Bridgehead

Bridgehead

A bridgehead (also 'Bridge-head'; French "tête-de-pont") is a military fortification that protects the end of a bridge that is closest to the enemy. The term has been generalized in news coverage and the vernacular to also mean any kind of defended area that is extended into hostile territory (also called a foothold or incorrectly, a beachhead), in particular the area on the farside of "a 'defended river bank' or a segment of a lake or riverine coastline", such as the Bridge at Remagen, and is especially applied when such a territory is initially seized by an amphibious assault with the tactical intent of establishing a supply line across the geographic barrier feature to allow further operational manoeuvre.

As the process of moving an army over bridges is slow and complicated, it is usually necessary to secure it from hostile interruption, and the works constituting the bridge-head must therefore be sufficiently far advanced to keep the enemy's artillery out of range of the bridges. In addition, room is required for the troops to form up on the farther bank. In former days, with short-range weapons, a bridge-head was often little more than a screen for the bridge itself, but modern conditions have rendered necessary far greater extension of bridge defences.

Bridgeheads typically exist for only a few days, the invading forces either being thrown back or expanding the bridgehead to create a secure defensive lodgement area before breaking out into open country as happened when the U.S. 9th Armored Division seized the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen in 1945 during World War II. In some cases, such as during the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I, a bridgehead may exist for months.

Adaptations

The term has also come to be used in a figurative sense, for instance in business, where a marketing "bridgehead" might be a specialized use of a new product in a particular market segment, in preparation for selling it against entrenched competitors across an entire market.

Uses in Information Technology

In IT, generally speaking, a bridgehead is a server that represents one network in another network.

For example, in directory services, a bridgehead server is a domain controller that replicates directory information into a local site from a remote site [ [http://support.microsoft.com/kb/271997 Microsoft Support - Description of Bridgehead Servers in Windows 2000] ] [ [http://www.ucertify.com/article/What-is-bridgehead-server.html uCertify - What is a Bridgehead Server?] ] .

See also

* Airhead
* Beachhead
* Lodgement

References

*


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bridgehead — Bridge head , n. A fortification commanding the extremity of a bridge nearest the enemy, to insure the preservation and usefulness of the bridge, and prevent the enemy from crossing; a t[^e]te de pont. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bridgehead — ► NOUN ▪ a strong position secured by an army inside enemy territory …   English terms dictionary

  • bridgehead — [brij′hed΄] n. 1. a fortified place or position established by an attacking force on the enemy s side of a bridge, river, defile, etc. 2. BEACHHEAD (sense 2) …   English World dictionary

  • bridgehead — n. 1) to establish a bridgehead 2) to develop, enlarge a bridgehead * * * [ brɪdʒhed] enlarge a bridgehead to develop to establish a bridgehead …   Combinatory dictionary

  • bridgehead — [[t]brɪ̱ʤhed[/t]] bridgeheads N COUNT A bridgehead is a good position which an army has taken in the enemy s territory and from which it can advance or attack. A bridgehead was established …   English dictionary

  • bridgehead — UK [ˈbrɪdʒˌhed] / US noun [countable] Word forms bridgehead : singular bridgehead plural bridgeheads a) a strong position held by an army on enemy land from which they can attack b) a strong position from which progress can be made, for example… …   English dictionary

  • bridgehead — placdarmas statusas T sritis Gynyba apibrėžtis Priešo okupuotoje ar numatomoje užpulti teritorijoje esanti vietovė, kuri turi būti išlaikyta ar bent kontroliuojama, kad būtų galima nuolat išsikelti, išlaipinti ar perkelti karius ir atsargas ir… …   NATO terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • Bridgehead Coffee — Infobox Company name = Bridgehead type = coffeehouse genre = foundation = 1981 founder = location city = Ottawa, Ontario location country = Canada location = locations = area served = Ottawa key people = industry = products = coffee, tea services …   Wikipedia

  • Bridgehead (Alabama) — 30° 40′ 05″ N 87° 54′ 40″ W / 30.6679684, 87.9111055 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • bridgehead line — The limit of the objective area in the development of the bridgehead. See also objective area …   Military dictionary

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