Inundation

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Inundation plan of the New Dutch Waterline with 46 forts over 85 kilometers in length, 19th century

Inundation or inundation is used in the technical jargon of geographers as a synonym for a naturally caused flooding of dry or damp areas. In military parlance, the term means "an artificial flood for military purposes". The word goes back to the Latin inundatio "flood", which is derived from unda "wave".

In the narrower military sense, inundation means a defined strategic and tactical means of defense war to prevent an enemy from advancing or occupying. The Netherlands and other low-lying areas in particular have had success with this defense in the past. During the Eighty Years' War , the towns of Alkmaar and Leiden , besieged by the Spaniards, were held by the submergence of the surrounding polders in 1573 and 1574 . In the 19th century the New Dutch Waterline was established and modernized repeatedly. Part of this waterline still exists. It is made up of a system of forts , sluices through which the water is to flow into the area to be flooded, and bunkers . The Dutch waterline has been classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO .

This strategic tool was also used during World War II . After the US landed in Normandy , the German occupation forces used inundations as a means to hinder the Allied advance. The landing of the Allies in Normandy in 1944 was also referred to as "the inundation".

The flooding of the Lin plain was part of the military line of defense of the Swiss Army in World War II against an enemy incursion from the north. The Linth Plain was a preferred axis of incidence for mechanized units and airborne troops involved in German operations planning because it enabled access to the Schwyz basin and towards the Gotthard .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Henning Eichberg: Military and Technology. Düsseldorf 1976, p. 286
  2. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.waterliniekennis.nl
  3. ^ Friso Wielinga: The Netherlands. Politics and Political Culture in the 20th Century , p. 248.
  4. ↑ Brockhaus Encyclopedia in 24 volumes. Volume 10, 1986, sv Inundation

literature

  • Chris Will: Sterk Water. De Hollandse Waterlinie. Utrecht 2002, ISBN 90-5345-204-4 (Dutch)