France a chance to breathe. It provided more vitality for the victory in World War II.
The Red Army's Long March and the Dunkirk retreat were both great events in history, proving that the retreat was not a failure, but a manifestation of a flexible response and strategic adjustment. In the face of adversity, the military needs to have tenacious perseverance and flexible thinking in order to turn setbacks into opportunities and ultimately succeed.