preparation fire
- noun
- Specialized
:
fuego de preparación
- The commander ordered preparation fire to soften enemy defenses before advancing.
Examples
-
The unit waited patiently as the preparation fire pounded the enemy bunkers.
-
Heavy preparation fire was used to disrupt the opposing forces' supply lines.
-
The troops called for preparation fire before advancing.
-
We need to coordinate the preparation fires with the air support.
-
The commander ordered a heavy preparation fire to weaken the enemy forces before the attack.
-
During the battle, the artillery delivered precise preparation fire to disrupt the enemy's defenses.
-
The division relied on preparation fire to damage the enemy's fortified positions ahead of the ground assault.
Synonyms
1
7.8
Continuous gunfire aimed at an enemy to stop them firing or moving so friendly troops can advance
How Intense
47
7.0
- Specialized
14
7.6
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
7.8
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'artillery or other fire delivered...before an assault' is directly derivable from combining 'preparation' (the act of preparing) with 'fire' (the firing of weapons): it denotes firing done as preparation. Although a military-specific collocation, the noun-noun composition follows a transparent modifier pattern and should be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Preparation fire comes from a simple army picture: preparation means getting ready and fire means guns and shells, so soldiers fire heavily before an attack to make the enemy weaker. That's why it means 'artillery fired before an assault'.