Enfilade Fire

Definition

Gunfire directed along the length of an enemy formation rather than frontally, maximizing casualties as each bullet has multiple potential targets. The military's way of saying "bowling for soldiers" with significantly grimmer implications.

Example Usage

Position the machine gun to achieve enfilade fire down that trench line—one burst will suppress the entire position.

Origin

French military term 'enfiler' (to thread), used since 18th century

Fun Fact

This tactic is why competent troops don't bunch up in straight lines anymore—a lesson learned painfully during the linear warfare era.

Source: Military tactics manuals and artillery doctrine

Related Terms

Beginner

check fire

Command to immediately cease firing weapons, often issued to prevent fratricide or civilian casualties. The phrase that turns chaos into silence faster than anything else in combat.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Beginner

scuttlebutt

Military rumors, gossip, or unofficial information passed around the ranks. Originally naval slang from the water cask where sailors gathered to chat, it's now the military's internal social media before social media existed.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Intermediate

airlift

Emergency transportation of troops, civilians, or supplies by aircraft when ground routes are compromised, destroyed, or simply too slow. Think of it as Amazon Prime for war zones and disaster areas, except the delivery drones are C-130 cargo planes. The Berlin Airlift made it famous; humanitarian crises keep it relevant.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Intermediate

ballistic

Technically refers to projectiles moving under their own momentum, gravity, and air resistance after launch—the physics of things that go up and must come down. Colloquially means going absolutely berserk with rage, as in "going ballistic." The dual meaning captures both missiles and tempers reaching peak trajectory before inevitable explosive impact.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Beginner

ranger roll

A specific method of tightly rolling clothing into compact cylinders for efficient packing, named after Army Rangers but taught across services. Makes maximum use of limited space in rucksacks.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Intermediate

troop

A small cavalry or armored unit commanded by a captain, roughly equivalent to an infantry platoon. Also used collectively to describe any gathering of soldiers, though civilians insist on using it incorrectly as a singular noun for one soldier. Military folks cringe every time someone says "a troop" when they mean "a service member."

🎖️ Military / Defense

Translate This Term

See “Enfilade Fire” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Intermediate

cafeteria plan

A benefits program allowing employees to choose from various options like a cafeteria line, allocating dollars across he...