Field of maneuvers

Field of maneuvers or field of instruction is the extension of ground in which the troops execute their exercises in times of peace.

For the elementary instruction of recruits are usually the courts or esplanades of the barracks. But when it comes to practicing campaigning and frequent combat exercises, combining forces of different weapons with buildings and geographic features while teaching them to adapt the formations of the troops to the terrain, the same on the defensive as in the offensive, allow to give variety to the exercises.

It is advisable to have permanent fields of maneuvers that have the means to accommodate large contingents of troops and have all the necessary elements for their instruction. The first camp of this class was the one established by Napoleon Bonaparte in Boulogne-sur-Mer, capable of holding 100,000 men, when he planned the invasion of England.

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