Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:42 pm
"Entrenchment" is an abstraction. If I hold Alexandria as the CSA and the Union attacks across the Potomac, then my force would supposedly be entrenched along the river bank. If the Union troops instead came ashore behind me, my troops would miraculously be dug in along the region's coast. Obviously, the entire armies of either side would not be sufficient to man a continuos line of trenches all the way around even one single region. So what is happening?
As the defender, I know the lay of the land. When my scouts report an intruding army, I march my forces to "good ground" and make ready for battle. I issue orders to hold a hilltop, or cover a ford or bridge. Maybe fortune has given me a railway cut or stone fence to defend. As the war progresses, the Generals improve at choosing better and better fighting positions.
That said, the effect of entrenchment is to stop about 9% of the hits scored per level of entrenchment. This effect stops at level 4, so that would be 36%. The additional levels of entrenchment above 4 only add to the accuracy of artillery fire. So about a third of the soldier's body is protected at max entrenchment. That hardly seems like a trench system of bunkers, barb wire and interlocked machinegun nests
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!